Cleveland Indians 2017 top prospects: No. 18, Nellie Rodriguez

Once again coming in at number 18 on our Cleveland Indians 2017 top prospect countdown is power hitting first baseman Nellie Rodriguez.

Who is Nellie Rodriguez?

Nellie Rodriguez  comes in at the exact same spot as he did last year, No. 18 on our top prospect countdown. He joined the organization in 2012 when he was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 15th round of the June draft out of George Washington High School in the Bronx. That’s the same high school that the Indians drafted Manny Ramirez out of two decades prior.

Rodriguez is a big first baseman who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 250 pounds. The 22-year-old right-handed slugger spent the 2016 season at Double-A Akron before spending some time in the Dominican League playing winter ball this offseason.

Strengths and Weaknesses

Given his size, one would expect Rodriguez to be a big time power hitter and to date, he has not disappointed. He’s hit 20 or more home runs each of the past three seasons, including 26 this past year with the Rubberducks. His raw power rivals any prospect in the system. In addition to the home runs, Rodriguez has hit at least 28 doubles each of the past three seasons. He has some of the quickest hands in baseball

In addition to the power, Rodriguez has shown a knack for getting on-base, posting on-base percentages over .340 in all but one of his five professional seasons (.328 in 2015). He’s only hit .253 but a near 12 percent walk rate (11.8 percent). Unfortunately, in addition to the power and the walk, Rodriguez has also shown a knack for swing and missing. His strikeout rate was always high (upper 20 percent) but in 2016 it spiked to 32.1 percent.

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Defensively, Rodriguez is a first base-only guy. He is a decent athlete for his size but lacks much of an arm and his speed is below-average. That said, he handles first base decent enough though he won’t be winning any Gold Gloves in his future. His lack of speed also keeps him from being a threat at all on the bases.

Where does he go from here?

Nellie has made a steady climb through the Tribe system since debuting in 2012. After putting on a power show at Akron last year, Rodriguez will begin the 2017 season at Triple-A Columbus. He’ll open as the everyday first baseman and figures to remain there for the whole year given the presence of Carlos Santana  and Edwin Encarnacion at first base and designated hitter at the big league level. Being Rule 5 eligible, he was somewhat of a surprise omission from the 40-man roster this past offseason.

Given his size and power pedigree, Rodriguez has drawn some comparisons to former Tribe farmhand Jesus Aguilar. Like Aguilar, there are limitations to what Rodriguez can do, mostly on defense and the bases; however, Rodriguez separates himself from Aguilar is his superior bat speed.

Next: Indians 2017 Top 30 Prospects: No. 19, Shane Bieber

The Indians didn’t put too much faith in Rodriguez, though, leaving him off the 40-man roster. That, plus the fact that guys like Bobby Bradley are right on his heels leaves Rodriguez in a bit of a pickle. He will need a big year in 2017 to keep himself on the map and avoid falling into a “Quad-A” role.