Cleveland Indians: Trio of Prospects at MLB Futures Game

Cleveland Indians Prospects Frazier, Mejia, and Diaz to Participate in MLB Futures Game

Today the Major League Baseball Future’s Game will take place in San Diego and a trio of Cleveland Indians’ prospects will be among those participating. Outfielder Clint Frazier will play on the US Squad while catcher Francisco Mejia and third baseman Yandy Diaz will play on the World Squad. This will be the first Futures game for all three prospects. Last season outfielder Bradley Zimmer was the lone player representative the Indians had at the game that took place in Cincinnati. 

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Frazier, the Tribe’s No. 1 prospect, is having a monster year at Double-A Akron this season. He’s hitting .287 with a .853 OPS in 78 games with the Rubberducks. He’s hit 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases, showing he’s not just a power threat.  He’s added 24 doubles as well, which are tied for the second-most in the Eastern League this season. The former 5th overall pick in the 2013 draft will be participating in the Eastern League All-Star Game this coming week as well, representing the Rubberducks in the game played at Canal Park in Akron.

Mejia is the Tribe’s top catching prospect and top ten prospect overall in the system. He began the year at Class-A Lake County before receiving a recent promotion to Advanced-A Lynchburg after a scorching hot start to the season. The 20-year-old hit .347 with a .915 OPS in 60 games for the Captains. It was his second stint with the club after playing all of 2015 at the level as a teenager. Since being promoted to the Hillcats, Mejia has hit .308 in 9 games. Overall, Mejia has hit seven home runs to go along with 20 doubles and four triples.

Diaz was a late addition to the roster, replacing the injured Chicago Cubs prospect Jeimer Candelario in the game. Diaz, a Cuban defector and No. 10 prospect in the Tribe’s system, began the season with the Double-A Akron Rubberducks, despite reaching Triple-A at the end of last season. He proved that he was too good for Double-A though, getting an early promotion to the Columbus Clippers after batting .286 with a .826 OPS in 26 games. Perhaps the most impressive part was his 21.8% walk rate(!) that lead to a .455 OBP with the Rubberducks. Since being promoted to Triple-A, Diaz hasn’t missed a beat, batting .311 with a .833 OPS in 52 games. Overall he has six home runs on the season with 10 doubles, three triples, and 10 stolen bases.

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The trio of prospects joins a growing list of Tribesmen that have participated in the Futures Game. Several current members of the team have participated including Carlos Santana, Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Lonnie Chisenhall, Trevor Bauer, and Carlos Carrasco. Former Tribe greats such as Victor Martinez and Grady Sizemore are among those that have been selected as well. The game is set to begin to begin at 7 pm EST and can be seen on MLB Network.