Clevelinks: Indians Prospect Rankings, James Shields, & More

Indians Prospects Well Represented By Keith Law

ESPN Insider Keith Law ($ Required) revealed his top 10 prospects at each position and the Indians are well represented.

• Francisco Mejia ranks #9 on the catchers list.
• Bobby Bradley and Mike Papi checked in at #6 and #5 respectively at first base.
• Francisco Lindor came in as the #4 shortstop.
• Giovany Urshela was #10 at third base.
• Bradley Zimmer ranked as the 19th best outfielder.

Indians and James Shields?

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According to Jon Heyman of CBS Sports suggest that the San Diego Padres hold the home-state advantage in the mysterious market for free agent starting pitcher James Shields. He notes that their are a few other teams like the Toronto Blue Jays and Miami Marlins that are involved and at least one surprise team.

Could that surprise team be the Cleveland Indians? Several weeks ago The Lake County Sentinel (Link) reported that a source not inside the Indians organization had informed them that the Indians had made an offer to Shields. When the dust settles and Shields announces his decision will we find out that the Indians were the mystery team?

News from the AL Central:

 The  Detroit Tigers announced DH Victor Martinez tore the medial meniscus in his left knee  and is heading to see Dr. James Andrews for surgery. He will miss most if not all of spring training and his exact return date is unknown.

One year ago on Wahoo’s On First:

The Cleveland Indians signed Bryan LaHair to a minor league contract (Link). Earlier this week LaHair signed a minor league deal with the Boston Red Sox. He spent the 2014 season playing primarily for the Indians Double-A affiliate Akron RubberDucks and a handful of games with the Indians Triple-A affiliate Columbus Clippers posting a slash line of .223/.309/.318.

Once again, this move by the Indians was extremely low risk and gives them another body to plug into the lineup should the need arise. It’s the same reason why the Indians also signed Jeff Francoeur, Matt Treanor, and Matt Carson. You can never have too much depth. For Bryan LaHair, this is a shot at redemption and one more chance to make his major league dreams come true. Can he make the most of it? We’ll see, but as of today the odds are surely stacked against him.

Social Media:
Todd Paquette (@IndiansAccounts) With A Look At “Last Three Years In Indians System”