Cleveland Guardians: 7 players who will be part of the next core

Cleveland Guardians: 7 players who will become the next core in Cleveland

The final stretch of 2021 is upon us, and it’s been an absolute rollercoaster for the Cleveland Indians. Despite a small mountain of injuries and young talent being thrust into the majors way too soon the Tribe continues to float around the .500 mark, even without stalwart skipper Terry Francona in the dugout.

Cleveland has already had some extended looks at players they value as part of their future for 2022 and beyond, and September brings the team an additional two roster spots to fill for the remainder of the season, opening the door for more of the youth movement.

The Indians have a deep stockpile of middle infielders reaching the high minors, highlighted by players like third baseman Nolan Jones and shortstop Gabriel Arias. Not every one of these players can make the big league roster, let alone cement themselves as a future part of Cleveland’s core, but it seems highly unlikely there won’t be a future star among them.

The Tribe is also incredibly deep in pitching prospects, but unlike the plethora of infielders climbing the ranks of the farm, a good chunk of the pitching future is in Double-A or lower in 2021.

Trade deadline action in 2021 reinforced the idea that the front office had obvious eyes on the future, unloading the contracts of Cesar Hernandez and Eddie Rosario while adding a pair of pitching prospects and outfielder Myles Straw. With the name change imminent, and all eyes on the horizon, here’s a group of players I believe could be the first new core of the Cleveland Guardians.

First Core Player for the Cleveland Guardians; Myles Straw – OF

On July 30 of this season the Indians sent struggling reliever Phil Maton and minor league catcher Yainer Diaz to the Houston Astros for center fielder Myles Straw. Straw debuted in 2018 with the Astros and was used sparingly in parts of three seasons in Houston thanks to an overly crowded outfield.

The Astros lost center fielder George Springer in free agency to Toronto after the 2020 season so Straw stepped in as the near every day center fielder in Houston, making it even more bizarre he would be traded to Cleveland, but a gift is a gift.

Straw will turn 27 in October and is under team control until 2026, something Cleveland has very obviously targeted in recent deals. On the season Straw is slashing .267/.339/.348 between the Astros and Indians, but in just 29 games in a Cleveland jersey he’s slashing .281/.341/.405, matching his total home runs in Houston with two and nearly matching his 13 doubles in Houston with nine thus far.

Defensively, Straw is a revelation for the Indians, having committed just a single error in his 179 game career so far, and he’s incredibly fun to watch roam the outfield laying out like Superman. All of this translates to a 2.3 WAR on the season, tied for fifth on the team with Emmanuel Clase.

For the cost of a struggling reliver and some minor league catching depth Cleveland has acquired their leadoff hitter of the future who just happens to also be a Gold Glove caliber center fielder. Seriously, this was a steal. Straw is a career .260 hitter with easy 20+ steal speed, and I’m still baffled that Houston parted with him this season. Look forward to Straw patrolling center for the Guardians for the next several years.

Second Core Player for the Cleveland Guardians; George Valera – OF

Wait, two outfielders on a list about Cleveland’s future? Must be a new Cleveland Guardians thing. George Valera has produced a seldom talked about, but definitely not unnoticed, meteoric rise through the ranks of Cleveland’s farm system and prospect rankings.

Valera, at just 20-years-old, was recently promoted to Double-A Akron as well as promoted to the Indians’ No. 2 overall prospect according to MLB.com, but he arguably may be Cleveland’s best prospect.

The pandemic season in 2020 wiped out Valera’s age 19 season, so before 2021 began Valera’s last live game action was as an 18-year-old split between short season Mahoning Valley and A-Ball Lake County. He began 2021 with now High-A Lake County, slashing .256/.430/.548 with 16 home runs and 55 walks in 63 games before being promoted to Double-A Akron.

Valera’s hit tool is obviously still developing, having a career .248 batting average in 128 minor league contests, but what really sticks out the most is a player who’s never had an OBP below .336 at any level during any stint (excluding six games with Lake County in 2019).

Defensively Valera has moved all across the outfield, committing a total of five errors so far in his minor league career, and has plenty of time left on his developmental timeline to clean it up. Valera has .300 batting average upside with potential for added power, potentially giving Cleveland an impact bat in the middle of the lineup from an outfielder for the first time since Michael Brantley departed after 2017. He should be a cornerstone player for this organization, roaming a corner outfield spot alongside Myles Straw, hopefully as early as next September.

Core Players Three and Four for the Cleveland Guardians; Josh Naylor, 1B/OF and Bo Naylor, C

Josh Naylor, a member of Cleveland’s opening day roster in 2021 before a gruesome leg injury ended his season, and Bo Naylor, the Tribe’s first round draft pick in 2018 have an opportunity to provide some nostalgia for Indians fans reminiscent of Roberto Alomar and Sandy Alomar Jr suiting up together in 1999 and 2000.

It took some time for Josh to grow on me, but at just 24 the eldest Naylor had slashed .253/.301/.399 in 69 games before injury this season, and appeared to be just getting the hang of his swing and timing. The flexibility to play both first base and right field was invaluable to Cleveland in the early goings of 2021 as the Yu Chang/Jake Bauers experiment was doomed to fail and the outfield was wildly unstable.

Josh displayed the ability to hit for average in San Diego’s farm system, and there’s still some untapped power in his swing yet to be unlocked, something Cleveland hopes he can find when he’s healthy in 2022. With the reluctance from the front office to call up Bobby Bradley this season until quite literally forced to, the future of first base is justifiably in question. Josh will likely compete for a near every day spot at first or continue to platoon in right field depending on his health.

Meanwhile, the younger Naylor has progressed rather quickly through the minors due to trades, injuries and some deservedness. The bat is still questionable, but he has shown some promising power with 11 doubles and nine home runs despite a .183 average this season.

Bo, Cleveland’s No. 6 prospect according to MLB.com, has been very impressive behind the dish for Akron this season, registering a .994 fielding percentage and throwing out runners at a 35% clip, exceeding some early expectations for his defensive capabilities. Also, just for the record, Roberto Perez has caught 40% of attempted runners in his eight-year career, and Alomar Jr. posted a 32% rate in 19 seasons.

The Naylor Brothers are both under the age of 25, Josh is (stop me if you’ve heard this one before) under team control through 2026, and both have the potential to be regular faces with the Guardians teams of the not-so-distant future. Staying power is always in question with young players, look no further than Oscar Mercado, but Bo and Josh both have respectably high floors. How high can they push their ceilings?

Fifth Core Player for the Cleveland Guardians; Daniel Espino – Pitcher

Yes, I did say most of Cleveland’s high upside pitching prospects were in Double-A or lower, and Daniel Espino is no exception in his age 20 season with High-A Lake County. Espino, the Tribe’s No. 5 prospect according to MLB.com, was a first round pick in 2019 of the Indians and touts arguably the best fastball in the entire farm system. He was drafted as a starter, and has plenty of work to do to keep that role as he climbs up the levels of the minors.

Espino throws his fastball at a blistering 98 MPH, and he definitely has the ability to get swings and misses on it, leading the entire Cleveland farm system with 127 strikeouts in 99.1 innings pitched this season. He’s currently 2-7 with a 3.93 ERA in 17 starts split between Low-A Lynchburg and High-A Lake County.

Command and walks have plagued him early in his minor league career, with a career 1.19 WHIP in 26 total starts. As an encouraging sign, his walk rate has significantly improved since promotion to High-A earlier this season, despite his ERA spiking to 4.64 with the Captains.

If Espino aspires to stay a starter and make the Tribe’s rotation in the future, the command of his breaking stuff and off-speed pitches is paramount. His Slider is grading out well early, and he features a Curveball and a Changeup to round out his repertoire. Even if he doesn’t hang on as a member of the rotation he has very high reliever upside and could be a bullpen anchor, or even a closer for the Guardians for years to come.

Sixth Core Player for the Cleveland Guardians; Gabriel Arias – SS, 2B, 3B

Once again the San Diego Padres get a mention for a possible piece of Cleveland’s future core, sending the Tribe Gabriel Arias as part of the return package for Mike Clevinger at the 2020 trade deadline.

Arias is the third consecutive prospect I’ve listed 21-years-old or younger, and is currently the Tribe’s No. 4 prospect after the midseason updates at MLB.com. He has four-tool potential, possessing the best arm in the organization while refining his overall fielding and his approach at the plate.

Thanks to COVID-19 eliminating the 2020 minor league season, Arias jumped from High-A in the Padres organization all the way to Triple-A Columbus in Cleveland’s system. An impressive enough feat for a player that young, but more impressively he’s held his own, slashing .274/.341/.425 through 95 games with 20 doubles and 10 home runs. Arias will need to reign in his strikeout numbers to truly tap into his potential at the plate, registering a roughly 29% strikeout rate for his professional career, including a 25.7% rate in 2021.

Defensively Arias is a primary shortstop, but has spent time at both second and third base. He put up an alarming 64 errors in two seasons of rookie and A-ball in the Padres’ system, but appears to have used his time at the alternate site in 2020 to work heavily on his defense, registering only 12 this season in Columbus across three positions.

It’s possible that Arias will profile better as a third baseman in the majors given his elite arm and the defensive kinks still being ironed out at shortstop, but it’s highly likely he’s competing for an opening day roster spot at 22-years-old next season.