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

Today we take a look at the best players at each level of the Cleveland Indians minor league system in the month of April.

April has come and gone and today we take a look at some of the best minor league players in the Cleveland Indians system. We’ll take a look at the best position player and best pitcher at each level and the overall best this April. Starting us off, the best at the Tribe’s Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers.

Best Columbus Position Player: Richie Shaffer

Key April Stats:  .271 AVG, .402 OBP, .945 OPS, 5 HR, 4 2B,16 BB

Honorable Mention

Bradley Zimmer: .277 AVG, .518 SLG, .848 OPS, 3 HR, 7 2B, 2 3B, 5 SB
Erik Kratz: .415 AVG, .756 SLG, 1.234 OPS, 4 HR, 2 2B

Richie Shaffer was a non-roster invitee this spring for the Indians and had a nice camp before losing out to Yandy Diaz and Michael Martinez for the final couple spots on the big league roster. Despite not having a set position, Shaffer has done plenty of damage with the bat including an on-base percentage over .400 in April and five long balls.

Bradley Zimmer had a good but not great April. He had 12 extra base hits but he also struck out 25 times versus just six walks. Erik Kratz has been one of the Clippers’ catchers this year and put up the best offensive numbers of anyone.

However, he’s played in fewer games and gotten about 30 fewer plate appearances than Shaffer, which is why he didn’t take the top spot. Guys like Yandy Diaz and Tyler Naquin also played great but spent too much time with the big league club to crack the list.

Best Columbus Pitcher: Mike Clevinger

Key April Stats: 5 starts, 2-1, 1.50 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, .193 BAA, 10.1 K/9

Honorable Mention

Kyle Crockett: 9 apps, 2.53 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, 11.0 K/9

Mike Clevinger did not make the big league club out of spring training thanks in large part to the Indians wanting him to stay stretched out as a starter. The right-hander made five April starts and allowed just four runs while striking out 27 in 24 innings of work. What’s scary is that his numbers could have been even better.

In his fifth “start” he only went pitched 1/3 of an inning as a rain delay hit just after the game started. He ended up allowing two runs that game and wasn’t able to return due to the long downtime.

In his first four starts, he allowed just two runs over 23 2/3 innings, which would have given him a ridiculous 0.76 ERA. Clevinger was rewarded for his outstanding start with a call-up to the big league club and started Sunday in place of the injured Corey Kluber.

The Clippers didn’t get the best pitching in April but Kyle Crockett performed well out of the pen, posting a WHIP well under one and striking out 11 per nine innings. Nick Goody was fantastic as well but pitched less than five innings before getting called up and Shawn Armstrong had some moments as well between his big league stints.

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.

Best Lynchburg Position Player: Sam Haggerty

Key April Stats:  .318 AVG, .418 OBP, .606 SLG, 1.024 OPS, 7 2B, 6 3B

Honorable Mention

Ka’ai Tom: .275 AVG, .361 OBP, .709 OPS, 7 2B, 6 SB
Sicnarf Loopstok: .286 AVG, .449 SLG, .763 OPS, 1 HR, 3 2B

Sam Haggerty had a surprise April for the Advanced-A Lynchburg Hillcats. For the most part, it was all about the pitching at Lynchburg over the first month but second baseman Haggerty stood out posting an OPS over 1.000. He also posted a stout .288 ISO despite zero home runs, thanks to his 13 extra-base hits, including six triples. He’s definitely not the best prospect on the Hillcats roster, but he opened some eyes.

Outfielder Ka’ai Tom didn’t exactly light things up in April but did post a very solid .361 on-base percentage and stole six bases. He was our 23rd ranked prospect heading into the 2017 season and has held his own in the Carolina League. Catcher Sicnarf Loopstok showed some power and continues to have the coolest name in the Tribe system.

Best Lynchburg Pitcher: Thomas Pannone

Key April Stats: 4 starts, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.68 WHIP, .106 BAA, 13.5 K/9

Honorable Mention

Shao-Ching Chiang: 4 starts, 1.71 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, .204 BAA, 1.0 BB/9

Thomas Pannone had one of the best April’s a pitcher can possibly have. He did not allow a single earned run in four starts and struck out a whopping 31 in 20 2/3 innings of work. Carolina League hitters barely managed to bat .100 off the lefty.

In a stacked Hillcats rotation, Pannone was the easy choice for best pitcher at the Tribe’s Advanced-A level. Pannone will not be a repeat winner in May, however, as he has already been promoted to Double-A Akron.

Amazingly enough, he still has yet to allow an earned run, despite six starts this year, giving him a 50-plus inning scoreless streak dating back to last season. Pannone snuck on to our preseason prospect list, as a prospect we felt needed paying attention too and boy has he surpassed even my expectations this year.

Any other month, a guy like Shao-Ching Chiang would have won the award for April. He posted a 1.71 ERA in four starts along with a 0.87 WHIP. He did only strike out 16 in 26 1/3 innings but also only walked three.

Fellow right-handed starters Matt Esparza and Triston McKenzie also had great Aprils and on any other team may have claimed a top spot but both were off the scorching pace that Pannone and Chiang set.

Best Captains Position Player: Li-Jen Chu

Key April Stats:  .324 AVG, .455 OBP, .948 OPS, 3 HR, 3 2B, 15 BB

Honorable Mention

Logan Ice: .258 AVG, .383 OBP, .746 OPS, 1 HR, 4 2B, 13 BB

Li-Jen Chu came into the season as the backup catcher with the Class-A Lake County Captains and while he remains the backup, he has spent some quality time as the team’s designated hitter as well thanks to his hot start to the season.

He hit .324 and posted a phenomenal .455 on-base percentage thanks to 15 walks. In fact, he nearly walked as much as he struck out in April (15 BB to 17 K). He even added a trio of home runs.

Speaking of the catcher spot, the Captains’ starting catcher, Logan Ice, also had himself a very good April. Like Chu, Ice posted a very good on-base percentage at .383 thanks to a good walk rate. He also nearly walked as many times as he struck out in April (13 BB to 14 K).

The switch-hitting catcher was our 30th ranked prospect heading into the season and has looked great not only at the plate but behind it, throwing out over a third of would-be base stealers in April.

https://twitter.com/MiLBPhotoLianna/status/859579299866828801

Best Captains Pitcher: Tanner Tully

Key April Stats: 4 apps, 1 SV, 0.54 ERA, 0.84 WHIP, .210 BAA, 9.2 K/9, 0.5 BB/9

Honorable Mention

Shane Bieber: 5 starts, 3.10 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, .291 BAA, 9.6 K/9
Ryder Ryan: 8 apps, 2.25 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, .107 BAA, 9.0 K/9

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Left-hander Tanner Tully takes the top spot at the Tribe’s Class-A affiliate for April. Despite not making a start, he worked as a “piggyback” and still threw 16 2/3 innings in his four appearances. He allowed just one run in April and posted an insane 17:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

The former Ohio State star earned himself a May start with the Captains and has had one of the most impressive full-season debuts in the system.

Right-hander Shane Bieber had an impressive start to the season as well, making five starts and striking out 31 in 29 innings of work. Batters did hit close to .300 off him but that didn’t stop him from earning a promotion to Lynchburg last week.

Reliever Ryder Ryan has also been very impressive in the early going. A former position player at the University of North Carolina, Ryder was drafted as a pitcher and while raw has shown some impressive stuff. He struck out eight in eight innings of work so far and held batters to a mere .107 batting average in April.