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2017 Minor League Thread

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I'm bored and I want baseball season to be here...so here are some guys in our farm you may not have heard of, but who you may after the upcoming season is over.

Andrew Calica - OF - Drafted last year, ended his first professional season in Lake County, slashed .382/.474/.556 in 50 games. LH hitter, won a Cape Cod League batting title before his final college season, fits the mold of the college hitters the Indians have drafted the last 4-5 years as a disciplined hitter who takes his walks, gets on base a lot, gap-to-gap hitter, runs the bases well. Look for him to most likely start the season in Lynchburg, and perhaps finish in Akron with another good year. Could be the next Greg Allen like mid-round pick OF gem for us.

Ben Krauth - LHP - Also drafted last year, moved through 3 levels and ended the season in Lake County. Reliever, fits the Crockett mold in that he doesn't throw hard but beats you with movement and location. 1.66 ERA in 38 IP, 10.9 K/9, 1.7 BB/9 in his debut season. Expect him to also most likely start the season in Lynchburg and move through the system rather quickly if he continues to dominate.

Todd Isaacs - OF - With the departure of Clint Frazier, we lack in RH hitting OFs with pop. Isaacs could potentially help fill that gap a bit. Slashed .333/.384/.514 in 44 games in Mahoning Valley. Very athletic, very raw, but the tools are there. Needs to make better contact at the plate (product of poor swing mechanics IMO) and get on base a bit more to let his speed play more. Expect him to play his first full season with Lake County this upcoming season.

Leandro Linares - RHP - b00bie talked about his talent a few years ago when we initially signed him out of Cuba. He struggled mightily as a starter, particularly with his command, and transitioned into the bullpen last season. Went through 3 levels last year and ended the year in Lynchburg. Posted a 1.21 ERA in 44.2 IP, 11.1 K/9, 2.4 K/9. Reports had him sitting 95, 96 with his fastball and touching 98 at times. Expect him to start in Lynchburg and end the season in Akron.

Last 2 are some rookie level guys who you may hear about 2 years from now, but still should keep an eye on...

Francisco Perez - LHP - We have something going with guys named Francisco...but he's a LH starting pitcher with some projectability who already sits in the 90s with his fastball. Unlike most young lefties, he has no problem controlling his pitches, as he only walked 2.4 hitters per 9 innings in 63.2 IP last season. He outperformed another young lefty you may have heard of, Brady Aiken, in the AZL. Finished 5-1 with a 2.69 ERA in 63.2 IP, 7.4 K/9, 2.4 BB/9. Expect him to be in Mahoning Valley.

Ryder Ryan - RHP - He's a weird case. Just drafted last year, was a draft eligible college sophomore. Was a 2 way player at UNC who pitched and played 3B. The Indians are fully moving him to pitcher, where he will be a reliever, and its easy to see why. Reports of him sitting 96-98 with ease. His upside is intriguing since he hasn't focused fully on pitching yet in his playing career. With the loss of Ben Heller and JP Feyereisen, we kind of depleted our power arm stock. Ryan looks to hopefully fill some of that void. Finished with a 3.86 ERA in 18.2 IP in the AZL, 11.6 K/9, 4.3 BB/9. I have no idea where they start him out. Can see him staying in Goodyear to work on stuff and starting with SS Mahoning Valley, or getting tossed into full season ball in Lake County.
 
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That seems way different than what a lot of people are saying since Meija jumped in front of Zimmer. Not sure if I agree with something like that right now.

Personally...Zimmer would be my #3 right now, behind McKenzie and Mejia. Not all that crazy IMO...

And that's not because I don't like Zimmer. I just think McKenzie and Mejia have the chance to be the best prospect at their respective positions at some point.
 
Baseball Pro Top 101 came out today...once again we have 3...the same 3:

34. Francisco Mejia
55. Triston McKenzie
80. Bradley Zimmer
 
Got the 2017 Baseball America Prospect Guide. I know @BimboColesHair mentioned him previously, but I'll definitely be following Calica this year as a mid-level prospect, who just continues to hit.
 
Personally...Zimmer would be my #3 right now, behind McKenzie and Mejia. Not all that crazy IMO...

And that's not because I don't like Zimmer. I just think McKenzie and Mejia have the chance to be the best prospect at their respective positions at some point.

I'd agree--I think Zimmer is very close to MLB-ready, but doesn't have near the potential that the other guys do--specifically Mejia.
 
Got the 2017 Baseball America Prospect Guide. I know @BimboColesHair mentioned him previously, but I'll definitely be following Calica this year as a mid-level prospect, who just continues to hit.

How much does it cost? I often times am stuck way too much with guys evaluations of players since I don't get to see or watch anyone in the minors sadly unless I can find highlights and those don't always show much at times.
 
How much does it cost? I often times am stuck way too much with guys evaluations of players since I don't get to see or watch anyone in the minors sadly unless I can find highlights and those don't always show much at times.

$32.95, not a bad deal at all for 30 prospects from each team, plus organizational overviews/rankings
 
$32.95, not a bad deal at all for 30 prospects from each team, plus organizational overviews/rankings

Gotcha, I bought the MLB package for the season, so I don't have the funds to allocate it this season for it, but I am not as worried about it sense in all honesty we should be a fairly good team for a fair amount of years.

I mean the team has their top guys signed, then the guys coming up should be ready by the time Brantley, Chisenhall move on in free agency una couple seasons and we still will have a solid transition.
 
Baltimore keeps signing NRI OFs to minor league deals with camp invites...they also traded for Seth Smith and re-signed Trumbo who figures to play some corner OF...

Give me back Santander!!!!
 
Baltimore keeps signing NRI OFs to minor league deals with camp invites...they also traded for Seth Smith and re-signed Trumbo who figures to play some corner OF...

Give me back Santander!!!!

Crossing my fingers for ya, Bimbo.
 

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