It has only been three months since the Indians picks in the 2014 amateur draft were selected and even less time since they signed and joined their minor league squads, but already some have stood out. While the best performers were generally those taken at the top of the draft, there have been a few who made a name for themselves despite being taken after more than 500 players in 2014. The Indians were able to sign 28 of their 40 selections and most have received a significant amount of playing time in the past few months, so get ready for a nice, long list.
1. Bradley Zimmer – OF – First Round, 21st Overall
Zimmer was a college pick, who was initially placed with the Short Season Scrappers and batted .304 with four home runs and 30 RBI in 45 games before being promoted to Single A Lake County, where he helped them in their play-off run. He has an impressive combination of speed and power, stealing 12 bases to just four caught and hitting 12 doubles in limited action.
2. Justus Sheffield – LHP – First Round, 31st Overall
Sheffield spent his entire first season with the AZL Indians after being drafted out of high school. He was initially used as a starter, but came out of the bullpen later in the season, posting a 4.79 ERA overall. He was plagued by some poor defense (five of his 16 runs allowed were unearned), but his 29 strike outs to just nine walks in 20.2 innings show a lot of potential for the future.
3. Mike Papi – OF – First Round, 38th Overall
Papi played just two games with Mahoning Valley before moving to Lake County where he spent the majority of his season. He has batted just .178/.305/.274 in single A with three home runs and 15 RBI in 39 games. He has been used at first base, right, left and center field, but has not been impressive there either, posting a .967 fielding percent at all outfield positions.
4. Grant Hockin – RHP – Second Round, 61st Overall
Hockin posted a 3.86 ERA as a starter for the AZL Indians with 21 innings in nine games (seven starts). He struck out 19 and walked just four with a WHIP of 1.19. At 18 years old, Hockin could possibly use another season in Goodyear before moving to the next level.
5. Bobby Bradley – 1B – Third Round, 97th Overall
Bradley was just a high school pick, but he may have had the best season of all the 2014 picks. He played the whole season with the AZL Indians and batted .361/.426/.652 with 50 RBI and eight home runs, good enough for the AZL Triple Crown and MVP. He was solid enough defensively, especially considering the field conditions, but could project as more of a DH eventually.
6. Sam Hentges – LHP – Fourth Round, 128th Overall
Hentges is just 17 years old and has already set a high bar for his future with a 0.69 ERA in 13 relief innings, allowing just nine total base runners for a WHIP of 0.69 as well. Hentges struck out 10 as one of the better AZL relievers in a short period. He will likely spend one more season in Arizona before being able to prove himself at a higher level.
7. Julian Merryweather – RHP – Fifth Round, 158th Overall
The 22 year old out of Oklahoma Baptist University started for the Scrappers and threw 46.2 innings in 13 games, striking out 35. His ERA of 3.66 was solid, but not completely impressive as he was one of the older players on the team. More will be learned of his ultimate ceiling once he plays a full season with the single A Captains.
8. Greg Allen – CF – Sixth Round, 188th Overall
Allen played in both center and right field for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, batting .244 in 57 games. While this number may not impress, especially considering that he is 21 years old already, there were two numbers in particular worth recognizing. In 35 stolen base attempts, Allen was safe 30 times, not only leading the team in SB%, but lead the league in total steals with eight more than the next best runner and 19 more than the next best Scrapper.
9. Simeon Lucas – C – Seventh Round, 218th Overall
Lucas was Li-Jen Chu’s primary back up during the second half of the season in the Arizona League, but didn’t play much as the Taiwan native was excellent all around. Lucas got into just 16 games and batted just .217. Behind the plate, he was even worse, committing five errors in those 16 games while allowing 16 of 19 base stealers to advance safely.
10. Micah Miniard – RHP – Eighth Round, 248th Overall
Miniard pitched just 12 innings for the AZL Indians with a 5.25 ERA and a WHIP of 1.16 in relief. He averaged two innings per appearance, so he could still be used as a starter, long reliever or short reliever depending on his ability. This will likely be worked out next season, when he will probably still be playing at the rookie level.
11. Alexis Pantoja – SS – Ninth Round, 278th Overall
Pantoja was a high schooler drafted out of the Puerto Rican Baseball Academy and is one players whose numbers can be mostly ignored. He started the season in the Arizona League as the team’s second baseman, but moved to short stop, pushing top prospect Yu-Cheng Chang to third. While he only batted .250 with five extra base hits, Pantoja was undoubtedly the fastest player on the Rookie level Indians, stealing 13 games without being caught.
12. Steven Patterson – 2B – Tenth Round, 308th Overall
Patterson was a second and third baseman for the Scrappers and had a very average start. He played in 54 games with a .269 average, 20 doubles, 38 runs and 26 RBI. Defensively, he played poorly with a .750 fielding percent in three games at third and .962 in 50 games at second. With plenty of options at both positions already in the system (some of whom were from this draft), Patterson could already be trending as a minor league utility man.
13. Jared Robinson – RHP – Eleventh Round, 338th Overall
Robinson was a solid reliever for the AZL Indians, posting a 1.23 ERA in 22 innings, while striking out 19. Robinson was one of the most trusted relievers on the team as he was the first come in during the AZL championship game after the aforementioned Sheffield. He is 19 years old and has earned a promotion to at least Mahoning Valley in 2015.
15. Jordan Dunatov – RHP – Twelfth Round, 368th Overall
Dunatov was taken out of college, but still played his limited time with the Rookie level Indians. He pitched just nine innings in ten games of relief. While he didn’t allow an earned run, it may be simply because his defense didn’t let him as he walked ten and held a 1.78 WHIP overall with five unearned runs.
16. Austin Fisher – SS – 13th Round, 398th Overall
Out of Kansas State, Fisher was a short stop for the Scrappers, playing in 40 games with a .963 fielding percent. In 46 games over all, he batted just .196 with two extra base hits, two steals and ten RBI. It’s unfortunate that a college age player was unable to succeed at the short season level, but he may need to repeat next season at this level or even go down to Arizona for some rookie ball.
17. Luke Eubank – RHP – 15th Round, 458th Overall
Eubank had a tremendous year in relief for the Scrapppers, posting a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings, striking out 16 and grabbing six saves. Eubank is just 20 years old as a college pick and should be an interesting one to follow, either as a reliever or stretched out as a possible future starter.
18. J.P. Feyereisen – RHP – 16th Round, 488th Overall
Feyereisen only pitched 17 innings for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers in relief, but certainly opened some eyes in that time. He struck out 24 and allowed a total of ten base runners, just one by walk. Of course, his biggest stat was his 0.00 ERA as he didn’t allow even an unearned run. There is not a number that makes him look bad as Feyereisen added an extra three wins an four saves to his already impressive rate stats.
19. Cameron Hill – RHP – 17th Round, 518th Overall
Hill was a starter for the Scrappers, posting a 1.76 ERA in 56.1 innings overall. He struck out 33, but walked 20, showing he may still be a little wild. Of course, this was the 20 year old’s first minor league season and he was more impressive than not in his 12 starts.
20. Taylor Murphy – OF – 18th Round, 548th Overall
Murphy was originally drafted by the Mariners in 2011, but didn’t sign until this year with the Tribe. He played both left and right field, but wasn’t particularly impressive on either side. At the plate, he did walk a little more than average with 26, enough to raise his poor average of .262 by almost 100 points to a .361 OBP.
21. Argenis Angulo – RHP -19th Round, 578th Overall
Angulo was born in Venezuela, but moved to Texas for college and was drafted for the first time by the Indians this year. He pitched only in relief for the AZL Indians, posting a 7.80 ERA, but striking out 27 in just 15 innings. Angulo is a little old at 20 for a Rookie level player and it is hard to judge him from just 13 games in his first professional season.
22. Gian Paul Gonzalez – C -20th Round, 608th Overall
Gonzalez was the AZL Indians fourth string catcher behind Li-Jen Chu, Kevin Calderon and the previously mentioned Lucas and for good reason. Gonzalez batted just .176 with no extra base hits in 11 games and allowed 76% of runners to steal bases successfully. The 18 year old out of Discipulos de Cristo in Puerto Rico has shown little to get excited about to this point, but could be given a better chance when Chu and Lucas are promoted ahead of him.
23. Bobby Ison – OF -21st Round, 638th Overall
Ison was the starting center fielder for the AZL Indians and was solid defensively, while being less than impressive at the plate. These Indians were an offensive juggernaut this year, but Ison was not a big part of that, batting just .240/.338/.256 and was caught in five of 13 steal attempts.
24. Jordan Carter – RHP – 22nd Round, 668th Overall
Carter was used as a flex pitcher for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, starting just two games, but pitching 34.2 innings in his 12 total games. He struck out 24 compared to just four walks while holding opponents to a 2.60 ERA.
25. David Armendariz – OF – 23rd Round, 698th Overall
Armendariz started in the Arizona League, but at 22 years old, the left fielder was an elder statesman in that league and was promoted after just 18 games. After batting just .140/.140/.200 in Mahoning Valley, he may have proven that he still belonged in Arizona. With all the great talent from this year’s draft, it is hard to get excited about a weak hitting outfield with no power, speed and a poor glove.
26. Jodd Carter – CF -24th Round, 728th Overall
Carter was drafted out of high school in Hawaii and was the starting left fielder and number two hitter for the AZL Indians. He batted .291 with 17 RBI in 37 games. He is just 17 years old and looks like he could develop some power in the coming years.
29. David Speer – LHP -27th Round, 818th Overall
Speer is a 21 year old out of Columbia University and was dominant in relief for Mahoning Valley this year. He struck out 47 in 42.2 innings and walked just eight with a 2.74 ERA. He did allow 42 hits, increasing his WHIP to 1.17 despite his limited number of walks.
30. Nathan Winfrey – 3B -28th Round, 848th Overall
Winfrey played 28 games as a reserve player for the AZL Indians, all at DH or third base. Winfrey batted just .211 with 20 hits that somehow turned into 20 RBI. He also walked 20 times for a more impressive .369 OBP, showing a glimmer of hope for the 19 year old. Once Yu-Cheng Chang and Pantoja advance, Winfrey should be able to prove himself as a full time player in Goodyear.
31. Drake Roberts – 2B -29th Round, 878th Overall
At 22 years old, Roberts is very old for the Short Season Scrappers, but he did not dominate as one would expect. He played just 34 games, mostly at third base, batting .175/.238/.250 over that span. He also played games at short stop and second, but wasn’t impressive defensively at any position or the plate.
33. Dominic DeMasi – RHP – 31st Round, 938th Overall
DeMasi was a very average reliever for the Scrappers, allowing a 1.75 WHIP, 4.91 ERA and 10 walks in 18.1 innings. At 21 years old, he may need another season below Lake County before he can truly be evaluated.
39. Juan Gomes – C – 37th Round, 1,118th Overall
Juan is the younger brother of Indians starting catcher Yan Gomes and is a catcher himself. He was also the only player to sign that was drafted later than the 31st round and one of just five who signed after the 24th round out of 40 total players drafted. He did not make his professional debut this year at the age of 22 after being drafted out of Odessa College.
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