Cleveland Indians 2017 top prospects: No. 25, Hoby Milner

Coming in at number 25 on our 2017 top prospect countdown is one of the newest prospects in the Cleveland Indians system, left-handed pitcher Hoby Milner.

Who is Hoby Milner?

Hoby Milner was originally drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies out of the University of Texas. He spent three seasons with the Longhorns working almost exclusively out of the bullpen.

The 6-foot-3 left-hander was acquired by the Cleveland Indians this past December in the Rule 5 draft. He’s another second generational player as his father Brian Milner was a catcher and played two games with the Toronto Blue Jays back in 1978.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Milner began his minor league career as a starting pitcher, despite only making 15 starts over three years at Texas. From 2012-2014, Milner made 63 starts and threw 143 1/3 innings in both 2013 and 2014, proving to be a workhorse. However, despite all the work, he struggled in his transition from college swingman reliever to professional starter.

In 2014, his last year as a starter, he posted a 4.21 ERA, 1.41 WHIP, and an ugly 5.62 FIP. Worse yet, his strikeout rate dropped to a mere 14-percent while he walked over nine-percent.

Things changed for Milner in 2015 though as he moved to the bullpen and also changed up his delivery. He worked in winter ball in Puerto Rico, changing from more of an over-the-top delivery to a sidearm one.

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The benefits didn’t happen overnight as 2015 was very similar to his 2014. However, in 2016 he broke out as a prospect. In 38 games at Double-A Reading, Milner posted a 1.84 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, and 2.93 FIP.

Even more impressive was that he struck out over a quarter of the batters he faced (26.9-percent) while lowering his walk rate to under six-percent. He was arguably even more impressive in his 11 games at Triple-A, striking out 22 batters while walking just three in 16 innings of work.

Milner has three pitches in his arsenal: a fastball, changeup, and a curveball that sometimes is more of a slurve. None of his pitches are overpowering, as his fastball sits 88-92 though does have some sink. Neither his change nor curve are plus pitches but both are solid and he can throw them for strikes. It’s this control of all three pitches as well as the new sidearm delivery that helps give him enough deception to get strikeouts despite the lack of elite stuff.

Where does he go from here?

Since he was a Rule 5 selection, the 26-year-old Milner will have to remain on the Tribe’s 25-man roster all year or be offered back to the Phillies for $25,000. The Indians have six guys that (barring injury), are locks for the bullpen in Andrew Miller, Cody Allen, Bryan Shaw, Dan Otero, Boone Logan, and Zach McAllister. That could leave just one open spot assuming the Indians don’t go with an eight-man bullpen.

Milner will have to compete against the likes of lefties Kyle Crockett and James Russell, plus fellow prospects Perci Garner, Joseph Colon, and Shawn Armstrong.

The Cleveland Indians obviously liked what they saw from Milner in 2016 as they are not known for being big players in the Rule 5 Draft. They are currently using a 40-man roster spot on him, a spot that could have gone to Anthony Santander instead, who was lost in the same Rule 5 Draft. There’s no denying how well Milner looked in 2016 and he could give manager Terry Francona a third lefty to use in the pen to go along with Miller and Logan.

There’s still a month to go before the season starts but Milner may be the favorite to win that seventh and likely last bullpen spot. Worst case he proves not ready and the Indians can offer him back, but with the depth in the bullpen ahead of him, it’s a gamble that could be worth taking.

Next: No. 26, Willi Castro

His ceiling is as high as the others competing for a spot and he ranks higher than any of the other bullpen prospects with big league experience.