Cleveland Indians MLB Draft preview: No first-round pick in 2017

For the first since 1999 the Cleveland Indians will be without a first-round pick and it could limit what they do in this week’s MLB draft.

Today marks the start of the 2017 Major League Baseball Amateur Player Draft. It’ll last 40 rounds with the first two rounds taking place Monday, followed by rounds 3-10 on Tuesday and finally rounds 11-40 on Wednesday.

This year’s draft will have a bit of a different feel for the Cleveland Indians as it’ll be the first time in nearly two decades that the club will not have a first-round pick in the draft. They lost their pick after signing free agent Edwin Encarnacion this winter.

Over the last few years, the Cleveland Indians have made some bold picks in the draft and spent money to get draft picks signed. This year they may have to play things a bit more conservative as they only have $3,829,000 to spend in their draft pool, which is the second-least among all 30 teams ahead of only the Cardinals.

The Indians first pick won’t come until No. 64, though they do have an extra second-rounder thanks to their competitive balance pick, which comes in at No. 71. After that, they will be picking 27th in each round.

Despite not having a lot of money to spend, the Indians could still come away with some talent in this draft, just don’t expect big names like a Clint Frazier, Bradley Zimmer, or Brady Aiken type.

The Indians will need to balance drafting top talent with their limited budget, which while a tough task, is not impossible. Here are a few names that could perhaps hear their name called in next day or two and possibly by the Cleveland Indians.

Wil Crowe – RHP, South Carolina

If this name sounds somewhat familiar to you then you’ve obviously been following past Tribe drafts. Wil Crowe has actually been drafted by the Cleveland Indians twice before. He was selected in the 31st round back in 2013 out of high school and then in the 21st round last year. Both times Crowe turned down the Indians for the University of South Carolina. Could the third time be the charm for the Tribe?

Crowe is considered a top-50 prospect in this draft, including ranking 44th by MLB.com and 47th by Baseball America. He sits low-to-mid 90s with his fastball and can run it up to 96-97. He went 6-5 with a 3.41 ERA in 15 starts.

He could easily go in the first round though falling to No. 64 overall is not completely out of the question either. Due to missing the 2016 season Crowe still has a year of eligibility left so could opt to return to school in 2018 giving him some leverage in talks.

Kade McClure – RHP, Louisville

Kade McClure is a big 6-foot-7 right-hander who is Louisville’s number two starter behind potential first overall pick Brendan McKay. Hailing from Mentor, Ohio, McClure isn’t one of the highest-rated players, falling just outside Baseball America’s top 200.

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However, he’s turned plenty of heads this year going 8-3 with a 3.43 ERA in 17 starts. He even got the first start in the Super Regionals ahead of McKay, a bit of a surprise decision, but he pitched well and won the game helping propel Louisville to the College World Series.

Perhaps one day he’ll be helping the Indians to the World Series. He’s already got a great Twitter banner and appears ready for a parade in downtown Cleveland.

https://twitter.com/NCAACWS/status/873237623707496448

Connor Wong – C, Houston

The Cleveland Indians have one of the best catching prospects in baseball in Francisco Mejia, but that shouldn’t stop them from looking at one of the better catchers in this year’s draft.

Connor Wong began his collegiate career at shortstop before moving behind the plate. His bat is more advanced than his glove. He has posted an OPS of .850 or better each of the past two seasons and increased his power this year, hitting 12 home runs for the Cougars.

He’s a borderline top-100 prospect ranking 77th by Baseball America. He could be an option similar to last year’s No. 72 overall pick and new Indians top-30 prospect, Logan Ice.

He’s a bit undersized and reminds me a lot of former Tribe prospect Tony Wolters. He may never end up being a star but could develop into a solid backup and has some position flexibility to make it as a utility guy, and what about that would Tito not love?

Greg Jones – SS, Cary HS (North Carolina)

One of the older high schoolers in the draft (he’s already 19), Greg Jones could be an option for the Indians early on if they are willing to take a shot on a prep talent. His best skill is his speed which has gotten 70+ grades on the 80 scale.

He now stands 5-foot-11, which is crazy considering he was just 5-foot-5 a year ago. Still growing into his new frame he could have the best baseball ahead of him and perhaps he moves to center field as a pro but he’s got tools to believe in and the Tribe has gone after tools in the past, especially with prep kids.

Jake Eder – LHP, Matlock Academy (Florida)

This is probably a longshot as he could be a very difficult signing coming out of high school in Florida, but left-hander Jake Eder is a pitcher in any other year I could see the Indians target.

For one, he’s a Vanderbilt commit, and the Indians have drafted a few of them the last few years in Justus Sheffield and Triston McKenzie. Eder is closer to McKenzie is size standing 6-foot-4 and has a lot of projection left in his big frame. He can throw 94 and has a good curveball.

With 40 rounds and over 1,200 picks in total, there are many, many others of course that the Indians could look at. It would not be a surprise if they focused more on the college guys like Kevin Smith, Evan Skoug, Gavin Sheets, Drew Ellis, K.J. Harrison, Zac Lowther, Devin Hairston, and Charlie Barnes among others. Perhaps they take some flyers on high school guys but with the lack of money, college could definitely be the focus.

Next: 5 worst first-round picks in Indians history

In any case, I definitely missed plenty of players that the Indians could target. So are there any players you want to see the Cleveland Indians draft this week? Are you excited for the draft? Let us know in the comments below.