2017 Minor League Thread

[sportscoach]

Also...

Not the biggest fan of MLB.com Pipeline, but just for reference on how deep the Indians farm is (or how bad Baltimore's is?). Santander was our #30 on their site...he's Baltimore's #15.

Some people said our farm system took a hit with the trade last year and I am not sure if we really did, now it would have if we gotten lucroy, but since we kept Meija and Allen, I think we easily replaced Frazier in the system. Both Yandy Diaz and Greg Allen I think are underrated prospects, while a guy like Mike Papi is overrated (He has to start hitting for better average in the minor my opinion) We also have a lot of young guys/guys at A levels in our "top 30" as well. It will be a few years before we really know what we have down there, but at there is a fair amount of hope at least since a lot of our recent draft picks/international signings have been doing fairly well in proving themselves at their respective levels.

 

[Derek]

I wouldn't call Papi overrated. He's like our 25th ranked guy, which seems like a fair balance between production and projection right now. Given his performance in the second half of last year, I am expecting a big season for him at Akron. Finally started to show some power in addition to his advanced approach at the plate.

 

[BimboColesHair]

Some people said our farm system took a hit with the trade last year and I am not sure if we really did, now it would have if we gotten lucroy, but since we kept Meija and Allen, I think we easily replaced Frazier in the system. Both Yandy Diaz and Greg Allen I think are underrated prospects, while a guy like Mike Papi is overrated (He has to start hitting for better average in the minor my opinion) We also have a lot of young guys/guys at A levels in our "top 30" as well. It will be a few years before we really know what we have down there, but at there is a fair amount of hope at least since a lot of our recent draft picks/international signings have been doing fairly well in proving themselves at their respective levels.

I mean...we totally took a hit. Frazier is a consensus top 30 prospect for a reason. Sheffield is a consensus top 100 prospect for a reason. Heller and Feyereisen were easily our 2 best upper level bullpen prospects as well. You can't look at that and say "we didn't take a hit".

What you can do is look at that and say we have the depth to survive moving guys like that and still have a strong farm, which is a testament to the revamps the organization has made in scouting/drafting/developing.

And Mike Papi is not overrated because "he has to start hitting for better average". That is a complete whiff on who Papi is as a player. Would it be nice for him to hit closer to .250? Of course. But that's not exactly who he is as a player. He is a guy who works deep into counts, so he takes his walks and Ks his fair share, and he is a gap to gap hitter. What is lagging behind is the power everyone thought was going to be there from the start of his career, but hasn't been until this past season.

He is everything he was as advertised, minus the power to this point. Even with the low batting average, the guy has posted a .350+ OBP 2 straight seasons now...because he's drawn 70+ BBs in each season. He's also surprised me at how well he can play the corners in the OF, considering he was a college 1B. Not sure there is a better OF arm in our system right now (Zimmer, Allen, and Tom are close). But the power he showed last year (15 HRs, .400+ slugging for the first time in his career) needs to stay...hopefully how he ended the season last year is a sign of things to come, because I still think he can be a useful platoon player in the MLB.

 

[AZ_]

 

[sportscoach]

I think if we make a trade Chang may be apart of it since we really do not have a spot for him at the bigs, but I could be wrong, I just think he would be a good piece to net us a good veteran player.

 

[AZ_]

I think if we make a trade Chang may be apart of it since we really do not have a spot for him at the bigs, but I could be wrong, I just think he would be a good piece to net us a good veteran player.

Well you're not wrong, as they've already attempted to trade him once.

 

[JFT]

The really nice thing about having depth now in the minors is that as these players emerge we will have the option of trading them, or the player they will eventually replace in the majors.

For example, if Chang, Meija, Zimmer, and the others continue to advance we could potentially fill gaps elsewhere with a blockbuster player at say center or first by trading a current starter who's contract may be coming to an end. That will provide management with lots of options we haven't had in the past.

 

[DJTJ]

Well you're not wrong, as they've already attempted to trade him once.

By the time Chang is ready, won't Kip be pretty much done? He can't move to second?

 

[BimboColesHair]

By the time Chang is ready, won't Kip be pretty much done? He can't move to second?

Think they'd move Ramirez to 2B since it's his natural position...still think Chang to 3B makes sense, especially if Diaz settles into a corner OF spot.

 

[sportscoach]

By the time Chang is ready, won't Kip be pretty much done? He can't move to second?

We have Kipnis signed until 2019 and a team option year for 2020 and I think 2021 as well, I don't remember if he had the double team option year.

Also we did just draft Nolan Jones who is supposed to end up being at 3B and we have a bunch of guys in the infield in the organization like Kreiger (2B), Mathis (2B/3B), Gonzalez (2B/SS/3B), Stamets (SS), Castro (SS) Wakamastu (SS), Cantu (3B), Ronny Rodriguez (2B) Urshela (3B) Diaz (3B).

Rodriguez has been moved around but his best position is 2B and Diaz has been moved to the outfield since Urshela is better defensively than he is. They are actually weaker in the farm system in the OF than in the middle infield right now. So trading a Chang for a MLB player back in the deal makes sense. Our depth is at SS and SP is the organization so if we make a trade for a veteran MLB player it will likely involve those two positions.

If for whatever reason guys like Zimmer/Allen do not pan out in the outfield, it could still be possible Kipnis ends up in the outfield since from the farm it will be easier to find an infielder than an OF (luckily often times guys like Diaz translate well into the OF)

 

[DJTJ]

We have Kipnis signed until 2019 and a team option year for 2020 and I think 2021 as well, I don't remember if he had the double team option year.

Also we did just draft Nolan Jones who is supposed to end up being at 3B and we have a bunch of guys in the infield in the organization like Kreiger (2B), Mathis (2B/3B), Gonzalez (2B/SS/3B), Stamets (SS), Castro (SS) Wakamastu (SS), Cantu (3B), Ronny Rodriguez (2B) Urshela (3B) Diaz (3B).

Rodriguez has been moved around but his best position is 2B and Diaz has been moved to the outfield since Urshela is better defensively than he is. They are actually weaker in the farm system in the OF than in the middle infield right now. So trading a Chang for a MLB player back in the deal makes sense. Our depth is at SS and SP is the organization so if we make a trade for a veteran MLB player it will likely involve those two positions.

If for whatever reason guys like Zimmer/Allen do not pan out in the outfield, it could still be possible Kipnis ends up in the outfield since from the farm it will be easier to find an infielder than an OF (luckily often times guys like Diaz translate well into the OF)

The point is, though, the log jam sort of frees up once Kip's contract expires/is dealt.

Our farm has a gluttony of up the middle guys, but in reality, Jose moves to 2nd, and they pray Jones/Chang can stick at third.

Everyone on this board is very pro-Yandy Diaz, but I don't think this org is.

 

[BimboColesHair]

The point is, though, the log jam sort of frees up once Kip's contract expires/is dealt.

Our farm has a gluttony of up the middle guys, but in reality, Jose moves to 2nd, and they pray Jones/Chang can stick at third.

Everyone on this board is very pro-Yandy Diaz, but I don't think this org is.

I think they most certainly are...but they know he can't play 3B, his primary position since he's been in our system, at the MLB level a whole bunch and seem to be giving him innings all over just to see where he can play before giving him the call.

He's going to be with the Indians at some point next season IMO, barring a trade. Think he's the most well rounded hitter in our farm by far, and is pretty strikingly similar to Brantley as a minor leaguer.

And the logjam is deeper if you include guys like Krieger and Mathias, who I'm bullish on offensively, especially if he can turn some of his 2Bs in HRs as he matures. Both of those guys are probably 2B only guys, with both of them having shoulder issues in the past.

 

[sportscoach]

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2016/...myre-rockies-wieters-rangers-suspensions.html


Indians righty Dakody Clemmer (drug of abuse) got a 50 game suspension. Now he was like a 19th round pick so he was pushing it to stay in the system long term anyways, but this will likely end his career sadly. I do not know a whole lot about him other than he didn't have a good first season and then he got one of these suspensions which says he has to work on himself before his game.

 

[sportscoach]

The point is, though, the log jam sort of frees up once Kip's contract expires/is dealt.

Our farm has a gluttony of up the middle guys, but in reality, Jose moves to 2nd, and they pray Jones/Chang can stick at third.

Everyone on this board is very pro-Yandy Diaz, but I don't think this org is.

The organization likes Yandy Diaz he just hasn't proven he can field anywhere at a good rate. He hasn't put it all together out at 3B and with Urshela actually being a legit 3B and Ramirez showing up in the pros as above average there, they decided to move his position as well. Also he doesn't need to be put onto the 40 man roster until next season which is when he likely will make his MLB debut depending on how Brantley recovers.

Diaz is ready to hit in the majors just they want to get his game completely developed before he was moved up. Now if we were a rebuilding type of team Diaz would already be up to the pros playing somewhere likely LF or 3B but we aren't so no need to rush him.

 

[AZ_]

Keith Law has Triston McKenzie as his #85 prospect in baseball.

85. Triston McKenzie, RHP, Cleveland Indians

Age: 19 (8/2/97) | B/T: R/R

Height: 6-5 | Weight: 165

Top level: Low-A | 2016: NR

McKenzie was Cleveland’s second pick in 2015 after they took Brady Aiken (who saw his velocity drop in 2016) with their first selection. He was a highly projectable but skinny prep right-hander who scored very well on Statcast metrics such as the extension of his delivery out towards the plate.

McKenzie pitches mostly at 90-92 mph but has touched 94, with at least another grade of fastball to come as he fills out. Between his 6-foot-5 frame and that extension out front, he gives hitters very little time to react to the pitch. He’s got some depth on an average curveball now and feel for a changeup -- enough so that even though he faced more left-handed batters than right in 2016 he had no appreciable platoon split.

He’s still more projection than present stuff, but the fact that he could dominate two levels at such a young age with so much more growth ahead points to his pure athleticism and advanced feel for pitching already. You could probably dream about him becoming an ace, although I’d probably set a realistic ceiling (90th percentile outcome) at a good No. 2, which assumes he continues to add muscle over the next three years.