Cleveland Indians minor league report for the month of July

Cleveland Indians minor league report, July: Akron Rubberducks, Double-A

He’s since been called up to Columbus, but the best player, by far, for the Akron Rubberducks in the month of July was Richard Palacios. The 24-year old middle infielder filled the stat sheet for Akron in July after seeing his name on the club’s top 30 prospect list at No. 27.

Playing 23 games for Akron, Palacios slashed .345/.414/.609 with seven doubles, two triples and four home runs that resulted in a total of 22 RBI. In addition to the success swinging the bat, he also knew when not to swing, drawing 11 walks.

A third round pick by Cleveland in the 2018 MLB Draft, Palacios has the ability to play middle infield and outfield, which are Cleveland’s two biggest weaknesses in the field. However, he doesn’t have the best fielding percentage at either spot. If he can get his glove to come around and continue bashing at the plate, he could find his way onto the Cleveland Indians roster in the relatively near future.

Akron had two other players hit above .300 in July as well. Third baseman Andruw Monasterio (.316/.418/.447) and Steven Kwan (.329/.405/.521) were both above the mark. For a major league team that is struggling to find offensive production, the strong signs at the plate in the lower levels is promising to the future of the club.

Cleveland Indians minor league report, July: Lake County Captains, High-A

While we’ve predominately talked about hitters, there are pitchers in the minor leagues for the Cleveland Indians as well. There will be plenty more once the draft picks are signed and added, but there’s still solid arms in the farm system now.

One of those is Hunter Gaddis, a 23-year old right-handed starting pitcher for the Lake County Captains. A fifth round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of Georgia State, Gaddis had a strong month of July. Logging five starts, Gaddis kept his ERA down at 2.89 with a WHIP of 0.93. He was also able to strikeout 34 while walking just six.

The biggest concern for Gaddis is that he also allowed a team-high eight home runs in July. He gave up a total of 18 runs, but only nine were earned.

At the plate, Lake County had just one player log a batting average north of .300 over 50 or more at-bats. That was No. 24 prospect, catcher Bryan Lavastida. While the .316/.421/.487 slash line in July was promising, his most impressive stat might be his 10 doubles and seven stolen bases, exhibiting a good amount of speed for a catcher.

Lavastida’s defense still needs to improve, he has six errors behind the plate, but the offensive upside is definitely present.

Cleveland Indians minor league report, July: Lynchburg Hillcats, Low-A

The Low-A Lynchburg Hillcats are the only team in the Tribe’s farm system to not have a player bat over .300. The only player that was close was Yainer Diaz at .295 and he was moved at the trade deadline as part of the deal to get Myles Straw.

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Where Lynchburg’s roster did do well was on the mound. There were a few different pitchers that put together strong months and one of the best came from No. 11 prospect Lenny Torres. A first round pick by the Tribe in the 2018 MLB Draft, Torres will turn just 21 in October. After needing Tommy John surgery in May of 2019, the strong showing is a great sign for the young pitcher.

Starting five games in July, Torres posted an ERA of 2.86 paired with a WHIP of 1.18. He allowed just seven runs over the course of the entire month and gave up just 12 hits over 22 innings. Where the concern is for him is walks. He was able to strikeout 23 batters, but walking a team-high 14 isn’t the best.

If Torres can get his walks under control, there’s good chance he could progress through the minors relatively quickly. The top prospects list has him as a 2023 arrival to the big leagues, so there’s time for that to show improvement.