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.