Cleveland Indians Roundup: Tyler Naquin Will Make Opening Day Roster; Prospect Countdown; Outfield Notes

Outfielder Tyler Naquin will open the season with the Cleveland Indians

The Cleveland Indians’ outfield situation received a little more clarity yesterday when news broke that Tyler Naquin will make the Opening Day roster. Naquin, 25 in a month, entered Spring Training with hopes of joining the Indians’ outfield, and he did nothing but impress ever since. He has hit .447 in 15 Cactus League games while showing a few impressive flashes of power.

Overall, this continued as impressive train of events for the outfielder. After the Indians selected him in the first round back in 2012, Naquin batted well at nearly every level. Aside from a brief stint in Double-A at the end of 2013, Naquin always batted at an above-average clip with decent speed. This success led Matt Bretz to rank him as the 11^th best prospect in the Indians system just a few days ago. 

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In other outfield news, Zack Meisel of Cleveland.com reported that the team is likely to open the season with five outfielders. With Michael Brantley’s injury situation creating some serious problems for the Indians, Francona said that the Indians couldn’t afford to have a lefty specialist eating up a vital spot on the team.

Finally, the prospect countdown continued with Matt Bretz naming Mike Clevinger as the 8^th best prospect in the Cleveland Indians’ system. The right-handed pitcher joined the Indians from the Los Angeles Angels back in 2014 in exchange for Vinnie Pestano. Since then he showed moderate strikeout potential with a straight fastball and plus slider. His control, however, did not materialize in the minor leagues until last season, which helped to explain the major drop in his earned run average.

More from around the American League Central:

Naquin Earns Spot on Indians’ Opening Day Roster – Indians.com

Cleveland Indians Likely to Start Season with 5 Outfielders, 7 Relievers with Michael Brantley’s Status in Question – Cleveland.com

Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #8 Mike Clevinger – Wahoo’s on First

Cleveland Indians: Just Let the Tribe Play Ball Without the Expectations – Wahoo’s on First