Cleveland Indians: 3 prospects that should have fans excited for the future

Gabriel Arias, 2B/SS, Cleveland Indians

After top prospect Tyler Freeman went down for the year with an injury, No. 4 prospect Gabriel Arias quickly became one of the most intriguing youngsters in the organization’s short-term outlook. Despite being just 21-years old, Arias has been absolutely tearing it up in Triple-A Columbus this season.

Over the last three months (90 days), Arias has played in 67 games for the Clippers and has posted a slash line of .292/.351/.459 with 15 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 25 RBI. He’s cooled off a bit recently, which could be the reason we haven’t watched him in Cleveland yet, but he’s definitely positioning himself to make a run at a starting spot in 2022. The question is just where.

Arias has shown that the bat is there, but his glove is a bit behind. He has nine errors at shortstop this season for a fielding percentage of .961. While he only has one error at second base, he still has a .971 fielding percentage there due to lack of innings at the position.

If Arias can clean up his fielding a bit in the offseason, he should be able to find a spot in Cleveland very quickly. The team needs middle infield help after trading Cesar Hernandez and while Amed Rosario has been steady at the plate, he has seven errors at short himself.

In short, Arias has the opportunity to make a splash in the near future and being just 22 when the next season starts, he should be viewed as a potential cornerstone for the club if he can progress as anticipated.