In general, even the most diehard baseball fans stop watching after the third round as very little is known about the players taken late in the draft. Even so, late round picks can still be vitaly important for a team as the Indians have seen recently with successes like Cody Anderson (14) and Cody Allen (23) from the 2011 draft. This year, they picked Will Benson, Nolan Jones and Logan Ice in the first two rounds yesterday, setting up today’s haul.
3rd Round, Pick 92: Aaron Civale
RHP Junior from Northeastern
Civale had been a reliever prior to this season, but his move to the starting rotation and subsequent success greatly improved his draft stock. After posting average numbers for two years, his 1.73 ERA in 2016 sparkled and his 9.5 K/9 was also impressive. Civale’s not a flame thrower, but has a solid slider that hits 88 MPH and could be set for a return to the bullpen should he sign with the Indians.
4th Round, Pick 122: Shane Bieber
RHP Junior from UC Santa Barbara
Bieber is already 21 years old and it’s possible the Indians picked him as he is already pretty far along in his development so it shouldn’t take too long for him to move up in the system. He hits the low 90’s with his fastball and throws three pitches regularly including a change and a slider. In each of the last two seasons, Bieber has pitched more than 100 innings with an ERA below 3.00, with a 2.24 mark in 2015. He doesn’t strike out many, but more importantly, he walks even less with just 15 in 2016 and 13 last year.
5th Round, Pick 152: Conner Capel
CF from Seven Lakes High School
The Indians first position player picked on day two was the left handed outfielder Capel. He’s only 19 and, along with the Indians first two position players taken, shows a movement towards youth for the Indians in this year’s draft. He has some speed, but has already been used in right field by his High School team, so chances are he is destined for a corner spot. He has committed to Texas, but could still sign with the Indians.
6th Round, Pick 182: Ulysses Cantu
3B from W.E. Boswell High School
Cantu is only 18 years old and, while he played third base in High School, could project as a first baseman or catcher in the future due to poor reaction time. At any position, he is considered to be a decent right handed bat and could help the Indians build some power in their lower levels.
7th Round, Pick 212: Michael Tinsley
C Junior from Kansas
Tinsley is a 21 year old left handed hitting catcher being drafted for the first time. He doesn’t hit for much power, but batted .377 with Kansas this year and has averaged .358 over 142 games in the past three seasons. Another good sign is that he walked 32 times compared to 18 strike outs this year, showing his patience at the plate. Given the lack of real prospects in the Indians minor league system (beyond Francisco Mejia), this looks like a solid and necessary pick.
8th Round, Pick 242: Andrew Lantrip
RHP Junior from Houston
Lantrip has had decent success in college, though as should be expected by his considerably later selection, inferior numbers to the other pitchers taken on the second day of the draft by Cleveland. He is 21 and in his third year in college, like the other two, and has had a solid ERA each year with a 2.70 in 2016. Lantrip throws hard, hitting 93 MPH with his fastball, but has given up some home runs (one every ten innings) and had trouble with control in 2015 (23 walks). That issue may have been resolved as he walked just five to 84 K’s in 2016.
9th Round, Pick 272: Hosea Nelson
OF Clarendon College
Playing in junior college, Nelson batted just .531 with 20 home runs and 17 steals in 55 games. Due to the disparity in talent level, it’s nearly impossible to glean anything from these stats and little is known about the left handed hitting outfielder.
10th Round, Pick 302: Samad Taylor
SS Corona Senior High School
The switch hitting short stop from California is the youngest player drafted by Cleveland this year at 17 years old. Little is known about this young player, but he has good bat speed and should be a solid defender in both the infield and outfield.
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