EdMonix11
All-Star
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- Jun 2, 2012
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So why is the farm system so terrible all of a a sudden? Bobby Bradley looked like he had turned a corner, now I look and he has a 110 WRC+. Mejia is the only hitter who stands out. The advanced college guys have stalled (Krieger, Mathias), Cheng has power and nothing else, Lake County is a disaster zone and the pitching up and down is hot garbage. MacKenzie and Esparza have slowed down. One trade and a couple promotions shouldn't have decimated the system like that. Do any of the picks from the last three years look like they will impact the big league club before Kluber hits FA?
Not sure the doom and gloom has merit.
Bradley, Cheng and Mejia are 21 year olds in AA ball. If Bradley and Cheng performed any better, they'd be top-50 prospects in all of baseball. People forget AA is the toughest jump before the Majors...
There's some really encouraging stats though.... Bobby Bradley has cut his K rate down from 29.7% to 22.9% this year. His BABIP plummeted from .293 to .261 so it's possible he's suffered from some bad luck. Same with Cheng-- he had a BABIP of .316 last year (.288 the year before last) and it's .246 this year. Scouting reports seem to be favorable for both guys so I don't think there's much to worry about.
McKenzie had two bad starts in a row and his last start was great. He's an absolute stud. 11.38 K/9 is elite. People forget this is his first full season of professional baseball.... it's a grind. ERA in the Minor Leagues is totally worthless. Defense and official scorer's are absolutely brutal throughout the minors.
Eric Haase has taken a huge step forward this season. Some teams around the MLB think he could be an everyday catcher in the bigs per Fangraphs.
Yandy would be in the bigs if the Indians weren't contending. He's worthy of an extended look in the MLB whether it's with the Indians or not.
Nolan Jones is coming in REAL hot.
Bieber has climbed three levels in one season.... which is telling because the Indians typically like their prospects to ripen a little bit.
Connor Capel is a 20 year old CF in A-ball and quietly nearing 20 HR's.