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Cleveland Indians: 5 potential in-house replacements for Francisco Lindor

By Kyle Edmond

CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 27: Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians forces out Ke'Bryan Hayes #13 of the Pittsburgh Pirates at second base during the game at Progressive Field on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 27: Francisco Lindor #12 of the Cleveland Indians forces out Ke'Bryan Hayes #13 of the Pittsburgh Pirates at second base during the game at Progressive Field on September 27, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images) /
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Tyler Freeman, Cleveland Indians
CLEVELAND, OH – JULY 13: Tyler Freeman #86 and Ernie Clement #83 of the Cleveland Indians celebrate in the first inning of an intrasquad game during summer workouts at Progressive Field on July 13, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

Tyler Freeman – Highest Level: A+

At the top of the list for the players expected to fill in for Francisco Lindor is the Cleveland Indians’ No. 2 prospect Tyler Freeman. While Freeman is the one that should be the long-term solution, he might not be ready in the short-term.

The cancelation of the 2020 season for the minor leagues took a big toll on some players and Freeman is one of them. This could have been a big leap in the 21-year old’s development, but it was instead spent away from the organization.

So far, Freeman has only played as high as A+, spending half of the 2019 season in Lynchburg. He was rather impressive there, slashing .319/.354/.397 over 62 games while also maintaining .976 fielding percentage at shortstop over 57 games played at the position, totaling 482 innings. He committed just six errors and helped turn 28 double plays.

There is little to question when it comes to Freeman’s performance so far. In more ways than one his game mimics that of Lindor when he was coming up through the minors. The concern for Freeman is just the experience. The position is his to lose for the future, but in the meantime there needs to be a bridge to hold over until he is ready.

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