Cleveland Indians: 5 internal options to be Cleveland's shortstop of the future

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Shortstop Amed Rosario #1 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /

Who will step up as the Cleveland Indians shortstop of the future?

The Cleveland Indians have a notable log jam of talent at the shortstop position within the ranks of their organization. Amed Rosario has served admirably through his first season with the Tribe, but the tides are seemingly not in his favor as a long-term solution between second and third. There are a few intriguing options that Cleveland’s front office could turn to, and it will be a speculation-filled offseason as Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff seek to sort out the potential options leading into Spring Training in 2022.

As previously stated, it doesn’t make sense for Rosario to be tabbed as the long-term shortstop, even with his solid season in 2021 playing into the equation. Rosario has played a strong brand of baseball behind good enough defense and a solid approach at the plate, but the reality of his situation is that he finds himself in arbitration both of the next two years, and the team’s control will only extend to the 2023 season.

While he would not command the kind of money that Francisco Lindor, Fernando Tatis Jr., and other soon-to-be free agent shortstops (Carlos Correa, Trevor Story, etc.) will haul in, it would make financial sense if the Tribe passed on his services in favor of one of the youngsters currently waiting in the wings. If the Tribe does hold onto him through the end of the team’s controlling years, he could potentially be a candidate for a position change.

Rosario could be a strong possibility at second base next season, opening up short for one of numerous middle infield prospects to step up into Cleveland’s lineup. The big question is which up-and-comer would separate themselves from the pack and seize the job, should that scenario unfold.

When Cleveland turns the page on the Indians and ushers in the era of the Guardians, there could be a couple of contenders vying to make their mark at short. Names like Andres Gimenez, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman should already sound familiar to Tribe fans, but the likes of Brayan Rocchio and Angel Martinez could also become household over the next couple of seasons.

Andres Gimenez #0 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

Andres Gimenez, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians

Andres Gimenez has already spent time in Cleveland this season, and was arguably the centerpiece of the Francisco Lindor trade with the New York Mets. Having seized the starting job during the pandemic-shortened season from Amed Rosario in the Big Apple, many Cleveland fans believed he would be the obvious choice to take up the reins at short following Lindor’s departure.

As such, he quickly asserted himself in Spring Training, only to falter during his first stint with the Indians. He would be subsequently sent back to Columbus, where he would perform well enough to get another call-up to Cleveland later in 2021.

At this juncture, he has not performed as hoped leading into the 2021 campaign. He has slashed .179/.258/.274 in his time with the Indians, down from his .263/.333/.398 line with the Mets last season. He has also struggled defensively in the Majors this year, with six errors in 31 games at short. While some of these numbers are disconcerting, there are a couple of points to remember.

This would have been Gimenez’s first full season at baseball’s highest level, and he is only 22-years of age. Although his performance to this point has been lackluster for the Tribe, there is still considerable room for improvement with his bat, as well as a fundamental rebound in his defense (for which he is highly touted). If he can put together a strong Spring Training showcase in 2022, he could easily be one of the top front runners to pick up at short if Amed Rosario is moved somewhere else on the diamond.

Infielder Gabriel Arias #71 of the Cleveland Indians (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images) /

Gabriel Arias, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians

Gabriel Arias was one of the most intriguing names coming to Cleveland in the Mike Clevinger trade from last summer, and he showed out well in Spring Training with the Tribe in 2021. With his strong performance and excellent defensive skills on display, he landed himself in Triple-A Columbus to start the 2021 Minor League season.

With the Clippers, Arias has slashed .272/.342/.426, with 10 home runs. He has more natural power than the other potential options as short, and he has one of the most touted arms defensively in the Cleveland system.

Arias is also only 21-years of age, and made the jump to Triple-A in 2021 after having only played in High-A during the 2019 season. If he can translate his plate approach and his defensive prowess to the Majors, he has a compelling case to be a potential fit at shortstop in 2022, if he doesn’t get a call up before the 2021 campaign is over. Arias is definitely a name to keep a close eye on.

Tyler Freeman, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians

Tyler Freeman has had some recent fanfare as the newly minted No. 1 prospect in Cleveland’s entire organization. After usurping the honor from Nolan Jones (who still has great potential regardless of the prospect ranking demotion), expectations for Freeman will be sky-high going into 2022.

Unfortunately, the injury bug has ended his 2021 campaign in Double-A Akron, but not before he made his case by slashing .323/.372/.470, with only 21 strikeouts in 164 at-bats. He has one of the best pure bats in the system, and has the defensive versatility to potentially play at second and third base, as well as short.

Although Freeman has only played as high as Double-A, he could potentially fit himself into Cleveland’s short term plans if he steps up with a strong Spring Training in 2022. For now, though, he just needs to focus on getting healthy.

Brayan Rocchio, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians

Brayan Rocchio is a name that could potentially be making moves towards Cleveland in the coming season, but for now he finds himself at High-A Lake County. One of the notable players from the Tribe’s heralded 2017 crop of international signings (the class containing George Valera and Aaron Bracho as well), Rocchio hails from from Venezuela, and has made a good mark on the Indians organization thus far.

Cleveland’s No. 7 ranked prospect, Rocchio has slashed .264/.341/.447, with 13 homers and a .789 OPS this season. Given that he is only 20 and still in the lower levels of Minor League Baseball, he is probably not an immediate short-term option at shortstop for the Tribe going into 2022. That being said, continued growth and development in Akron and Columbus over the next season or two could put him on a trajectory to Cleveland by as early as 2023 or 2024, if he continues to perform at a strong level.

Angel Martinez, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians

The last prospect with shortstop-of-the-future potential is young infielder Angel Martinez. A shortstop by trade, he comes to Cleveland’s organization from the Dominican Republic, and was brought in via the 2018 international signing class.

He is currently ranked as the Tribe’s No. 8 overall prospect, and has a ways to go before he’ll find his way to Cleveland. In Low-A Lynchburg, Martinez has slashed .255/.327/.404, not a bad overall look in his first pro-baseball stop outside of rookie ball. While it is hard to imagine him having any kind of short-term impact on the pro club, he is a name worth watching as he develops in Cleveland’s system in the coming seasons.

Summary

If indeed Amed Rosario is moved from shortstop (or the organization) going into 2022, the Indians (who will be the Guardians by that point) will have a good selection of talent to evaluate in the spring. At some point, given the confines of the 40-man roster, the reality of the Rule 5 Draft, and the talent within Cleveland’s organization, moves will have to be made to ensure that the best talent is utilized and protected from other clubs.

Whether the front office believes that Andres Gimenez will blossom into the guy Cleveland hoped to get in return for Francisco Lindor, or if they opt to go with Gabriel Arias out of Columbus or Tyler Freeman out of Akron, the decisions they make will be crucial to the state of the organization as they move into 2022 and beyond.

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Cleveland Indians: 5 internal options to be Cleveland’s shortstop of the future