Cleveland Indians Farm System Overview – 2010
Overview
The 2009 Cleveland Indians went down in flames because of pitching and defense. Like any team that understands there should be no middle ground in baseball, they decided to rebuild. The team shipped off a bunch of different players for prospects with the biggest names being pitcher Cliff Lee and catcher Victor Martinez. In return, Cleveland received seven players: Jason Knapp, Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Nick Hagadone, Justin Masterson, and Bryan Price. In 2008, the team somehow managed to acquire Carlos Santana for Casey Blake of all people. The trades quickly infused the system with talent and will certainly help speed up the rebuilding process.
The Indians have drafted pretty well over the past couple years, especially at the top with Lonnie Chisenhall in 2008 and Alex White in 2009. While their have been few standouts after their first pick, the team has managed to accumulate some solid depth with the likes of Jason Kipnis, T.J. House, Zach Putnam, and Eric Berger. Still, you’d like to see a few more players develop into impact players. The 2007 draft class has been a disappointment thus far with Beau Mills not living up to the hype. It’s worth mentioning that the team did draft Bryce Brentz in 2007, but failed to sign him. Brentz is projected to be a top pick in the 2010 draft and you wonder if the Indians will target him again at No. 5.
Much of the club’s depth has come from their presence in Latin America, where the team has signed Hector Rondon, Kelvin de la Cruz, Alex Perez, Carlos Rivero, and Jeanmar Gomez in recent years. They are also well represented in Latin American talent at the big league level.
However, for the team to have sustain the level of depth they now have their farm system, they must draft more successfully, particularly in the later parts of the draft.
Indians Top-15 Prospects
Key Links1. Carlos Santana | C | Age – 24 | Grade – A
2. Nick Hagadone | LHP | Age – 24 | Grade – B+
3. Lonnie Chissenhall | 3b | Age – 21 | Grade – B+
4. Hector Rondon | RHP | Age – 22 | Grade – B
5. Alex White | RHP | Age – 21 | Grade – B/B-
6. Jason Knapp | RHP | Age – 19 | Grade – B-/B
7. Nick Weglarz | 1b/LF | Age – 22 | Grade – B-
8. Carlos Carrasco | RHP | Age – 23 | Grade – B-
9. Jason Kipnis | OF/2b | Age – 23 | Grade – B-
10. T.J. House | LHP | Age – 20 | Grade – B-
11. Zach Putnam | RHP | Age – 22 | Grade – B-
12. Alex Perez | RHP | Age – 20 | Grade – B-
13. Kelvin de la Cruz | LHP | Age – 21 | Grade – B-
14. Lou Marson | C | Age – 23 | Grade – C+/B-
15. Scott Barnes | LHP | Age – 22 | Grade – C+
› Prospect Primer (Grading Criteria Explained)
› Team Page Listings
› Index of 2010 Top-15 Prospect Lists
› Index of 2009 Top-15 Prospect Lists
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