While I was out of Ohio avoiding the deadly wind chills, my favorite reading material appeared in my mailbox: the BA Prospects Handbook. There's a lot of great stuff in there. They rate the Indians farm system No. 15 which although just barely in the top half is the highest it's been in about a half dozen years and they stress again the glut of really good really young kids and the vastly improved international scouting business by the team.

Any team in baseball that is looking for middle infielders will come looking to the Tribe. 5 of our top 18 prospects are shortstops; 2 more of the top 30 are now SS who project as 2Bs; and 2 more are now SS who project as 3B. And lots of them are really solid hitters:

No. 3 Tyler Freeman "stands out most for his hitting an excellent feel for the barrel" His Scouting Grade is a solid 55. Age 19
No. 9 Bryan Rocchio "has a smooth consistent swing from both sides of the plate and excellent pitch recognition: Grade 55 Age 18
No. 11 Yu Chang: "has solid all around offensive tools" Grade 50. age 23
No. 12 Gabriel Rodriguez "stands out for his consistency and all around tools" Grade 55. Age 17
No. 18 Ernie Clement "has an aggressive approach and an uncanny knack for putting the bat on the ball" Grade 45. Age on opening day 23.
No. 19 Aaron Bracho "stood out for his offensive performance in games before signing" Grade 59 Age 17
No. 23 Reynal Delgado "is more advanced from both sides than many young switch hitters and he has a long track record of hitting against strong competition" Grade 50 Age 19 a couple days before opening day
No. 26 Junior Sanguinton "is a switch hitter who produces plenty of bat speed... at Progressive Field … he put on a show driving balls to the opposite field from both sides of the plate" Grade 50 Age 17
No. 28 Richie Palacios "has a good feel for the barrel and produces excellent bat speed" Grade 45 already listed at 2nd base Age 21
Plus not quite on the list Marcos Gonzalez OPS 855 in Arizona last summer No Grade Age 19

Outfield prospects are of course less impressive with the only one ranking in our top 13 at No. 5 is highly regarded George Valera 18 year old Grade 60, but with only 19 pro at bats after he broke a hamate bone after a few games last summer. "make[s] consistent, hard contact and has above average raw power though he has more of a hit over power profile"

Then there's No. 14 Daniel Johnson, acquired for Gomes, age 23, Grade 50. "a fringe average hitter" whose strength so far is his defense was "starting to come into his own offensively" before his broken hamate

Newly acquired Oscar Mecado at No, 16 is next. Age 24, Grade 45, has "average raw power and good bat speed"

Then we dip into the pool of recent draft picks who have a lot more promise than performance:
No. 21 Will Benson still Grades a 50, still only age 20. "produces exceptional bat speed... power rivals Bobby Bradley for best in the system". Walks a lot. Good arm. Solid speed. Needs to hit better than .180

No. 22 Oscar Gonzalez Grade 45, Age 21. He hit .292 but drew 12 walks so his OBP was LOWER Than Benson who hit 112 points lower. They'll both take their mixed bags of skills to Lynchburg this season. If they merge their talents they'd make one good OF prospect.

No. 27 Quentin Holmes Grade 50 believe it or not since he's only age 19 and his speed is outstanding and he "could develop into a plus defender". No broken hamate, his 2018 injury was a hamstring limiting him to 25 at bats. So his two summers in Arizona include a total of 197 times at the plate and 32 hits.

No. 29 A Civ Favorite who still has a long way to go after being drafted at age 13, no make that 17. Johnnathan Rodriguez. He draws lots of walks. He "has a smooth swing and has plus power and projects to hit for power as fills out his 6-3 180 frame. Grade 50. Age still only 18

A handful of others appear on the "depth chart", mostly guys at the top of the farm system who should top out as middle

BA also has listed ratings of the top prospects at each position. We get these on the list:

C Naylor 14 Haase 30
1b Bradley 10 [on a weak list]
3B Jones 11 [on a strong list]
ss Freeman 20 Rocchio 25 Chang 31 [on a very strong list]
as SS 2019 breakout candidate one vote for Rocchio:
Breakout: Brayan Rocchio, Indians

There are all kinds of breakout candidates in this group beyond the players already in the Top 100. Wenceel Perez, Marco Luciano, Brice Turang, Noelvi Marte . . . but the best pure hitter of that group might be Brayan Rocchio. He just hits. He hit as an amateur, he hit in the Dominican Summer League, and he had no problem hitting at a high level when he jumped to the Rookie-level Arizona League last summer as a 17-year-old. He's not that big and you're not looking at any outstanding tools or explosive athleticism. But his swing, plate discipline and innate ability to barrel balls with high frequency are all attributes you want to see in a high-level hitter.

corner of's Valera No. 9

CF and Pitchers not yet listed

Seems everyone agrees the bottom of our system is loaded.

-

Less than a month after Baseball America placed just two Indians prospects in their annual top-100 rankings, Keith Law has ranked the Indians as his 11th best system in all of baseball, a five-position jump from his ranking last season.

That shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise for anyone who follows the system in-depth, as the Indians do lack the big-name prospects near the top of the system (i.e. the type of player that would make a top-100 list), but they are absolutely stacked in the lower levels.

On top of calling the Indians system one of the most underrated in baseball, Law points to the “embarrassment of prospect riches” in last year’s Arizona League team, including Baseball America’s top prospects in the AZL list that is littered with potential future stars like 18-year-old infielder Brayan Rocchio and 18-year-old catcher Bo Naylor.

It will be a long slow climb for all those 17 and 18 year olds. BA expects most to settle here in the Mahoning Valley for short season ball this summer rather than full season Lake County. Indians often are aggressive with young inflelders, from Peralta through Willi Castro, so I'd not be startled if Rocchio heads to Eastlake. Naylor probably not, since catchers take more time, and there would several other Cs who looked good in the desert last summer, too.

Valera gets terrific press but we haven't really seen him play. I'm very anxious to see how he produces. Reviewers seem to suggest he could easily move into the Top 100 lists.

Tyler Freeman is one high rated teen who will be at Lake County [after a monster season in MV last summer]. BA leaped him to its' Number 3 Indians prospect. How did Law arrange his Cleveland Top 10? After McKenzie and Jones the order of the rest is pretty much up for grabs at this point with so much talent but not a ton of performance data to go on yet.
Any among Freeman, Naylor, Valera, Rocchio, Hankins could be as high as 3rd. Surprised to see Bradley remain at No. 7 for BA.
Didn't talk about the pitchers yet, but Oviedo is another kid along with Hankins with tons of promise. Sam Hentges is a big lefty a couple steps higher in the supply system who BA rates 6th and the 2nd pitcher on their list. He'll be in Akron this year.

Their full 10 in order: Mc; Jones; Freeman; Naylor; Valera; Hentges; Bradley; Oviedio; Rocchio; Hankins.

Keith Law's 2019 top 100 prospects

Rank Name Position Team

1 Fernando Tatis Jr. SS San Diego Padres
2 Vladimir Guerrero Jr. 3B Toronto Blue Jays
3 Wander Franco SS Tampa Bay Rays
4 Forrest Whitley RHP Houston Astros
5 Eloy Jimenez OF Chicago White Sox
6 Nick Senzel 3B Cincinnati Reds
7 Mackenzie Gore LHP San Diego Padres
8 Jo Adell OF Los Angeles Angels
9 Royce Lewis SS Minnesota Twins
10 Victor Robles OF Washington Nationals
11 Alex Kirilloff OF Minnesota Twins
12 Taylor Trammell OF Cincinnati Reds
13 Bo Bichette SS Toronto Blue Jays
14 Brendan McKay LHP/1B Tampa Bay Rays
15 Casey Mize RHP Detroit Tigers
16 Hunter Greene RHP Cincinnati Reds
17 Kyle Tucker OF Houston Astros
18 Ke'Bryan Hayes 3B Pittsburgh Pirates
19 Brent Honeywell RHP Tampa Bay Rays
20 Michael Kopech RHP Chicago White Sox
21 Keston Hiura 2B Milwaukee Brewers
22 Kyle Wright RHP Atlanta Braves
23 Triston McKenzie RHP Cleveland Indians
24 Mitch Keller RHP Pittsburgh Pirates
25 Dylan Cease RHP Chicago White Sox
26 Touki Toussaint RHP Atlanta Braves
27 Keibert Ruiz C Los Angeles Dodgers
28 Brendan Rodgers SS Colorado Rockies
29 Francisco Mejia C San Diego Padres
30 Ian Anderson RHP Atlanta Braves
31 Jesus Luzardo LHP Oakland A's
32 Jazz Chisholm SS Arizona Diamondbacks
33 AJ Puk LHP Oakland A's
34 Justus Sheffield LHP Seattle Mariners
35 Sixto Sanchez RHP Philadelphia Phillies
36 Matt Liberatore LHP Tampa Bay Rays
37 Alex Verdugo OF Los Angeles Dodgers
38 Jarred Kelenic OF Seattle Mariners
39 Nolan Gorman 3B St. Louis Cardinals
40 Jon Duplantier RHP Arizona Diamondbacks
41 Gavin Lux SS Los Angeles Dodgers
42 Alex Reyes RHP St. Louis Cardinals
43 Nolan Jones 3B Cleveland Indians
44 Chris Paddack RHP San Diego Padres
45 Cristian Pache OF Atlanta Braves
46 Adrian Morejon LHP San Diego Padres
47 Travis Swaggerty OF Pittsburgh Pirates
48 Corbin Martin RHP Houston Astros
49 Dustin May RHP Los Angeles Dodgers
50 Luis Patino RHP San Diego Padres
51 Bryse Wilson RHP Atlanta Braves
52 Spencer Howard RHP Philadelphia Phillies
53 Daniel Lynch LHP Kansas City Royals
54 Luis Robert OF Chicago White Sox
55 Khalil Lee OF Kansas City Royals
56 Luis Urias 2B San Diego Padres
57 Mike Soroka RHP Atlanta Braves
58 Justin Dunn RHP Seattle Mariners
59 Vidal Brujan 2B Tampa Bay Rays
60 Mark Vientos 3B New York Mets
61 Deivi Garcia RHP New York Yankees
62 Leody Taveras OF Texas Rangers
63 DL Hall LHP Baltimore Orioles
64 Eli Montero 3B St. Louis Cardinals
65 Matt Manning RHP Detroit Tigers
66 JoJo Romero LHP Philadelphia Phillies
67 JB Bukauskas RHP Houston Astros
68 Daz Cameron OF Detroit Tigers
69 Luis Garcia SS Philadelphia Phillies
70 Josh James RHP Houston Astros
71 Jesus Sanchez OF Tampa Bay Rays
72 Cole Winn RHP Texas Rangers
73 Brandon Marsh OF Los Angeles Angels
74 Noah Naylor C/3B Cleveland Indians
75 Drew Waters OF Atlanta Braves
76 Jonathan India 3B Cincinnati Reds
77 Nate Pearson RHP Toronto Blue Jays
78 Oneil Cruz 3B Pittsburgh Pirates
79 Will Smith C Los Angeles Dodgers
80 Logan Allen LHP San Diego Padres
81 William Contreras C Atlanta Braves
82 Joey Bart C San Francisco Giants
83 Antonio Santillan RHP Cincinnati Reds
84 Ronaldo Hernandez C Tampa Bay Rays
85 Zack Brown RHP Milwaukee Brewers
86 Griffin Canning RHP Los Angeles Angels
87 Austin Riley 3B Atlanta Braves
88 Sean Murphy C Oakland A's
89 Daulton Varsho C Arizona Diamondbacks
90 Peter Alonso 1B New York Mets
91 Miguel Amaya C Chicago Cubs
92 Peter Lambert RHP Colorado Rockies
93 Kristian Robinson OF Arizona Diamondbacks
94 Shane Baz RHP Tampa Bay Rays
95 Hans Crouse RHP Texas Rangers
96 Mason Denaburg RHP Washington Nationals
97 Andres Gimenez SS New York Mets
98 Carter Kieboom SS/2B Washington Nationals
99 Ronny Mauricio SS New York Mets
100 Lucius Fox SS Tampa Bay Rays

Keith Law's 2019 ranking of all 30 MLB farm systems

Feb 4, 2019

Keith Law ESPN Senior Writer

While these rankings are ultimately subjective -- this is, after all, my opinion of each system's relative merits -- I base them on as broad a collection of information as I can. I've seen many of these prospects, I've talked to many scouts and executives about prospects, and I've talked to team officials about their own systems.

Within each system, I'll rank at least 10 prospects, but these rankings consider everything in each system. Most teams have more than 10 players within their minor leagues who project to be better than replacement-level big leaguers, and all of those guys count. Players who have lost Rookie of the Year eligibility (more than 130 at-bats, 50 innings or 45 days on the active 25-man roster) do not count toward these rankings.

I'd rather have potential stars, even if there's some risk involved, but there's also real value in being able to provide your own fifth starters or utility players without having to pay for them on the open market. That means some teams here toward the top of the list got "credit" for 20 or more players in their systems, whereas those in the bottom third top out around 15 names.

I do favor prospects with higher upsides (or "ceilings") over those with less potential to become stars but higher probability of reaching the majors in some role. Few clubs are able to afford stars on the open market, so developing your own is critical for half or even two-thirds of the franchises in baseball. And if you have a prospect who projects as a star, you have the currency to acquire almost any major leaguer you want. The teams in the top 10 have potential stars and a lot of second-tier prospects with future big league value, while the teams in the bottom 10 don't have much of either, with two clubs lacking any top-100 prospects at all.

I'm most surprised by how unbalanced the farm systems across the game are right now. The top four were easy for me to choose, and the bottom six were too, but there are gulfs between them. To some extent, this is a natural outcome of the process of building a good system, contending, and then graduating or trading off your best prospects to enhance or extend your window of success.

We're also seeing more teams concentrate wholeheartedly on their farm systems, however, to the detriment of the big league club -- it's not "tanking" the way it exists in the NBA, but it is the baseball equivalent. A strong farm system is good only to the extent that it leads to major league wins.

1. San Diego Padres
2018 rank: 3

The Padres are poised to sit at or near the top of these rankings for quite some time, even though they'll likely lose at least three top-100 prospects to graduations this year (Fernando Tatis Jr., Chris Paddack, Luis Urias and maybe Logan Allen), with the 2016 international class still just barely getting to full-season ball, another solid draft class last year and the sixth overall pick this year. The system remains deep in shortstops and power arms, with guys like Luis Patiño emerging from nowhere -- he's gained about 12 mph in two years -- while many of those 2016 signees haven't even begun to fill out physically. The Padres are going to start winning more games in 2019 and especially 2020, so there will soon come a point where all this prospect depth could fuel major league trades rather than boosting their farm system rankings.

2. Tampa Bay Rays
2018 rank: 7

This happened rather quickly, so much so that the Rays were even able to trade away some prospect depth (including Brock Burke) this offseason and could continue to do so as they try to compete in the AL East this year. Wander Franco went from interesting July 2 signee to No. 3 overall prospect in the game; they took the third-best player on my board (Matthew Liberatore) with the 16th overall pick last June; they traded Chris Archer and picked up a top-100 prospect in Shane Baz; and they've continued to add under-the-radar talent in smaller deals. This ranking even comes in spite of a terrible year for the Rays on the player health front, with Brent Honeywell, Jose De Leon, Anthony Banda, Drew Strotman and Austin Franklin all undergoing Tommy John surgery while former first-rounder Garrett Whitley dislocated his shoulder and missed the entire season.

3. Atlanta Braves
2018 rank: 1

The pitching depth acquired under former GM John Coppolella reached the majors last year, and there's still another tier to come with the return of Patrick Weigel and slower but steady progress from their first three picks in the 2016 draft class. The system's overall depth has started to thin out with minor trades and promotions, but it should be productive for several more years, boosted this year by the compensation pick (ninth overall) the team received for failing to come to terms with its 2018 first-rounder, Carter Stewart.

4. Minnesota Twins
2018 rank: 10

A sneaky-good system, one that I think is underrated within the industry. The Twins have two elite prospects at the top (Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff) whom everybody knows, then two arms below that, one of whom (Brusdar Graterol) is well-known and one of whom (Jordan Balazovic) isn't, and beyond that they have a parade of unfamous names who project to at least some tangible big league value. Their greatest depth is in power arms -- yes, the Twins now have guys who throw hard -- and outfielders, while they're weaker on the infield and have very little catching.

5. Los Angeles Dodgers
2018 rank: 9

The Dodgers just boosted their system in the trade that sent Alex Wood, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp's contract to the Reds, bringing back two prospects who were high draft picks in the past two years and have performed well since signing, adding to a system that saw upticks from several prospects already in-house, including Will Smith and Tony Gonsolin. They didn't sign first-rounder J.T. Ginn, but may have unearthed gems in a couple of later rounds who will make up for what they lost.

6. Cincinnati Reds
2018 rank: 6

This could change, as the Reds already have dealt two prospects from their top 10 in the big Dodgers deal and a prospect from their top 20-25 in the Sonny Gray deal, and I've heard they've made other prospects beyond their top three available, including 2018 first-rounder Jonathan India. But for now, the Reds are in good shape, thanks to years of productive drafts that have given them a strong cluster of prospects who look like they'll hit the majors in the next two years, along with long-term high-upside play Hunter Greene.

7. Los Angeles Angels
2018 rank: 19

Remember when the Angels had the worst farm system? They've come a long way in a fairly short period of time under GM Billy Eppler, and have been more productive in the draft, on the international front and in trades, landing one of their top 10 prospects in a minor deal for CJ Cron. There's depth in lesser-known names here, especially international signings from Latin America and the Bahamas, where they've been much more aggressive in the past three years.

8. Arizona Diamondbacks
2018 rank: 26

Another system that has bounced back quickly after bottoming out a few years ago, the Diamondbacks have rebuilt with two very strong drafts (despite whiffing twice on first-rounders), a couple of productive trades and the signings of the two best Bahamian prospects in baseball. The news gets even better: In this June's draft, Arizona will pick 16th, 26th, twice in the comp A round, once in the second round and twice more in the competitive balance B round, giving it seven picks in the top 80.

9. Toronto Blue Jays
2018 rank: 17

The Jays' system is topped with two elite prospects and might have a third depending on how 2019 plays out for Nate Pearson, whose 2018 was ruined by freak injuries. But after about a half-dozen names, it drops off very quickly, boosted by some college draftees who have been old for their levels. The Jays also have an intriguing group of teenage prospects who spent last year in short-season leagues, along with their 2018 first-rounder Jordan Groshans, who could help the team stay in this range on the rankings even after it loses Vlad Guerrero Jr. and possibly Bo Bichette to the majors.

10. Philadelphia Phillies
2018 rank: 5

The Phillies' system had a down year by all accounts, with many of their most vaunted players coming into 2018 struggling with performance and/or injuries, and both scouts and execs reporting back that the Phillies' biggest names had lost value in their eyes. They had two big breakouts from Spencer Howard and Luis Garcia (the shortstop), but their track record of poor results on high first-round selections -- they've hit on just one first-round pick, Aaron Nola, since taking Cole Hamels in 2002 -- has absolutely hurt their system's value as a whole.

11. Cleveland Indians
2018 rank: 16

The most underrated system in baseball? Cleveland's Arizona League team had an embarrassment of prospect riches, even after the Indians traded Jhon Torres to St. Louis in the deal for Oscar Mercado (also a solid prospect). They had five of the 20 names on my friend Bill Mitchell's list for Baseball America of the top prospects in the AZL, and a sixth, right-hander Lenny Torres, didn't play enough to qualify. And that's before I mention the two elite prospects atop the system and the couple of mid-tier position players who established greater value for themselves last year. If Cleveland does trade Corey Kluber or Trevor Bauer for a huge haul, it could end up with a top-tier system, but the Indians also have the prospect capital to use to trade and get another player (an outfielder?) to help them contend again in 2019.

Team-by-team overviews: AL EastInsider | AL CentralInsider | AL WestInsider | NL EastInsider | NL CentralInsider | NL WestInsider
(Tuesday, Feb. 5 - Sunday, Feb. 10)

Law just started coming out with his team by team overviews today. He started with the AL East teams. When he does the Indians I'll post it.

He also did a list of prospects who will make an impact this year. No Indians made the list, but Eric Haase got honorable mention at the end.

(I wouldn't be shocked if at some point McKenzie don't get some innings in Cleveland this year. Especially if pressed into action due to injury, like Bieber)

Thanks Hillbilly. Those are much higher rankings for McKenzie and especially Jones than BA offered. McK had dropped into the 40s and Jones around 90 if I recall.

Not just do the Indians have a ton of kids who graduated from their Arizona 2019 teams, they've already traded several of them for higher level prospects [with Capel for Mercado; 1 to 1 deal for reliever Hu and as part of the Luplow package, for whom I think we may well have overpaid]

Not sure if you noticed it but he had Naylor at 74 as well.

Top 40 centerfield prospects listed by BA. None of ours. Mercado could be a CF.

Checking out the Arizona stats from last summer, CF was manned by:
Steven Kwan, a top 10 college pick, who hit 480 with a 930 OPS in very limited play after signing
Kwan leads things off in Oregon State's potent lineup and has proven to be an on-base machine. He is a nightmare for opposing pitchers and is one of the toughest players to strike out in Division I baseball. After striking out around seven percent of the time through his first two seasons with the Beavers, Kwan has cut that rate to 4.8 percent in 2018, striking out just 12 times through his first 199 at-bats. His walk rate has done the exact opposite, shooting from under three percent during his freshman season to over 17 percent through his first 49 games this spring--even more impressive when considering Kwan's poor power. A rangy center fielder, Kwan has a slap-hitting approach, spraying the ball to all fields and getting on base with above-average speed. While there are questions regarding how his approach will pan out in pro ball, Kwan has hit well over .300 in each of his last two seasons at Oregon State and has a strong track record of hitting in wood-bat leagues. He hit .304/.381/.342 in 26 games in the Cape Cod League last summer. Because of his ability to play above-average defense in center field and his speed, Kwan projects as a fourth outfielder whose bat might be too light to ever make him a regular.

Billy Wilson another college kid who hit only 219 but hit 10 homers 7 doubles 3 triples stole a bunch of bases and struck out a lot OPS 815. Probably not a big future star.

Korey HOlland is more promising 18 year old 14th round, got a higher than slot bonus to sign, HIt 245, walked a lot, stole some bases, got this predraft writeup:
A Texas signee, Holland has steadily improved himself as a player. As he's matured, he's gone from being an average runner to a plus runner and he shows solid feel for hitting thanks to quick hands and a fluid swing. He's shown very little power so far, but there are scouts who say they believe he will eventually grow into someone who can hit 10-15 home runs a year. His pro profile is still subject to much debate. His routes and reads need significant improvement if he's going to stay in center field. If he can't, his below-average arm limits him to left field, where his average hitting ability and present below-average power would limit him.

The most interesting names I find in the BA Tribe prospects are the unknown hard-throwing pitchers, Last year Luis Oviedo was accurately projected to break out and this year we have a few names:

Rated No. 13 but with a solid prospect grade of 55, defined for a pitcher as a "No. 3 or 4 starter or an elite closer" is 19 year old RHP Carlos Vargas 6-3 180. Described as the Indians top international signing of the new era in 2016 for $275,000. Described as a "premium arm".
Signed at age 17 with a 93 mph fastball with projection to improve and it did: now reaches 100 mph and sits in the upper 90s. His slider sits around 90 and is a plus pitch. He "has an electric arm and the next stage of his development will be about harnessing his stuff, consistently throwing strikes and developing a third pitch:
His future: "Vargas is on a similar development path as Oviedo... If Vargas can harness his stuff he has as much upside as anyone in the system. Expect him at Mahoning Valley this summer

And at No. 18 with a grade of 50 is the surprise addition to the 40 man roster, 22 year old RHP Jean Carlos Mejia, 6-4 205.
spent his first 3 pro years at home in the Dominican Republic before his US debut in 2017 and broke out in 2018. Was a "popular name at the trade deadline", thereafter his protection from Rule 5.
"A chance to develop into a solid starting pitcher. His fastball has been up to 96 and sits at 93; he has good feel for spin and his curveball and slider both now have potential. He also can generate swings and misses with his changeup He pitches with above average control. Offers considerable upside.
"In 2019 will look on build on his breakout performance with High A Lynchburg. If he does, he should start advancing more quickly and could soon establish himself as on of the Indians' top pitching prospects"
2018 with Lake County 92 IP 84 H 20 BB 97 K 1.11 WHIP 3.13 ERA

BA puts 2018 1st round supplemental pick Lenny Torres lower than on some lists at No. 20. Maybe in part because of his size 6-1 190. But he too has a FB that hits 97 and sits 94 and pairs it with a slider that has plus potential. WOrking to implement a change. His control surprised in his pro debut [15 IP 4 BB 22K] Doubts whether he is a starter or reliever due to his size and lack of a 3rd pitch, but due to his athleticism youth [18] and relative inexperience, there's lots of room for optimism.

These 3 all rank behind our most elite teen pitcher: Ethan Hankins who BA lists at No. 10 but MLB.com has as our 3rd prospect. Another 97 mph fastball at top, mid 90s generally with "plus life" with slider and change both "have ability to be above average" He's the biggest of the bunch 6-6 200. He had shoulder injury in 2018 which let the Indians draft him as the last pick in the first round.

Interestingly when BA projects the 2022 lineup [based on the illogical assumption that everyone we have under contract now will still be with the Indians at that time] they list Sam Hentges as the closer, which is conceivable with his powerful fastball and big body and not yet totally refined offspeed pitches,

FWIW, the rest of that lineup is:

C Roberto Perez since Naylor won't be ready yet
1b: Bauers
2b: Ramirez
ss: Take a Guess
3b: Nolan Jones
lf: Daniel Johnson
cf: Greg Allen
rf: Brad Zimmer
dh: Bobby Bradley

This is still not much of a lineup

No. 1 starter Bauer
No. 2 McKenzie
No. 3 old timer Corey Kluber
No. 4 Clevinger
No, 5 Beiber

I guess Carrasco has retired by then. And Danny Salazar undoubtedly will remain on the disabled list.