Cleveland Indians 2017 top prospects: No. 27, Tim Cooney

Coming in at number 27 on our 2017 Cleveland Indians top prospect countdown is left-handed pitcher Tim Cooney, formerly of the St. Louis Cardinals.

Who is Tim Cooney?

Tim Cooney joined the Cleveland Indians this past November when he was claimed off waivers from the St. Louis Cardinals. The 26-year-old left-handed pitcher is a former third round pick of the Cardinals back in 2012 after three years at Wake Forest University.

He has pitched in the big leagues, having cracked the Cardinals rotation back in 2015 but missed all of 2016 due to injury (retained his prospect status due to lack of big league innings).

Strengths and Weaknesses

Prior to 2016, Tim Cooney had proven to be a workhorse starting pitcher, having worked at least 120 innings each of the prior four seasons. It was his calling card coming out of Wake Forest along with his excellent control.

He throws five different pitches, starting with his fastball that sits 89-91. He also has a changeup, a slider, cutter, and curveball. His changeup is his plus pitch though he controls everything well and each of the other four are average to above-average pitches.

In his four minor league seasons, he walked under five percent of the batters he faced. To put that into perspective, Josh Tomlin walked 5.1-percent of the hitters he faced in the minor leagues.

Cooney needs that control as he’s not a big strikeout guy, though did strike out close to a batter an inning in his time with the Cardinals in 2015 (8.3 K/9). His changeup can be a swing and miss pitch at times but he likely won’t ever be a 200-strikeout guy in the big leagues.

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Everything heading into 2016 suggested big league starting pitcher with him being a number three or four starter a realistic possibility. Baseball America even ranked Cooney as the second best prospect in the Cardinals’ system last offseason. He made six big league starts the previous year, and he posted a solid 3.16 ERA and 3.58 FIP in 31 1/3 big league innings.

Unfortunately, a shoulder issue in spring training last year ended up costing him the entire 2016 season. He spent the entire year on the disabled list before finally being diagnosed with a Bennett lesion in July and having surgery to correct the issue.

Where does he go from here?

One reason the Cardinals designated Cooney for assignment was they weren’t convinced his arm would ever be the same after the injury and surgery he had. The Tribe was willing to take a chance on him and rightfully so as he cost nothing to acquire.

The Indians figured he could possibly provide some Triple-A depth in the rotation or maybe some bullpen help at the big league level. Unfortunately, though to this point, Cooney’s arm is not cooperating. He is out 10-12 weeks with a left forearm strain, possibly due to compensating for the shoulder.

Cooney does still have a minor league option remaining so he can rehab and then hopefully work his way back in the minors this summer. There’s still talent in the arm and since he relied more on his craftsmanship on the mound than velocity he could still come back from the injuries.

Next: Indians 2017 Top 30 Prospects: No. 28, Gabriel Mejia

If healthy Cooney would be much higher on this list, though then again if healthy Cooney would still be with the St. Louis Cardinals. For now, the Indians and their fans can only sit back and wait and see with Cooney. He’s a lottery ticket type prospect with the injury but one that could pay off with time.