Cleveland Indians 2017 top prospects: No. 22, Luke Wakamatsu

Coming in at number 22 on our Cleveland Indians 2017 top prospect countdown is young shortstop Luke Wakamatsu.

Who is Luke Wakamatsu?

Luke Wakamatsu is a 20-year-old shortstop who drops eight spots our 2016 top prospect list. He joined the Cleveland Indians after being drafted in the 2015 June draft out of Keller High School in Texas.

He was a surprise signing, turning down a scholarship to Rice University and instead signing for $290,000, which was nearly three times the limit for a 20th-round pick. The switch-hitter is also another Tribe prospect with big league bloodlines. His father is Don Wakamatsu who has not only played in the majors but has coached and managed as well, including being the current bench coach with the Kansas City Royals.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Wakamatsu came out of high school with a much better feel for the game than most, thanks in large part to his dad and being around the game. Unfortunately for him though, he has yet to play a ton, managing only 44 games and 196 plate appearances the last two seasons.

A shoulder strain ended his season early and limited him to just 17 games at short-season Mahoning Valley. He did look solid though in his short time there, playing a solid shortstop and showing off his plus-arm.

Despite the lack of playing time, he has impressed with his ability to get on base and draw walks. He’s not a free swinger like some high schoolers and has produced an 8.7 percent walk rate as a pro. He didn’t fare as well with the bat in 2016 as he did in 2015, however, as he hit just .232 and slugged just .304.

Related: Carlos Santana and moving on

He didn’t have a ton of power coming out of high school and it definitely has yet to show itself in his short time as a pro. There is still hope that he could fill out his 6-foot-3 frame and add some power.

One fear with adding power though could be that it comes at the expense of his athleticism and force him off shortstop. For now he appears to be able to stick there as Baseball America rated him the top defensive player in the Tribe’s 2015 draft; however, Fangraphs is less optimistic, thinking he will move off the position eventually. He’s looked solid so far at the position but the sample size remains small.

Where does he go from here?

The key for Wakamatsu in 2017 will be getting playing time. He needs to get healthy and stay on the field to show what he’s capable of. He’s shown flashes of it, especially in 2015, but he’s a shortstop, which unfortunately for him is one of, if not the, deepest position in the Tribe’s farm system right now.

Wakamatsu was my top-rated shortstop in the Tribe system heading into the 2016 season but he’s been passed up by a couple of guys with several more nipping at his heels in Willi Castro, Jose Fermin, and Marcos Gonzalez.

Wakamatsu may open 2017 in extended spring training to ensure the shoulder is good and given his age could then go to Class-A Lake County, or at least that would be the ideal situation for him. He may have to go back to Mahoning Valley for a bit in June but given his advanced baseball IQ, he should be able to handle the higher level.

Next: No. 23, Ka'ai Tom

I’m still a big fan of Luke and think he can be a big-league shortstop but I was probably a tad too optimistic on him last year. He is capable of being a top 15 prospect in this system but needs to step up and show it this season or risk getting passed by even further.