A Minor Review of 2014: Indians and Tigers
Welcome to the annual series: ‘A Minor Review of 2014.” This series is a great way to receive a quick recap of the 2014 minor league season for your favorite club(s), while also receiving a brief look toward the 2015 season and beyond. It can also be a handy feature for fantasy baseball players in keeper and Dynasty leagues.
Previous Pieces:
A Minor Review of 2014: Yankees and Orioles
A Minor Review of 2014: Red Sox, Rays, Blue Jays
The Graduate: Trevor Bauer, RHP: The 2011 first rounder of the Diamondbacks reached the Majors quickly — in 2012 — but he didn’t settle into a big league role until 2014 with the Indians. Bauer still has some adjustments to make, including improved control, but he’s struck out 135 batters through 142.2 innings of work. Cleveland did a great job of buying low on him and helping him regain his value.
The Riser: Erik Gonzalez, SS: Gonzalez doesn’t project to be a star, but he could develop into a solid middle infielder for the Indians — which is impressive given that he was a lesser-known prospect entering the 2014 season. He does a little bit of everything — expect hit for power — including run, field and hit for average.The 23-year-old Dominican has been tolling in the Indians’ system since 2009 and spent four years in short-season ball.
The Tumbler: Cody Anderson, RHP: Anderson opened the year as one of the top Indians pitching prospects on most prospect lists and I personally ranked him third overall and suggested he could develop into a solid mid-rotation starter with the ability to provide a ton of innings. Unfortunately, the 6-4 right-hander hit a speed bump in Double-A. He allowed 141 hits in 125.2 while striking out just 81 batters. He also allowed 17 home runs and produced a 5.44 ERA. Look for him to return to that level to open the 2015 season.
The ’14 Draft Pick: Bobby Bradley, 1b: First-rounder Bradley Zimmer had a solid season in his own right but Bradley was other-worldly in his pro debut. Just 18, the third-rounder dominated the Arizona rookie league with a triple-slash line of .361/.426/.652 thanks to a mature approach at the plate. He has limited defensive value as a first baseman but all signs point to an ability to hit for both power and average — giving him a chance to develop into an impact player.
The Lottery Ticket: Yu-Cheng Chang, SS: I’m not a huge fan of the Indians’ approach with the amateur draft but they’re highly underrated when it comes to mining the international market. Chang received a hefty sum when he signed with the club in mid-2013. The 19-year-old Taiwanese native produced an eye-popping triple-slash line of .346/.420/.566 with just 28 strikeouts in 42 games. He also plays a premium position and has a solid shot to stick there.
The Graduate: Nick Castellanos, 3B: Detroit is not the easiest place to break into the big leagues as a rookie thanks to the club’s reliance on veteran players. Castellanos, though, stuck in The Show for the full season despite some rough patches along the way and modest overall offensive production (98 wRC+ in 148 games). The 22-year-old needs to tighten up his approach at the plate but he’s shown flashes of developing into a reliable player.
The Riser: Austin Kubitza, RHP: A 2013 fourth rounder, Kubitza opened the 2014 season mostly off the prospect radar but he turned some heads with 140 strikeouts in 131.0 innings. He also allowed just 98 hits and produced a plethora of ground-ball out. However, his success must be taken with a grain of salt given that he was a 22-year-old college product (Rice University) playing the full season in Low-A ball.
The Tumbler: Melvin Mercedes, RHP: Prior to the start of the 2014 season, Mercedes looked like he would become the next hard-throwing reliever to reach Detroit. While he did finally reach The Show, he’s appeared in just one game to date thanks to a rough Triple-A season. The 23-year-old hurler posted a 4.92 ERA with 69 hits allowed in 60.1 innings. The right-hander has always struggled to strike out batters despite his hard stuff and the 2014 season was no exception with just 31 strikeouts.
The ’14 Draft Pick: Derek Hill, OF: The club’s first round pick from 2014, this California prep baseball star had a rough introduction to pro ball with a .591 OPS in 28 rookie ball games. On the positive side, he struck out just 19 times (with 16 walks) in 28 games so he wasn’t exactly overmatched. Detroit even game his a curious late-season promotion to the New-York-Penn League but he was over his head there, as witnessed by his 26 strikeouts (and two walks) in 19 games.
The Lottery Ticket: Javier Betancourt, SS: This 19-year-old Venezuelan player recently finished up his first full-season assignment after spending the previous two seasons in rookie-ball leagues. Betancourt clearly tired late in the season when he hit under .200 in his final 30 games. Overall, he held his own at the plate but his 26-81 BB-K rate shows a need for improvement. He makes some youthful mistakes in the field but shows potential for solid defensive plays.
Marc Hulet has been writing at FanGraphs since 2008. His work focuses on prospects and fantasy. Follow him on Twitter @marchulet.
Good job with the Indians right up. I probably would have chosen the same players for each category. If I had to switch one out though, it would probably be Gonzalez. He was on a lot of radars before the season began. He could be replaced with either Mitch Brown or Giovanni Urshela.