Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #20 Shawn Armstrong

One of the best strikeout pitchers in the system, reliever Shawn Armstrong comes in at Number 20 on our 2016 Cleveland Indians Top Prospect countdown.

Who is Shawn Armstrong?

Armstrong was an 18^th round draft pick by the Cleveland Indians back in 2011. The East Carolina alum stands 6’2” and weighs 225 pounds. He’s a hard-throwing right-hander who has worked out the bullpen exclusively as a professional. He’s risen pretty steadily through the Tribe ranks, and he made his major league debut on August 8^th after being added to the 40-man roster prior to the 2015 season.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Plain and simple, Armstrong is a strikeout machine. In his five minor league seasons, he has a strikeout rate of 11.9 K/9. Even more impressive was his 14.5 K/9 rate in Triple-A last season, which was tops in the International League (minimum 40 innings pitched). In fact, only two others pitchers with as many innings were over 12 K/9. Armstrong struck out a ridiculous 38.1% of all hitters he faced with the Columbus Clippers in 2015.

Armstrong uses a fastball and cutter/slider to rack up the strikeouts. His fastball is a real power pitch and sits 94-95 and can touch 98-99 at times. It has some sinking action to it as well and when it’s on, his fastball is a true plus pitch for him. He also throws a cutter and/or slider. Some call it just a slider that “acts like a cutter” while others call them two different pitches. In any case, he can throw it in the 88-89 range with plus movement. He will at times mix in a curveball too (especially versus left-handed hitters), but at this point, it’s still a bit of a work in progress. All his pitches benefit from his herky-jerky delivery that can create deception in addition to movement.

The area where Armstrong has struggled, and what keeps him from ranking much higher on this list, is his command. Along with the strikeout rate this past year, he also walked 4.7 batters per nine innings in Triple-A. While he’s able to survive at that level while walking over 12% of hitters, big league hitters won’t be as forgiving. He did show better command once he got to the big leagues (2.3 BB/9); however, that was in only eight appearances.

Where Does He Go From Here?

Of all the prospects on our countdown, Armstrong may have the best shot of any to open with the big league club. The control issues are a legit concern; however, it’s hard to deny the upside in that arm. Outside of maybe Cody Allen, no reliever in that pen has the strikeout potential of Armstrong, something I’m sure Terry Francona will strongly consider. He has dealt with a minor back injury this spring though, which could negatively affect his chances of making the big league club.

Next: Indians Top Prospects: #21 James Ramsey

One thing that could also work against Armstrong in addition to his control issues could be service time. While the Tribe hasn’t worried about it as much with relievers, they could get an extra year of control out of Armstrong if they wait til mid-May or later to call him up. So while I don’t see this as “the” reason he doesn’t make the club, it could possibly be “a” reason (if that makes sense?). He also has a pair of minor league options still remaining whereas a guy like Austin Adams only has one remaining, so if push comes to shove, he could lose out in that regards as well.

At the end of the day though, whether Armstrong opens in the Cleveland bullpen or not, he’s a virtually lock to see time with the big league club at some point in 2016. His ceiling is arguably as high as Allen’s, and he has the stuff to be a big-league closer.

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Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #20 Shawn Armstrong