Cleveland Indians: Catching Up with 2016's Top Draft Picks

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Jun 18, 2016; Omaha, NE, USA; UC Santa Barbara Gauchos pitcher Shane Bieber (19) throws out Oklahoma State Cowboys infielder Corey Hassel (28) on a bunt in the first inning in the 2016 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /

As the season winds down for the Cleveland Indians’ minor league teams, let’s take a look at how the newest members of the Tribe are faring in their young pro careers.

Francisco Lindor, Tyler Naquin, and Lonnie Chisenhall are all former first round selections of the Cleveland Indians in the MLB draft that are contributing at the big league level. Bradley Zimmer, another former top pick, has progressed to Triple-A and gets closer to the majors by the day. And Clint Frazier, yet another selection in the first round, just helped the Tribe secure Andrew Miller in a trade with the New York Yankees.

Drafting well in recent years has been critical to Cleveland’s success this season. Beyond the first round, Jason Kipnis, Cody Allen, Josh Tomlin, and Kyle Crockett are all homegrown players that have made contributions, both large and small, to the Indians current location atop the standings in the American League Central.

In mid June, 25 new players were drafted and signed by the organization (16 went unsigned), and have been hard at work embarking on their pro careers in the minor leagues. Among them could be the next Tribe cleanup hitter, closer, or fan favorite.

While the odds in baseball are stacked against even the most talented, each draft class brings with it the optimism of the entire club that the future will be bright. So let’s check in on the progress being made by the young men who heard their names called at the top of Cleveland’s draft just two months ago.

Next: Five-Tool First Rounder

Will Benson – 1st round (14th overall)

After using their first round picks on outfielders in three consecutive drafts from 2012 to 2014 – Naquin, Frazier, and Zimmer – the Indians once again jumped at an athlete who has the potential to someday roam the lawn at Progressive Field in the 6-foot-6, 220-pound Benson out of Westminster High School in Atlanta.

Benson has big-time athleticism and the personality to match, possessing raw power in his left-handed swing and a strong arm that could project to right field in the big leagues.

“We see Will as a five-tool right fielder,” said Indians director of amateur scouting Brad Grant after the draft. “He’s a guy that we feel is going to hit for average and hit for power. He’s got power to all fields, and they travel a long way. On top of that, he’s a solid-average runner. He’s got a plus arm and solid defensive skills out in right field.”

Perhaps not surprisingly given that he turned 18 years old just after the draft, Benson has struggled a bit in his first taste of pro ball. Playing for the Tribe’s team in the Arizona Rookie League, he is slashing .211/.322/.422 in 41 games, with 54 strikeouts to 20 walks. He has shown the extra-base pop that Grant spoke of, though, with 10 doubles, three triples, five home runs, and 25 runs drive in.

Next: Another Prep Bat

Nolan Jones – 2nd round (55th overall)

The Indians stayed in the high school ranks with their second pick of the 2016 draft, taking Jones out of Holy Ghost Prep in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Projected as a third baseman, Jones is another left-handed bat with power potential.

“He’s a very good hitter,” Grant said. “He’s a guy who we feel is going to hit with power as well in the future. He has a plus arm – solid fielder. He’s another guy with really good makeup as well. He’s a guy that we spent a whole lot of time with.”

The 6-foot-4 Jones was the 20th-ranked prospect in the draft by MLB Pipeline, but signability concerns caused him to tumble a bit, and Cleveland pounced when he did. His signing bonus ended up being double the slot value for the 55th pick, proving that some of those pre-draft concerns were perhaps well-founded.

Much like Benson, Jones has struggled a bit at the plate for the AZL Indians, slashing .255/.389/.324 in 30 games. He has yet to homer, but has five doubles and a triple, nine RBIs, and a 45-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio. High school hitters often struggle in transitioning to professional ball, even at the Rookie League level, so the slow starts for Benson and Jones are not anything to panic over.

Next: Ice Cold

Logan Ice – Competitive Balance B round (72nd overall)

Cleveland’s lack of depth at the catcher position has been well-documented, and Ice is a defensive beast with a plus arm who projects to be a major league-caliber receiver. The Oregon State product also made huge strides as a hitter in college, which improved his draft stock and led to him being a first day selection by the Indians.

“The catching ability has been there,” Grant said. “This year, [his hitting] really took off. The fact that he controls the strike zone extremely well, the fact that he does hit for some power from both sides of the plate, those were all things that we liked.”

The 5-foot-10 switch-hitting Ice skipped the AZL, being assigned to the short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley Scrappers, which is not uncommon for players coming out of college. He has struggled at the plate, with just a .195/.324/.301 slash line, though the discrepancy between his batting average and on-base percentage suggest a polished understanding of the strike zone.

Ice has hit six doubles and two home runs for the Scrappers, driving in seven, but what really stands out is his defense. He has thrown out 35 percent of would-be base stealers in his 32 games behind the plate in the New York-Penn League, allowing just four passed balls in 282 innings.

Next: College Arm

Aaron Civale – 3rd round (92nd overall)

With their first pick of the draft’s second day, Cleveland took its first arm, selecting Civale, a righty out of Northeastern University. He spent two years as a reliever in college before transitioning to starting as a junior.

“We view him as a right-handed starter, a guy that can really throw strikes,” Grant said. “Switching into the starter role was definitely a big advantage. Any time you can add a guy that has the potential to start, especially in those early rounds, that separates for us. That’s a big thing. That switch was big for us.”

One thing that stands out from his college career is that Civale once pitched in a spring training exhibition game against the Boston Red Sox and struck out David Ortiz, Hanley Ramirez, Xander Bogaerts, and Mike Napoli.

Thus far with Mahoning Valley, Civale has made 11 starts, posting a 1.99 ERA in 31.2 innings of work. He has a .194 batting average against, a 0.88 WHIP, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio approaching 3.5-to-1, in what has been a fast start to his pro career.

Next: Bieber Fever

Shane Bieber – 4th round (122nd overall)

Forget the name that brings up images of bad pop songs and even worse hair. The Bieber that the Indians drafted in the fourth round is proving he can pitch at a high level, and could end up being one of the steals of the draft.

Bieber played his college ball at UC-Santa Barbara, and helped propel the Gauchos to this year’s College World Series. The right-hander doesn’t have overwhelming velocity, sitting 88-92 with his fastball according to scouting reports, and his off-speed stuff needs some fine-tuning, but the command he has displayed, both in college and thus far as a pro, has been stunning.

As a junior in college, Bieber owned a 6.43-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and in seven appearances that include six starts for the Scrappers, has seen that number improve to 9.5-to-1 (19 strikeouts, two walks). In 18 innings, he has a 0.50 ERA, .115 opposition batting average, and a 0.50 WHIP.

Next: Bobby Bradley Mashing His Way Up Indians Prospect Rankings

Bieber doesn’t project to be an ace at the big league level, but could be a solid back-of-the-rotation arm. Along with the four other players that joined him at the top of the Tribe’s draft, time will tell if he ever makes an impact in Cleveland.

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Cleveland Indians: Catching Up with 2016’s Top Draft Picks