The 2012 Cleveland Indians Top Prospects List

No. 5: Tony Wolters. Francisco Lindor gets the hype and Ronny Rodriguez could be an offensive force, but Wolters has a surprisingly well-rounded game too. He doesn’t have any one outstanding tool,—unless you count his intelligence. Scouts rave about how Wolters is the prototypical “baseball rat.” (full profile here)

No. 4: LeVon Washington. Washington will never be a .300 hitter—maybe something in the .260-.270 range would be the norm in his prime. Washington could show some double-digit power in his prime, and he can definitely keep up with players like Desmond Jennings and Cameron Maybin on the basepaths. (full profile here)

No. 3: Nick Hagadone. If you ask anyone who keeps a keen eye on the minor leagues, they would tell you that the Indians have stockpiled some of the best relief pitching prospects out there. The crown jewel of all those late-inning arms is Nick Hagadone. He has true closer potential, and it could be him (not Vinnie Pestano) who supplants Chris Perez as the Indians’ closer down the road. (full profile here)

No. 2: Dillon Howard. At 6’4″ and 210 pounds, Howard has the perfect frame for a front-line starter and the repertoire to match. Howard’s main weapon is his hard sinking fastball that can touch 95, as well as a well-developed change-up for a high schooler. Thanks to his solid three-pitch offering, Howard was widely considered the best pitcher to ever come out of his home state of Arkansas. (full profile here)

No. 1: Francisco Lindor. At this point, most Indians fan know all about Lindor and what he has to offer. He’s one of the rare high school shortstops who should be able to stick at that position throughout his professional career, and it’s not unreasonable to foresee a couple of Gold Gloves in his future. Lindor could be a special player in Cleveland, he and Carlos Santana could be the players who define the next decade of Indians baseball. (full profile here)

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