Cleveland Indians 2013 Top Prospects No. 1: Francisco Lindor

I mean, who else would it be?

Okay, so maybe Trevor Bauer is a worthy adversary to Lindor for the top spot on my list, but those are the people who think All-Stars are made only from guys who hit 20 home runs. And those people are what I like to call, wrong.

From Photobucket, by Tony Lastoria

Lindor is a special talent. He has the ability to be the top defensive shortstop in the American League, and I truly don’t understand how people think Lindor won’t hit.

As a true switch-hitter, Lindor is capable of above-average offensive output for a shortstop. Asking for 15 home runs may be a stretch, but asking for Starlin Castro-type output isn’t out of the realm of possibility. Most likely, I could see a .280/.360 output for Lindor with 8-10 home runs and 20-30 stolen bases.

Lindor isn’t considered a burner, but he has above-average running speed on top of plus instincts on the basepaths which should lead to strong stolen base totals.

Two questions come with Lindor. One: how much longer is he going to keep us waiting? And two: how much power is really going to come?

While I already projected modest outputs, we are talking about someone who is only 19 years old. Lindor still has some growing to do, but his frame doesn’t suggest much muscle growth that wouldn’t compromise his defense. That being said, he does make a lot of solid contact, which leads to more than enough doubles that he can also stretch into triples with his baserunning prowess.

Could those doubles start leaving the park? I find it unlikely, but not out of the question.

Lindor is a real top talent, and the best prospect to come through the Indians’ pipelines since Carlos Santana. Its hard for me to not get excited about him, seeing as the floor is minimal since most of his value comes in his glove. Tack that on with an approach to the plate that players in their mid-20s could learn from and Lindor will make the it to the majors and contribute without question.

The only true question is, how good is this kid really going to be? The answer: Really freaking good.

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