Cleveland Indians 2016 Top 30 Prospects Review

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Reviewing the Cleveland Indians 2016 Preseason Top Prospects – No. 18 to 13

As we dive back into our top prospect reviews, we look at six more players who made up the heart of our Cleveland Indians’ preseason top 30 list. Included are a trio of players that made their big league debuts along with three bats who had varying degrees of success throughout the season.

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#18 Nellie Rodriguez, 1B

Coming in at number 18 on our preseason top prospect list was first baseman Nellie Rodriguez. The big right-handed bat spent all of 2016 at Double-A Akron where he continued to show off his power and eye at the plate. He hit .250/.352/.474 with 26 home runs and 86 runs batted in for the Rubberducks. His .224 ISO (isolated power) was the highest since his first pro season back in 2012. He also walked 13-percent of the time, marking the third time he’s reached that mark or better. He also added 28 doubles and a pair of triples for a total of 56 extra-base hits in 2016. He played exclusively first base and has since the beginning of the 2013 season.

Future Outlook: While the power and walks are great to see, Rodriguez also struggled with strikeouts, as he struck out 32.1-percent of the time in 2016, which was a career high. His 186 total strikeouts were tied for the most in all of Double-A this year as well. He is Rule 5 Draft eligible this fall so the Indians will have an interesting decision to make on him. He’s a bit similar to Jesus Aguilar though with a quicker bat. I’d expect him to be rostered and he could begin the year in Triple-A, though, depending on how crowded that team gets he could start the year back at Double-A. He’s a guy that didn’t truly improve his stock but is still a prospect to keep an eye on outside of the top ten.

#17 Adam Plutko, RHP

Plutko came in at number 17 on our preseason top prospect list and spent 2016 across three levels, including making his big league debut late this season. He began the season at Double-A Akron where he made 13 starts going 3-3 with a 3.27 ERA. He was promoted midseason to Triple-A where he picked up mostly where he left off going 6-5 in 15 starts with a 4.10 ERA. He was a very late September call-up for the Indians, making his debut out of the bullpen and throwing 3 2/3 innings in two appearances. The 25-year-old righthander doesn’t have the big strikeout numbers of some of the Tribe prospects but also doesn’t walk many, posting a 1.5 BB/9 at Double-A this season. He’s a control pitcher who’s good at eating up innings, throwing 165 innings in 2016, the second straight year he’s reached that plateau.

Future Outlook: A former college teammate of Tribe starter Trevor Bauer, Plutko is a pitcher who has a big league future ahead of him thanks to his control and workhorse-like ability. He may never be a top of the rotation guy but should settle in as a backend type guy with relative ease. He’s blocked by several pitchers in the Indians’ organization though so remains to be seen how much opportunity he gets in Cleveland. He was going to be Rule 5 Draft eligible this year so his addition to the roster this September wasn’t a huge surprise. He could fight for a fifth rotation spot this spring depending on how the offseason goes but most likely he’ll return to Triple-A Columbus to continue to provide depth in the rotation.

#16 Ryan Merritt, LHP

Coming in at number 16, Merritt spent most of 2016 with at Triple-A Columbus. The 24-year-old lefty made 24 starts for the Clippers going 11-8 with a 3.70 ERA. He is even less of a strikeout guy that Plutko, striking out less than six per nine innings but his control was even better as he walked just 1.4 per nine innings in Triple-A this season, which as crazy as it sounds, was the highest mark for him since 2012. One of the youngest pitchers on the Clippers roster this year, he looked even better in the second half of the season going 6-1 with a 2.72 ERA in ten starts. He also made his big league debut this spring in an impressive 4 1/3 inning outing back in May. In fact, his appearance was the day before the Tribe’s 14 game win streak started as he helped save the bullpen that day. He also made his first big league start this past week with the Cleveland Indians, going five innings at Kansas City striking out four, walking none, and picking up his first big league win. In just 11 innings this year with Cleveland, Merritt amassed an impressive 0.3 fWAR thanks to no walks and allowing just two runs.

Future Outlook: Though he’s barely six feet tall, Merritt has shown he’s more than capable of pitching at the major league level. He’ll never be a frontline starter in the mold of a Carrasco or Kluber but he knows how to pitch and could be a very effective back of the rotation starter. He was the only left-handed pitcher to make a start for the Indians this season and has a leg up on some of the other guys (like Plutko) thanks to being a lefty. He very well could crack the big league roster next spring as either a fifth starter or long man out of the bullpen, though more than likely he’ll head back to Triple-A to keep his stamina up and provide depth when needed. Merritt is a pitcher that has defied the odds to this point but keeps improving his stock each and every season.

#15 Erik Gonzalez, SS/UTL

The third player on today’s list that made his big league debut this year, Gonzalez came in at number 15 on our preseason list. He spent most of 2016 at Triple-A Columbus where he hit .296/.329/450 in 104 games for the Clippers. He enjoyed one of his best power seasons in the minors as well, slugging a career-high 11 home runs while adding 31 doubles and a triple. He also stole 12 bases though was caught ten times as well. Gonzalez continued his work as a super utility player this season playing five different positions for the Clippers this year: shortstop (90 games), second base (eight), third base (three), center field (two), and right field (one). This wasn’t the first time he dabbled in the outfield though really the first since 2012. In 21 games with the Cleveland Indians, he hit .313/.353/.313 in 17 plate appearances. He also played four positions and started two games, one in right field and one at his natural shortstop.

Future Outlook: The 25-year-old Gonzalez is one of the toughest prospects to gauge for the future. He is absolutely big league ready with the glove as he is one of the best fielding shortstops in the minor leagues. He plays a very solid second and third base as well and held his own in the outfield. The problem is his bat still leaves some to be desired as he doesn’t walk a ton and doesn’t have much power to speak of. He’s also out of minor league options so the Cleveland Indians will have to put him on their 25-man roster on Opening Day 2017 or risk losing him to waivers. There’s a very good chance he could be the club’s utility infielder next year as he would be no downgrade from Michael Martinez. There’s also a very real chance the Indians look to trade him to a club in need of a starting shortstop as he has a big league future at that position thanks to the plus glove.

#14 Luke Wakamatsu, SS

One of the youngest members of our preseason list, Wakamatsu came in at number 14. Just 19 years old, the 2015 draft pick only appeared in 17 games for the Short-Season Mahoning Valley Scrappers this season due to a shoulder strain. He hit .232/.312/.304 in just 77 plate appearances but did continue to show off a solid approach at the plate with a 7.8-percent walk rate. The switch-hitter started all 17 games he played in at shortstop.

Future Outlook: The injury was very unfortunate for the young Wakamatsu though he’s young enough that it shouldn’t be a huge loss for him. Provided the shoulder heals fine he should be right back with Mahoning Valley in 2017 and playing shortstop. If he impresses enough early in extended spring training he could get a bump to Class-A Lake County as well if the club wants to be aggressive with him. For a young guy, he has a good feel for the game thanks to his father, Don Wakamatsu. I was very aggressive with my ranking of Wakamatsu before the season and am still very high on the kid though missed time could bump him down a bit heading into the 2017 season.

#13 Mike Papi, OF/1B

Coming in at number 13, Papi had an up-and-down season for the second straight season. After a mediocre 2015 campaign, Papi returned to Advanced-A Lynchburg to start the year where he was mostly the same hitting .236/.370/.450 in 40 games for the Hillcats. The average was identical to 2015 and the on-base percentage was virtually the same thanks to his 17.3-percent walk rate. However, he did improve in the power department hitting seven home runs in those 40 games and posting an impressive .214 ISO (isolated power). This prompted his promotion to Double-A Akron where he continued to struggle in the batting average department but still drew his walks and hit for some power. In 78 games with the Rubberducks, he hit .228/.340/.398 with eight home runs and 16 doubles. He split time between the outfield and first base playing a total of 92 games in the outfield (including one in center field) and 11 at first base.

Future Outlook: Papi has been a bit of a disappointment since being a late first round/supplemental pick in 2014. He was considered an advanced college bat and has struggled to hit some weaker pitching in the lower levels. The walks though are still there and the developing power may have saved his stock as a prospect. He also has held his own in the outfield and could possibly play there rather than just first base at the big league level. The 24-year-old left-handed hitter will return to Double-A next year to begin the year though with a hot start could find himself in Triple-A quickly with an outside chance of seeing the Cleveland Indians roster in September, though a 2018 debut still seems more likely. Could possibly still be a Carlos Santana replacement in a couple years…

Next: Indians 2016 Top 30 Prospects Review – No. 24 to 19

More than half the way through our preseason top 30 prospect list, we’ve seen a wide range of prospects with some making their big league debuts while others have struggled missing time with injury. Next up, we’ll begin looking at the Cleveland Indians’ top 12 prospects, including at least one player who could play a key role for the Tribe in the playoffs.

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Cleveland Indians 2016 Top 30 Prospects Review – No. 18 to 13

Reviewing the Cleveland Indians 2016 Preseason Top Prospects – No. 18 to 13

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