Cleveland Indians Minor Leagues Review: April’s best hitters and pitchers

Best Akron Position Player: Francisco Mejia

Key April Stats:  .333 AVG, .515 SLG, .885 OPS, 1 HR, 7 2B,1 3B

Honorable Mention

Mike Papi: .294 AVG, .413 OBP, .873 OPS, 3 HR, 1 2B, 16 BB
Dorssys Paulino: .262 AVG, .475 SLG, .850 OPS, 3 HR, 2 2B, 1 3B

This was a very tough call between catcher Francisco Mejia and outfielders Mike Papi and Dorssys Paulino. Mejia narrowly edged out the Papi for the title this month but the two were nearly dead even, with only 12 points separating the two in OPS.

Mejia continued to rake at the plate, batting a stout .333 and collecting nine extra-base hits in 17 games. His .182 isolated power (ISO) was also very impressive, especially considering Akron’s ballpark is notoriously a pitcher’s park that doesn’t play well toward power.

Papa, meanwhile, walked more than he struck out in April (16 BB, 15 K) and his .413 OBP continues to be a staple of his game. He showed some power by smacking three home runs but only four extra-base hits in 20 games is a bit disappointing.

Paulino, once one of the best prospects in the Tribe system, is off to a great start with the RubberDucks, posting a .262/.375/.475 batting line. His .213 ISO trumped even Mejia’s though his OPS was 35 points lower. At 22 years old, he’s still young and perhaps finding his place finally.

Best Akron Pitcher: Julian Merryweather

Key April Stats: 5 starts, 2-1, 3.04 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, .188 BAA, 9.1 K/9

Honorable Mention

Luis Lugo: 4 starts, 2.65 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, .206 BAA, 5.8 K/9

Julian Merryweather was our 21st ranked Tribe prospect heading into the 2017 season, and over the first month of the season, he’s made me look pretty smart.

The 22-year-old right-hander was the top pitcher with the Akron RubberDucks in April, posting a ridiculously good 0.90 WHIP thanks to batters hitting just .188 off him and walking just 1.7 batters per nine innings. He also struck out 27 batters in 26 2/3 innings of work his 5.4:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio was one of the best in the system.

Luis Lugo also got off to a great start this year, posting a 2.65 ERA in four starts. However, the lefty still didn’t strike many out, just 11 in 17 innings, so he comes in behind Merryweather.