Cleveland Indians: Three in-house prospects who could be the fifth starter

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Starting pitcher Logan Allen #54 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

Three in-house prospects who could be the fifth starter for the Cleveland Indians

After the Cleveland Indians traded away Carlos Carrasco as part of the Francisco Lindor trade questions started coming up about the fifth starter in the rotation. Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, Zach Plesac and Triston McKenzie were the presumed top four of the rotation, but the fifth spot came into question with the trade.

The Tribe have already tried two in-house options and there have mixed results from both. Logan Allen got the first shot out of Spring Training and started five games in April. He allowed at least one run in each start and never pitched beyond the fifth inning, which he reached in only his first two starts. Allen’s ERA ballooned to 9.19 before he was sent down to Columbus and the next pitcher on the list was called up.

That pitcher was Sam Hentges who first pitched out of the bullpen before being eased into a starting role. While Hentges has had better results than Allen, his roller coaster of outings paired with his recent six-run outburst against the Angels could push the front office to consider other options.

We’ve already talked about ways to address the problem externally, whether it be a trade or a free agent addition, but what about internal solutions. Admittedly, the options are few and far between, but for a team that is set on not spending money that might be the way things go.

Not including Allen, there’s only five pitchers on the 40-man roster that are in the minors and they aren’t all starting pitchers. However, the ones that are might get a chance to crack the starting rotation in Cleveland if Hentges can’t find consistency. While they won’t have the initial firepower of Bieber, Civale, Plesac or McKenzie, they could be diamonds in the rough just waiting for a shot.

Jean Carlos Mejia

After the outing from Hentges forced the Cleveland Indians to use multiple bullpen arms in the first game of the series with the Angels, the team made a move to call up Jean Carlos Mejia for an extra arm, a similar move to when Hentges joined the big league club. A 24-year old right-handed pitcher that stands 6-foot-5, this could be the beginning of Mejia’s major league debut.

What Mejia has going for him that Hentges didn’t is a minor league season. Hentges didn’t get the chance to pitching in Triple-A before the Tribe needed him in Cleveland, whereas Mejia has made two appearances with the Columbus Clippers.

In his first start, he tossed four scoreless innings, giving up just two hits while walking four and striking out another four. As for his second start, he went five innings and gave up two runs, both solo home runs, while striking out six.

With an ERA of 2.00 and a WHIP of 1.22, Mejia makes for an intriguing option. He doesn’t make the impression that he would be a long-term answer, but he could be the bridge that fills the role through the rest of the season or until a different move can be made. Essentially, he falls into the category of an Adam Plutko, Ryan Merritt, Jefry Rodriguez type player, which could be very crucial to the team’s success this season.

Scott Moss

The No. 26 prospect in the Cleveland Indians organization, Scott Moss is the oldest player on the Tribe’s Top 30 prospects, according to MLB.com. Given his age and the fact that he’s a left-handed pitcher, like Allen and Hentges, Moss might be given the chance to leapfrog over Mejia into a starting role should Hentges be sent down at some point.

Acquired as part of the Trevor Bauer trade, Moss has been a slowly riser through the minor leagues. He spent a full season at Single-A in 2017, then a full season at High-A as well in 2018 before being included in the trade during the 2019 season. After 22 games in Double-A, he cracked Triple-A for four games in 2019.

As for this season, Moss has pitched two games for the Columbus Clippers and has had results similar to Mejia. His first outing was four shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while tallying four strikeouts. His second start, however, wasn’t as great. He gave up two runs over two innings, walking four and giving up another three hits.

The sample size for Moss isn’t as impressive as Mejia’s, but his age and profile could be the difference in a close statistical race. Moss would be another lefty to fill the role and being 26 service time isn’t nearly as important for him.

A general view of the Nike Jordan shoes worn by Logan Allen #54 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images) /

Eli Morgan

The final pitcher that is on the 40-man roster and on the Columbus Clippers that could be the fifth starter for the Cleveland Indians is Eli Morgan. At 5-foot-10, Morgan doesn’t have the typical size of a big league pitcher, but the 25-year old could fly under the radar and up to the Cleveland Indians roster if he can improve in Columbus.

An eighth round pick during the 2017 MLB Draft out of Gonzaga, Morgan quickly climbed the minor league ranks, pitching at High-A, Double-A and Triple-A during the 2019 season alone. Now, Morgan has struggled out of the gate in Columbus, but he was put on the 40-man roster for a reason. Mejia and Moss might get the first crack, but if things continue to trend south an opportunity could present itself to Morgan since he’s already on the 40-man roster.

This season, Morgan has tallied two starts and has allowed three runs in each outing, totaling 7.2 innings of work. The runs have come from a total of 11 hits and six walks while striking out seven.

Like I said, his body of work isn’t what you look for when trying to find a pitcher to call up. However, if the Tribe want to make a change without having to alter the 40-man roster, this is about all that’s left to try in-house.

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Three in-house prospects who could be the fifth starter for the Cleveland Indians

Jean Carlos Mejia

Scott Moss

Eli Morgan

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