1-23: SS Carson Tucker, Mountain Pointe HS (AZ)
CBA-36: RHP Tanner Burns, Auburn
2-56: LHP Logan Allen, Florida International
3-95: OF Petey Halpin, Mira Costa HS (CA)
4-124: SS Milan Tolentino, Santa Margarita HS (CA)
5-154: RHP Mason Hickman, Vanderbilt
The Indians have a brand and as usual, they stuck to it. They value youth, and in turn they picked up three high school bats, one of which (Petey Halpin) only turned 18 in May. They also like hit tools and guys who can stay up the middle, and their three high schoolers certainly have those traits as some of the better pure hitters in the class projected for SS, CF, and SS. They usually go the college route to find their arms, valuing track record on that side, and it's hard to find a much better combined track record than Tanner Burns (14-9, 2.86 career), Logan Allen (3.33 career), and Mason Hickman (11-0, 1.79 over last two seasons). Overall, I think they did pretty well with their six selections, with no picks popping out to me as total steals but all of them looking anywhere from solid to very good.
Full index of team profiles here
1-23: SS Carson Tucker, Mountain Pointe HS, AZ (my rank: 55)
The younger brother of Pirates infielder Cole Tucker, Carson has been a rising name all spring. He showed good feel for the game and sprayed around a lot of line drives last summer on the showcase circuit, but he lacked the physicality most teams were looking for and most in the industry wanted to see him head to Texas and get stronger. Well, that happened over the winter, and he came out in the spring bigger, faster, and stronger. The skinny 5'11" kid from Phoenix is now a 6'2" athlete, and this spring he was driving baseballs with much more authority around the field. Instead of line drive singles to all fields, scouts saw deep drives that turned into doubles, triples, and even home runs, and there is no reason to think he can't keep getting better. He has a good head on his shoulders as a kid with great feel for the game, and he plays a very solid shortstop. He likely won't be a Gold Glover out there, but he shows the instincts and athleticism to consistently make plays. 23 might have been a bit of a surprise for some people, but the Indians clearly buy into the trajectory and like where he's going. He projects for average power, perhaps 15-20 home runs per season, with good on-base percentages. If he does stick at shortstop, that's a very favorable offensive outlook, and he might be able to add more power and poke up above 20 home runs more often than not. Slot value is $2.93 million, and it remains to be seen how much it takes to buy him out of his Texas commitment. If he gets to Cleveland while his brother is still in Pittsburgh, the two cities are just two hours apart on Interstate 76. Pre-draft profile here.
CBA-36: RHP Tanner Burns, Auburn (my rank: 27)
Pitchers are unpredictable creatures, but sometimes, they develop exactly as expected. Burns found himself in the middle of top 50 conversation as a polished arm coming out of high school in Decatur, Alabama in 2017, but a firm commitment to Auburn meant he fell in the draft and didn't sign. He has performed since the day he stepped on campus, with the polish he showed as a high schooler coming in handy in college, putting together one of the most consistent track records of any 2020 arm. In three years for the Tigers, Burns is 14-9 with a 2.86 ERA, a 1.17 WHIP, and a 210/67 strikeout to walk ratio over 188.2 innings, and he's gotten better and better each year (ERA dropped from 3.01 to 2.82 to 2.42). Though he's on the smaller side at six feet tall, he's dominated the SEC with a power fastball in the low to mid 90's and a power curve that he can locate to both sides of the plate. The curve can be inconsistent and can get slurvy at times, earning more 55 grades than 60 on the 20-80 scouting scale, but it's a true 60 at its best. There's a changeup as well, but he hasn't needed it as much and it needs further refinement. Burns' strike throwing ability and strong lower half portend to an innings eating profile even if he is a bit shorter and stockier, and he has the one-two punch in that fastball and curveball to be more than just a #4/#5 starter. That seems to be his floor, with a ceiling as a #3 starter or, if we're really lucky, even a #2. The track record and stuff gives him a great combination of floor and ceiling outside the first round, and Cleveland is a great fit as an organization. Slot value is $2.05 million, which seems reasonable to me. Pre-draft profile here.
2-56: LHP Logan Allen, Florida International (my rank: 51)
The Indians already have a fastball/changeup lefty from Florida named Logan Allen, so why not make it two? This new Logan Allen, much like previous pick Tanner Burns, was a well-known prospect in the 2017 draft that headed to school instead of sign. Also like Burns, he's performed from day one. Through three years at FIU, he has a 3.33 ERA and a 246/47 strikeout to walk ratio over 183.2 innings, like Burns getting better and better each year (ERA dropped from 3.89 to 3.11 to 2.45). He also dominated in the elite Cape Cod League, where he struck out 24 and walked just three over 15 shutout innings. This sustained dominance has come despite not having the world's loudest stuff, as he sits just 91-92 with his fastball. His curveball has big, two plane break, but it can get loopy and lacks the hard, late bite that you'd like to see in a pitch like that. His best pitch is a plus changeup that disappears at the last second, one which he tunnels extremely well off his fastball to miss bats consistently. Allen is a plus strike thrower who locates his three pitches very well, and his ability to attack the zone makes everything play up consistently. At first glance, his stuff might look a little light for pro ball, but his sustained dominance (including the Cape Cod League) leads me to think you really shouldn't bet against him. Especially in this Indians system, that loves polished arms, he could do really well with a #3 starter ceiling. Slot value is $1.28 million. Pre-draft profile here.
3-95: OF Petey Halpin, Mira Costa HS, CA (my rank: 80)
On brand, yet again. Petey Halpin grew up in the Silicon Valley area, but moved down to the Los Angeles area for his senior year of high school. He's a hit over power outfielder with some projection and a lot of positive trajectory, one who should thrive in this system. A lean kid at six feet tall, he has a very fluid swing from the left side with nice whip and leverage, and he uses it to make consistent hard contact with some sneaky power. Depending on how much he bulks up as he grows into his frame, he could get to above average power eventually, but that could come at the expense of his above average to plus speed. Right now, he uses his good speed well and could be an above average defender in center field, but if he slows down at all, he might be more of an average defender down the road. Regardless, the hit tool plays and he should get to at least double digit home run power, so it might just be a matter of which direction the Indians want to develop him in – speedy center field type, or all-around impact hitter that slows down to about average speed as he develops. Regardless, it's a fun, broad set of skills to project on, and since he didn't turn 18 until May, he's relatively young for the class. Slot value is $610,800, though I imagine it might take a little bit more to woo him away from a Texas commitment. Pre-draft profile here.
4-124: SS Milan Tolentino, Santa Margarita HS, CA (my rank: 116)
For their next pick, the Indians went back to the Southern California high school ranks, picking Milan Tolentino out of high school in Orange County. The son of ex-major leaguer and current Angels broadcaster Jose Tolentino, Milan is yet another hit over power kid. He makes very consistent contact from the left side of the plate, peppering the ball around the field with great feel for finding the barrel. However, he has very limited present power and doesn't project to add a ton, using more of a slap-heavy approach than really trying to drive the ball with authority. That works for some hitters, though with Tolentino possessing just average speed, the Indians need to be confident he can not only just make consistent contact, but find the barrel consistently. Regardless, they're buying the defense here, as Tolentino projects to be an above average shortstop due to his plus instincts and feel for the game. That helps him make up for his lack of true foot speed, and the feel for the game should also help him start to hit for more impact as he gets stronger. It's probably a utility infield profile, but with some moderate upside here in the fourth round. Slot value is $460,000, but as with Halpin, it might take a little more to sign him away from a UCLA commitment.
5-154: RHP Mason Hickman, Vanderbilt (unranked)
The Indians finished off with another polished college arm, with Hickman bringing a great track record despite a lack of loud stuff. Since the start of the 2019 season, Hickman is 11-0 with a 1.79 ERA, a 0.89 WHIP, and a 155/31 strikeout to walk ratio over 115.1 innings – exceptional numbers with a team that faces a very tough SEC schedule. However, the numbers are slightly less impressive upon further inspection, as Hickman actually served as the team's Tuesday starter in 2019, meaning in that span, he pitched a grand total of...four innings in actual SEC play. Still, the profile is interesting in and of itself. He's a huge, 6'6" right hander who grew up in the Nashville area, coming in with an upper 80's fastball that occasionally creeps above 90, a curve with good depth, a slider, and a changeup. None of his offerings are much better than average, and none will function as an out pitch in pro ball. The good news is that he possesses some of the best command in the 2020 class, spotting his pitches consistently to all four quadrants of the zone and keeping hitters off balance more often than not. He'll need to lean on that ability to mix and locate pitches in pro ball, because any mistakes could prove very costly given how light his stuff is. While he doesn't project to add a ton of velocity, the Indians do really well with these polished college arms, and just a little added crispness to his stuff could make him a steal at the back of the draft. If he doesn't take that step forward, though, I'm very worried about his ability to keep pro hitters fooled consistently enough. Slot value is $343,400, and I could imagine him taking a slight discount.
Undrafted: C Joe Donovan, Michigan (unranked)
After the Tigers drafted Ohio State catcher and Massillon native Dillon Dingler to open the second round, the Indians hit back by signing the catcher from That Team Up North in the undrafted free agent market. Joe Donovan, a native of the Chicago area, was one of the better defensive catchers in college baseball, holding down the starting spot on the Michigan team that made it to the College World Series in 2019. Unfortunately, for all the praise he gets behind the plate, he hasn't hit much, with just a .228/.316/.388 line, ten home runs, and an 82/31 strikeout to walk ratio over 92 games with the Wolverines. He's shown flashes of offensive impact at times, including a nice Cape performance two summers ago and nine home runs as a sophomore in 2019, but ultimately he's made too much weak contact and loses the strike zone just enough to where he doesn't profile as much more than a backup catcher. Still, that defense made him a prime target in the UDFA market, and at $20,000 the Indians got themselves a real bargain.
Other undrafted signings:
LHP Jaime Arias, Fresno State: 2-1, 3.75 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 22/3 K/BB in 24 IP
RHP Cade Smith, Hawaii: 1-0, 4.42 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 22/8 K/BB in 18.1 IP
SS Alonzo Richardson, Helix HS, CA (signed away from San Diego State commitment)
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