Cleveland Indians minor league report for the month of July

Cleveland Indians minor league report, July: Columbus Clippers, Triple-A

While the Cleveland Indians struggled through the month of July, there were some positive takeaways for the organization. It was a similar story in July for the Columbus Clippers. While the team puttered along to a 9-16record, almost matching that of their major league counterpart, there were bright spots to take away from the month.

Perhaps the best sign was the strong performance from No. 5 prospect Gabriel Arias. The 21-year old middle infielder is making the case to be called up before the end of the season and July played a large role in that. Playing in 26 games, Arias was able to slash an impressive .310/.361/.520 for the Clippers with seven doubles, a triple and four home runs while tallying 11 RBI.

The question for Arias will be finding a spot for him in the field. While his bat is MLB-ready, there’s still some work to be done with his glove. Not to mention the position the Tribe need someone at, being second base, isn’t exactly where he has the most experience. Arias has been playing a lot of shortstop and third with his last appearance at second being on July 23. Even after moving Cesar Hernandez, there doesn’t seem to be a rush to get Arias time at second or big league experience.

Another player that has been swinging the lumber well is the recent addition behind the plate, veteran catcher Wilson Ramos. Ramos joined the club on July 6 and wasted little time showing his talent.

Over 16 games, Ramos is slashing .317/.328/.517 with three doubles and three home runs while logging nine RBI. What’s even more promising is he has struck out just six times. For a team that is desperate for offensive production behind the dish, Ramos could be a great September addition when rosters expand, if not before. He has a career .994 fielding percentage, so there isn’t much to lose defensively either.

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.