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.

Mike Axisa, CBS Sports (June 25)

Mike Axisa updated his mock draft on June 25 and kept the same pick for the Cleveland Indians that he had in his June 11 edition with outfield Joshua Baez. While Baez has struggled a bit this season in terms of strikeouts, his power is very intriguing in today’s game that is drifting more towards the home run ball and launch angle. Being in the later part of the first round, the Tribe might be in the perfect position to take a chance on the outfielder with hopes of limiting those swings and misses.

Cleveland has a type and that type is high schoolers with upside who are young for the draft class. Baez turns 18 just before the draft and he is an exit velocity monster with enormous power. There’s risk here given his propensity to swing and miss, but every player at this point in the draft has a flaw, and few have Baez’s power potential. – Mike Axisa

Having just turned 18 within the last month, Baez fits what Axisa alludes to as the Tribe taking players on the younger side of the class. Being a Vanderbilt commit, it could take a nice signing bonus to convince Baez to bypass college completely.

Standing at 6-foot-3, Baez’s biggest draw is his power, but with that has come some struggles making contact as well. His arm strength in the field is also impressive, hitting 96 on the radar gun when on the mound.

Baez has the ability to be a five-tool player, but it will really just depend on where he lands in this draft. Since he has somewhat of a hit and miss resume, figuratively and literally, he could go anywhere in the first round. However, if Cleveland has a chance to take him it could turn into a high-reward pick.

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.

Edward Sutelan, SportingNews (July 2)

The only player from the collegiate ranks to be mocked to the Cleveland Indians over these four mock drafts, Jud Fabian has a similar profile to Joshua Baez, but with a higher level of experience. Given that extra experience and high-ceiling, Edward Sutelan from the SportingNews has Fabian going to Cleveland in his most recent mock draft, the one that was completed the most recently of the four here.

The Indians have shown a willingness in previous drafts to gamble on upside early over the higher floor players, and that’s what Fabian offers them. A tough 2021 dropped Fabian in rankings from potentially being the first college bat taken to possibly even a second-rounder, but he has tons of raw power and offers the speed needed to play all three outfield positions. If Cleveland can get him to click, it could be getting a steal late in the first. -Edward Sutelan

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Turning 21-years old in September, Fabian is a bit older than the typical Tribe prospect. However, his experience makes him a bit more intriguing. The team can see more of his game, for better or worse, which gives more confidence in the selection.

Over three seasons at Florida, Fabian played in 132 games for the Gators, totaling a slash line of .249/.366/.512. While the average was a bit lower, he did tally 25 doubles and belt 32 home runs in addition to 85 RBI and 15 stolen bases.

He can do a little bit of everything, but it will be figuring out if he can do any of them extremely well. The power is promising and the added speed is a nice bonus. If he’s there at 23 he could be a steal if Cleveland brings him along properly.