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The 2012 Cleveland Indians Top Prospects List

Lewie Pollis — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:53:37 +0000

Starting in February, our own Geordy Boveroux undertook the ambitious project of compiling a top prospects list for the Cleveland Indians organization. Here’s a summary of Geordy’s list—be sure to check out each player’s full profile!

No. 15: Cord Phelps. No one should be judging Phelps from his 35-game cup of tea in the majors last year, especially with all the quality play he has shown throughout his minor-league career. He’s a very well-rounded player who needs to continue to work hard; he isn’t the most physically gifted guy around, but he’s still athletic enough to make plays offensively and defensively. (full profile here) (more…)

Cleveland Indians 2012 Top Prospects No. 8: Jake Lowery

Geordy Boveroux — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 11:45:01 +0000

As the offseason nears its end, we’re profiling the top prospects in the Indians organization. Today, we continue our countdown with No. 8: Jake Lowery.

From Photobucket, by Tony Lastoria

Jake Lowery was one of the few safe college picks the Indians selected in the 2011 MLB Draft, which was mostly filled with high-upside high school players. As the fourth round pick in that draft, many praised the selection. Jim Callis of Baseball America said:

Lowery is another guy with Qs about D but no one has any reservations about the bat. At least a big league backup.

Having a guy who might end up as just a backup in his career may seem like a disappointment, but knowing you selected a guy whose floor will still be a regular Major League contributor is actually a big win. Keep in mind that this is Lowery’s worst-case scenario, and he could still be a real asset to an MLB team. (more…)

Seedlings to Stars Ranks Indians Prospects, Takes Negative View of Organization

Lewie Pollis — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:29:20 +0000

In their version of the annual top prospect rankings, our friends at Seedlings to Stars have been breaking down each MLB organization’s best minor leaguers into mock 25-man rosters. This week, S2S writer Wally Fish broke down the Cleveland Indians organization. The result was the stuff that rain clouds are made of.

We know that Cleveland’s farm system isn’t what it used to be. The trades of Drew Pomeranz, Alex White, and Joe Gardner; the promotions of Lonnie Chisenhall, Jason Kipnis, and Vinnie Pestano; and the struggles of Jason Knapp, Nick Weglarz, and LeVon Washington have all hit the organization pretty hard.

Even so, Fish’s analysis seems overly skeptical. ”The cupboard is really, really bare,” he writes, before suggesting that the Tribe’s farm system might be the very worst in baseball—worse even than the White Sox’. Check out his grades for different parts of the organization: (more…)