Clevelinks: Cleveland Indians Prospects and Desert Survival

Several Cleveland Indians prospects could make an impact in 2015, Francisco Lindor included, and the Wroundtable answers with whom they would want to be abandoned in a desert

Today is Pi Day (it’s 3-14-15), and many people will  eat pie to celebrate. Or they’ll just use it as an excuse to eat pie. But either way, eating pie is a luxury people who are stranded in the desert cannot afford. This week’s wroundtable question was which Indians player would you want to be stranded with in the desert. Many creative and clever answers came in, with everything from shark hunting to drone making being used as support for each writer’s pick. Click here to read more!

With Spring Training well under way, there are many players who we can identify as potential difference makers in 2015. While many positions are locked down, prospects still have a chance to make impacts this year and others further in the future. Keeping this in mind, Cody Norman compiled five prospects to watch in Spring Training. From the obvious to the obscure, this list is a testament to the Indians’ Front Office. Not only have they built a solid MLB team, but they also have some minor leaguers to back up the big leaguers.

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Speaking of prospects, Francisco Lindor is a player, and you might have heard of him. All jokes aside, Francisco Lindor is a serious prospect with some serious potential to do wreak havoc with his glove. Scouts and other evaluators have his glove rated as a 70 on the 80-point scale, but he also has the potential to pull his own weight at the plate. It’s tough to project exactly how a prospect will pan out, but he has tended to be league average or better with his bat.

Across 83 games in 2013, Lindor posted a 121 wRC+ with a 9.4% walk rate compared to a 10.5% strikeout rate. His walk rate stayed around the same point during his 88-game tenure in AA this past season, but his walk rate inflated by almost five percent. His performance at AAA was even worse, but Lindor is only 21-years-old and has played very well during Spring Training this year.

Starting with winning an endurance competition, Lindor’s excellence at the big league camp has been well documented. He has done so well that some people are wondering if the Indians can send him to AAA to start the season, despite the widespread belief prior to Spring Training that this was a certain outcome. Even if he will most likely begin the year in Columbus, he is still getting ready for the day on which he will be called up, according to Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com.

More from around the AL Central:

Friday Five: Prospects to Watch in Indians’ Spring Training – Wahoo’s on First

‘Indians Win Pair of Split Squad Contests’ – Wahoo’s on First

Which Indians’ Player Would You Want to Be Stranded With? – Wahoo’s on First

Kansas City Royals Players to Target in Fantasy Baseball – Kings of Kauffman

Fantasy Baseball Friday: Top Five Pitchers in 2015 AL Central – Motor City Bengals

Lindor Readying for Day Indians Call Him Up – ESPN.com

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