Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #7 Justus Sheffield

A young left-hander with a ton of upside, starting pitcher Justus Sheffield comes in at Number 7 on our 2016 Cleveland Indians Top Prospect countdown.

Who is Justus Sheffield?

Sheffield was the Tribe’s second first-round pick in 2014, drafted out of Tullahoma High School in Tennessee. He was taken 31^st overall and eventually signed for $1.6 million ($133,000 under slot) foregoing a scholarship to college baseball powerhouse Vanderbilt. The pick was a compensation pick for the Indians losing free agent pitcher Ubaldo Jimenez. The 19-year-old left-hander stands just 5’10” and weighs 196 pounds. He spent all of 2015 with the Class-A Lake County Captains where he was a Midwest League All-Star.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Sheffield may be undersized at only 5’10 but that hasn’t stopped him from being a power arm with big time stuff. His fastball sits 92-93 with some good sink, and can run as high as 96 at times. He has a plus breaking ball that is his out pitch and also has an improving changeup. He racked up 138 strikeouts in 2015, good for second most in the Midwest league and as well as second most among all Tribe farmhands (Mike Clevinger, 145). In fact, he struck out nearly one out of every four batters he faced in 2015 (24.9% strikeout rate).

More from Away Back Gone

In addition to the big time strikeout numbers, Sheffield did a very good job limiting free passes in 2015. He walked just under 7% of all hitters he faced in 2015, not bad for a kid a year out of high school. His numbers across the board were damn impressive too. In 26 starts and 127.2 innings, he posted a good 3.31 ERA and even better 2.99 FIP (fielding independent pitching). He was a bit on the hittable side though posing a .262 batting average against, though that number is hardly terrible for a kid his age.

Sheffield may have great stuff and great numbers, but he does still have some things to work on. He needs to refine his command some more and while the changeup has come a long way in just two seasons, it could still use some refinement to be a big league pitch. He won’t turn 20 until May so still has plenty of time to work on things, though.

Another “weakness” that will be mentioned for a while with him is his size. He has a good, athletic build that should help him as he advanced through the system; however, being only 5’10” is a hurdle that can be tough to overcome (though hardly insurmountable). That said, he’s a very “projectable” pitcher but also one with considerable upside, so much upside that some have him as a top five player in the Tribe’s system. In fact, both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus had him fourth in the system.

Where Does He Go From Here?

The Indians were rather aggressive with Sheffield in 2015, placing him in full-season ball when he was only 18 on opening day. He passed that test though with flying colors and will look to do it again as he’ll begin the season at Advanced-A Lynchburg. It’ll be a big test for him but as long as he can continue to refine that command and his secondary pitches he should be fine. He’s got a great feel for pitching and should be up to the challenge and while it is way too optimistic to expect him to see Double-A Akron in 2016, I wouldn’t completely rule it out (though it is a longshot).

Next: Indians Top Prospects: #8 Mike Clevinger

He’s a pitcher I’m very high on and in any other season would probably be a top five prospect; however, with so much good depth in the Tribe’s system at the moment, he falls just short (no pun intended). He does have the upside of a number two starter but that lack of size could be enough of a hindrance that he falls short. He’s got a great head on him though and is quite polished for how young and inexperienced he is. If anyone can overcome less than ideal size it’s Sheffield. Make no mistake, Sheffield can pitch.

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