Cleveland Indians: Can Left-Hander Ryan Merritt Help the Tribe?

Ryan Merritt Can Recover in 2016

When looking at the top pitching prospects in the Cleveland Indians’ farm system, it’s easy to see why soft-tossing left-hander Ryan Merritt has fallen off of the Tribe’s list. With arms like Rob Kaminsky, Brady Aiken and Justus Sheffield ahead of him, Merritt may have just run out of time to make an impression.

After posting a 2.58 ERA and a 13-3 record in 25 starts with High-A Carolina in 2014, Merritt took home the Tribe’s prestigious Bob Feller award. The award is typically given to the best minor league pitcher in the system, so it’s not as though it’s a small honor. Merritt was thoroughly impressive, striking out 127 batters in 160 innings, while walking only 25 batters all season.

In 2014, the Tribe decided to push the 23-year-old lefty. They promoted him to Double-A Akron, where he maintained a respectable 3.51 ERA, to accompany a 10-7 record in 22 starts. He struck out only 89 batters, but also walked just 16 in 141 innings, so the Tribe promoted him again in August. Triple-A, where Merritt ended the season, resulted in a 4.20 ERA despite a 2-0 record across 30 innings in five games.

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Merritt is not a flashy pitcher by any means. He was drafted in the 16th round of the 2011 draft, and he doesn’t throw very hard. In 2014, Baseball America rated him as having the best changeup in the Carolina League – the same year he made the Tribe’s Top 30 prospect’s list, at number 27.

Perhaps the best use for Merritt is not as a starter, but as a lefty out of the pen. Given the fact that the Tribe relied heavily on Kyle Crockett after trading Marc Rzepczynski at the trade deadline, it would make sense to add another left-handed relief option, and as Merritt seems unlikely to develop into a major league starter, he might make a very good option out of the bullpen.

Why would a soft-throwing lefty be a good relief option? Perhaps he’ll never be a late-inning guy like Rzepczynski was, but Merritt can absolutely limit damage. He rarely walks anyone, and while he doesn’t strikeout as many batters as someone like Cody Allen, Merritt certainly is capable of inducing outs. A good comparison would be right-hander Josh Tomlin, who has typically excelled is that role out of the bullpen. Just because a pitcher doesn’t throw 100 mile per hour doesn’t mean they’re not capable of holding a lead.

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It seems likely that despite his 2014 success being only one season away, Merritt’s chance to be a starter has passed him by. With T.J. House ahead of him and pitchers like Aiken and Kaminsky rapidly rising through the system, there isn’t a role for Merritt in the rotation. However, there’s plenty of room in the bullpen for a pitcher who can limit runners, and that’s the path that Merritt needs to take if he wants to reach the major leagues.