Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #17 Adam Plutko

Often overlooked, starting pitcher Adam Plutko comes in at Number 17 on our 2016 Cleveland Indians Top Prospect countdown.

Who is Adam Plutko?

Plutko joined the Cleveland Indians after he was drafted in the 11^th round in 2013 and signed for $300,000 (far more than your typical 11^th round pick). The 24-year old California native was originally a 6^th round pick out of high school by the Houston Astros, but he instead decided to attend UCLA where he excelled for three seasons and helped lead them to the 2013 National Championship. The 6’3”, 195-pound right-hander joined a Bruins squad that already had two great starters in Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer. Plutko made his Indians organizational debut in 2014, opening with the Lake County Captains and before midseason in 2015 was already in Akron. Though not a member of the 40-man roster, Plutko was invited to big league camp this year as a non-roster invitee where he held his own before being reassigned to minor league camp yesterday.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Plutko is not the flashiest pitcher you’ll see. He’s not a big strikeout guy like many of the Tribe’s pitching prospect. However, where Plutko really shines is his control and feel for pitching. In his two seasons with the Tribe, Plutko has walked just 1.7 guys per nine innings. And while I said he wasn’t a big strikeout guy, he has still managed to strikeout eight per nine innings, which gives him a very impressive 4.8 strikeout-to-walk ratio (281 K, 58 BB).

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Plutko attacks hitters with his fastball that sits 90-92 though he did run it up to 94 at times at Akron. It’s hardly the most overpowering fastball, but his ability to locate it can still make it a very devastating pitch. He has an amazing feel for his changeup and can be a plus pitch for him. He also throws both a slider and curveball with his slider being the better of the two breaking balls.

Being an advanced college pitcher has also helped Plutko handle a good innings workload thus far as a professional. He threw 149.2 innings in 2014 and followed that up with 166 innings this past year. He should be able to run that number up to 190-200 innings this year if time allows, which is not something many guys looking to break into the big leagues can say.

There’s really not a lot of negatives with Plutko, but one that should be mentioned is his tendency to be a flyball guy, which could make him susceptible to the longball as he continues to move up the ladder. He did give up 12 home runs in 2015; however, eight of them were solo shots, thanks in large part to his control and not putting many guys on with free passes. In a way, he’s a bit like Josh Tomlin in this regard.

Where Does He Go From Here?

Plutko has been moving rather quickly through the Tribe’s system. He made 18 starts at Double-A Akron last year and given how he pitched should be in line to open the season at Triple-A. However, the Columbus rotation looks awfully crowded at things stand now. If a guy like Shawn Morimando ends up in the rotation in Columbus then there’s a chance Plutko opens as the Ace at Akron until a spot eventually opens up at Columbus (and it will).

Whether he opens at Akron or Columbus though really doesn’t make a huge difference in terms of his development though. If he pitches like he did in 2015 again, he could very well see Cleveland before the year is out, even if he opens at Akron. The Indians aren’t shy about moving pitchers up even if they start in Double-A or lower.

Next: Indians Top Prospects: #17 Nellie Rodriguez

At the end of the day, Plutko may lack the high ceiling of some prospects (which is why he’s not higher on this list), but his floor may be the highest of any pitching prospect in the system. He may only project as a back-end starting pitcher, but with his control and makeup, one shouldn’t be shocked if he ends up even better…

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