Cleveland Indians: Top 30 Prospects Countdown, 26-30

Cleveland Indians Top 30 Prospects, 26-30

Every year the list of the Top 30 prospects for all the teams are released and this year the eyes of Cleveland Indians fans might be looking a bit closer than in recent seasons. While this list is everchanging from trades to breakout players, the first edition at the beginning of the season always raises intrigue. The offseason has been full of moves and changes to the roster, so now the attention turns to the future of the club, and that could very well begin with these 30 players.

Now, a story on all 30 prospects would either be too long to keep anyone’s attention, or too brief to give any context about these 30 players. Instead, we’re breaking them down into groups of five, beginning with the last five on the list at 26 through 30. These five players are a mixed bag of talent that represent the list well in a nutshell. There’s two players that are currently at Spring Training with another two that haven’t even turned 20-years old yet.

To give a bit of context for the list as a whole, of the 30 players listed 12 are pitchers with the other 18 being position players. The Indians have listed four left-handed pitchers, two of whom are on this portion of the list, leaving eight right-handed pitchers. The rest of the list consists of four outfielders, two catchers, one first basemen, one third basemen and 10 players listed as either a middle infielder or utility infielder.

Needless to say, the list has a little bit of everything which is what you want to see for the future of the club. Each position has some sort of plan in place for the future. The question will be, how many of them will not only make it to the majors, but make it to Cleveland specifically?

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. 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.