Cleveland Indians 2017 Draft: A job well done despite no first-round pick

Tribe goes prep stars with both Day One picks

In somewhat of a surprise move, the Cleveland Indians went with a pair of high school players with their first two picks of the draft, taking outfielder Quentin Holmes with the No. 64 overall pick and shortstop Tyler Freeman with the No. 71 overall pick.

There were some who thought the Indians could be more conservative early due to lack of the first-round pick but the Indians took Holmes who was rated as the 33rd best prospect in the draft per MLB.com.

He was arguably the fastest player in the draft, posting the fastest 60-yard time in the history of pre-draft workouts per Perfect Game with a time of 6.15 seconds. For reference, Cincinnati Reds’ star Billy Hamilton had a reported 6.5 60-time.

The 17-year-old Holmes was drafted out of Monsignor McClancy Memorial HS (Bronx, NY). This continues the trend of the Indians drafting very young high schoolers, marking the third straight year they’ve done it in the first round (Triston McKenzie, Will Benson).

While his 80-grade speed is what really stands out, he’s also a very good defender in center field and can hit as well. He’s committed to Mississippi State and won’t be an easy sign (though I’d bet on it still).

Freeman was is a bit older, turning 18 at the end of May but still one of the younger high schoolers in the draft. A shortstop in high school, he’s a plus-defender who could play anywhere on the infield. He, along with Holmes, made Perfect Game’s All-Defensive team for this year.

He wasn’t as highly rated as Holmes though did rank 97th by Baseball America. Even if he has to move to second base he still could hit enough and has drawn Michael Young comparisons. He’s a TCU commit but going this high shouldn’t be a huge problem signing.