Cleveland Indians: Analyzing the top five prospects for the Tribe

No. 2 Triston McKenzie

One of the few players on this list that has major league experience, Triston McKenzie will surely be taken off this list in the near future once he outplays his prospect status, although he will still be a rookie in 2021. Until then, he clocks in as the No. 2 prospect in the Cleveland Indians’ organization. Being one of the top four pitchers in the young starting rotation, McKenzie will have high expectations in 2021.

During the 2020 season, McKenzie started six games for the Tribe while pitching in eight. In total, he tossed 33.1 innings for Cleveland that resulted in a 2-1 record with a 3.24 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 42 strikeouts. He had a rough spring, but it seems like that was the case for nearly everyone this year. If he can bounce back to his 2020 form once the season begins, then the Indians will be happy to have him for the foreseeable future.

McKenzie is still only 23-years old, so it will be interesting to see how his game progresses not only as he gets more experience, but gets older and has more chemistry with the catchers in Cleveland. If Roberto Perez can work his magic with McKenzie, then he should blossom in his first full season in the major leagues.