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

Joel Reuter, Bleacher Report (June 25)

Joel Reuter keeps with the trend of young players for the Cleveland Indians in his mock draft, projecting Cleveland to take right-handed pitcher Chase Petty. A little over 18-years old, Petty is committed to Florida, but his fastball velocity and slider make him an intriguing MLB prospect.

"An undersized right-hander with some reliever risk, the 6’2″, 190-pound Petty has some of the best pure stuff in the draft, with a 70-grade fastball that touches triple digits and a hard slider. It’s a profile similar to that of Daniel Espino, who the team took with the No. 24 pick in 2019. It might take an above-slot deal to get him signed outside the top 20 given his standing as one of the top high school arms in the class, but he could be well worth the investment. – Joel Reuter"

Over the last three drafts the Cleveland Indians have taken four right-handed pitchers in the first round of the MLB Draft and three of them have been out of high school. That could be taken one of two ways. The team has gone to the well enough and will explore more options this time around or that’s what Cleveland does, so expect more of that.

Either route makes sense, so you can’t fully rule out Petty. Reuter writes him as 6-foot-2, but his Perfect Game profile lists him at 6-foot-1, so regardless he’s a bit undersized. However, he’s still taller than Eli Morgan.

When Cleveland is on the clock there will probably be players that better fit the needs of the club available, but Petty’s an intriguing option. While he won’t be ruled out, it might take some convincing to select him. If he is the pick, he has a lot of potential. But in terms of need, there are other areas to address for the future.