Cleveland Indians MLB Draft: What are 2021 MLB Mock Drafts saying?

What are 2021 MLB Mock Drafts saying about the Cleveland Indians

With the 2021 MLB Draft just under a week away, mock drafts are circling rapidly around the league. Whether it be updates to previously completed mocks are brand new ones, people are taking their shot at calling what the picks will be. For fans of the Cleveland Indians, this means a larger sample size of things to come and anticipate during the first round of the draft.

The MLB Draft is incredibly long compared to other drafts around sports. That paired with the fact that most of these players are probably at least a few years away from competing at the highest level takes away from the draw that the NFL, NBA and NHL Drafts warrant.

However, if there’s anything that the 2016 MLB Draft can teach us it’s that a single team can set up their future in one draft. That’s what Cleveland did when lucking out with Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac all in the same class. Replicating that type of success will be hard, but finding one or two players in the first few rounds that can be cornerstones might not be.

When looking around at the mock drafts, there are a few things that have been mentioned by more than one person. Looking at CBS Sports, Bleacher Report, MLB.com and Sporting News, three of the four players mocked to Cleveland are high school prospects and two are outfielders.

Those trends are consistent with what Cleveland has done in the past. Oftentimes the players they take in the first round, pitchers specifically, are on the much younger side of the class. Since 2011, the Tribe have taken a total of 15 players in the first round. Of those 15, 11 were from the high school level. Outfielders have also been common, taking five in the first round over that same span, accounting for one third of the first round selections.

With all that being said, here’s what experts around the league are projecting for the Cleveland Indians in the 2021 MLB Draft.