Cleveland Indians: Top 30 Prospects Countdown, 26-30

No. 30: Junior Sanquintin

If you are looking at this confused because you’ve never heard of Junior Sanquintin, you’re not alone. He just turned 19-years old this past January and has only played 51 games since joining the Cleveland Indians organization, coming during the 2019 season in the Dominican Summer League.

In those 51 games, Sanquintin played three different spots in the infield, but was mainly at shortstop with 30 games logged there. He also had 11 games at second base and one game at third. Obviously that doesn’t equal 51, so it can be assumed he was used as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter to account for the other games played. Anyway, his fielding looks like it could use some work yet.

Combined between the three positions Sanquintin had 134 chances in the field and committed 11 errors. Eight of those came at shortstop and three at third while he was perfect at second. Being only 19, there’s plenty of time to clean that up, but there’s improvement to be made for sure.

What Sanquintin has that makes him an intriguing prospect is a combination of speed and power. Over his 51 games he had three home runs as well as four stolen bases. If his fielding and contact can improve, then he could have a bright future. For now, he will be a young prospect to watch on this list with intriguing intangibles and fixable flaws.

No. 29: Bryan Lavastida

There’s only two catchers on the Top 30 list for the Cleveland Indians, Bo Naylor and Bryan Lavastida (Sorry, spoiler alert). While Naylor is known among majority of fans, Lavastida is a newer name. A 15th round selection by the Tribe during the 2018 MLB Draft, the 22-year old backstop as been with the organization for two seasons now.

Well, we should say two seasons played with him seeing action during the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In total, he’s played 92 games in the minors, getting up to Lake County at Single-A one game while most his time was with Mahoning Valley. However, despite playing in over 90 games, he’s caught in just 64 while being a designated hitter as well.

When he has been in the field, Lavastida has a .986 fielding percentage, which isn’t awful but by the Indians’ catcher standards, it’s not what we’re used to. Nine errors isn’t exactly what you want in a catcher. Luckily, his bat is promising and plays a large part in why he’s on this list.

Over 332 at-bats, Lavastida has been able to slash .319/.412/.440 in the minors along with 23 doubles, four triples, three home runs and eight stolen bases while drawing 48 walks. If those numbers stay consistent as he makes his way up through the minors, that would be a tremendous addition to the batting order. His ability to hit for contact with occasion power plus speed on the base paths is rare for a catcher. Now, his glove just has to catch up or he has to find a different position.

No. 28: Scott Moss

At 26-years old, Scott Moss is the oldest player on the Top 30 list currently, making him one player to watch closely this season. A 6-foot-6 left-handed pitcher, Moss came to Cleveland as part of the Trevor Bauer trade, coming with Franmil Reyes, Yasiel Puig, Logan Allen and Victor Nova. Since then, he’s mainly been in Triple-A Columbus after a very brief stint with Double-A Akron.

With the trade happening in the later half of the 2019 season then there being no minor leagues in 2020, Moss has only played six games in the Indians’ organization. In two starts with Double-A he went 2-0 with 10 innings pitched giving up just three hits and walking five while striking out 13. As for his time in Columbus, he made four appearances with a 2-1 record. In total he gave up four runs on 12 hits with eight walks and 23 strikeouts.

Moss is also one of the players on this list that is at Spring Training this year, having pitched in two games thus far, getting the start in one, according to baseball-reference.com. Over a total of four innings, Moss has given up five runs on seven hits with just two strikeouts. He’ll need to impress the rest of Spring Training to have a shot at the Opening Day roster.

The concern for Moss seems to be his control, walking nearly as many batters as you give up hits can be good if the number is low, but that’s not exactly the case here. Being the oldest player on this list, he’ll need to figure that out soon if he wants to make his major league debut this season.

No. 27: Sam Hentges

Another left-handed pitcher on this list and another player invited to Spring Training, Sam Hentges was a fourth round pick by the Cleveland Indians during the 2014 Draft. This is the third season that Hentges has been at Spring Training, but he still hasn’t pitched beyond Double-A since being drafted by the Tribe.

So far this spring, Hentges has appeared in two games, logging the save in one of them. In total, he has three innings of work, allowing three runs on four hits with one walk and three strikeouts. Those numbers aren’t great, but they aren’t horrible either. The lone walk is a good sign and a strikeout an inning is solid as well. What might be next for Hentges is just experience.

Jumping from Double-A in 2019 to not playing in 2020 and then the majors in 2021 seems like a stretch, so another year in the minors could be the perfect call for the 24-year old lefty. However, he is only a couple years away from being in a similar position as Scott Moss. With a career ERA well over 4.00 in the minors, Hentges still has work to do, but there’s some flashes of potential that get him on this list.

No. 26: Jose Tena

We finish this portion of the list in a similar way that we started it – with a 19-year old utility infielder. Turning 20 on March 20, Jose Tena spent the 2018 season with the Indians organization in the Dominican Summer League before playing the 2019 campaign in the Arizona Rookie League.

In the field, Tena has spent majority of his time in the middle infield with 68 games played at shortstop and another 16 at second base. His best play has been at second with a .975 fielding percentage. As for shortstop, he’s committed 17 errors for a mark of .934.

However, he finds himself on this list for what he can do at the plate. He’s been able to slash .319/.360/.425 over his tenure while also tallying an impressive 10 triples and 16 stolen bases. That combination of contact and speed have put him on this list at 26, higher than some who may be better fielders.

Like others we’ve already mentioned, Tena has the tools and potential to be a strong player. At almost 20-years old there’s plenty of time to clean up his errors. If he can do that and maintain his presence at the plate, then we could be seeing his name a lot in the future.