Will The Cleveland Indians Play The Youth Movement Card In The OF?
By Joe Russo
Michael Brantley‘s injury was already going to cause some depth issues early in the year. Now, Abraham Almonte is out for 80 games due to a PED suspension, leaving a thin outfield searching for more answers to questions that weren’t there at the end of 2015.
The Indians already made some moves in free agency, adding Collin Cowgill and Rajai Davis to bolster the outfield depth. Now, though, the Indians will be without two starters for the early parts of 2016. It begs the question: Is it time to let the youngsters take over in the outfield at Progressive Field?
Tyler Naquin is the most immediate of the Tribe’s outfield prospects to get a real shot in the outfield. He hit .263 in 50 games at AAA Columbus and .348 in 34 games at AA Akron. While the injuries are a concern, Naquin is the best defensive outfielder in the minors for Cleveland and can absolutely hold down center field until Michael Brantley is healthy enough to push Rajai Davis out of left field. He had an excellent chance to open the year as the fourth outfielder anyways and now should be locked in at center for the early part of the year, if not all of 2016.
Clint Frazier was recently listed as the No. 7 prospect among all outfielders by mlb.com, with fellow youngster Bradley Zimmer coming in at No. 6. Frazier has not made it beyond High-A Lynchburg, but was on a tear in 2015. He slashed .285/.377/.465 and added 16 home runs and 36 doubles. In the Arizona Fall League, he continued to rake by batting .281 with a .785 OPS and 3 more home runs. While Frazier is poised to be a key part of the Tribe’s future, he won’t be a part of their 2016 run. It’s quite a jump from High-A to the majors, let alone all of the levels in between. It’s no surprise that Frazier was not even invited to big league camp.
The name most Indians fans will toss out is Bradley Zimmer. The best prospect the Indians have in their system, Zimmer has star potential written all over him. As a hyper-athletic outfield with a huge physical frame, Zimmer certainly looks the part. He even made it to Akron last season, but struggled to a .219 average and a .687 OPS. He did hit 6 home runs during the 49 games he played for the Rubberducks. His time in High-A Lynchburg, though, is what has scouts all over baseball eyeing Zimmer as the future for the Indians.
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Over 78 games, Zimmer hit .308 with 10 home runs and 39 RBI’s. The bad news is that Zimmer broke a bone in his foot at the very end of the season. As a result, Zimmer won’t make it to Goodyear and will likely open the year back in Akron, probably in left field with Frazier in center for the Rubberducks.
The youngster most likely to start the year with the Indians, in addition to Naquin, is Zach Walters. Acquired in the Asdrubal Cabrera trade with the Washington Nationals, Walters has the power potential to be a very appealing bat for Terry Francona in a corner spot, most likely as a true fourth outfielder type. He hit seven home runs in only 30 games for the Tribe back in 2014, but struggled in the 12 games he played last season before injuries sent him back to AAA Columbus. In 91 games for the Clippers, he hit 10 home runs and drove in 48 runs, while slashing .249/.310/.416. Unfortunately, Walters struggles against lefties, hitting only .227 last year against southpaws and .256 against right handed pitching. If he starts the season as a fourth outfielder, it would strictly be as a platoon player. It’s more likely Walters opens the year in right field in AAA where he can get more consistent at bats.
It might be tough to stomach, but the promise young players like Frazier, Zimmer, and Walters have just isn’t enough right now to begin the season with the big league club.
If Naquin opens in center field, which would be purely off of his defensive abilities, that leaves Collin Cowgill and one of either Joey Butler, Will Venable, Michael Choice, or Shane Robinson in a corner spot.
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All of those players have big league experience and can help in the very short term while providing the young outfield prospects enough at bats in the minors to prove they are able to step in. Right now, there are simply too many question marks for Frazier, Zimmer, or Walters to take away guaranteed at bats in Akron or Columbus. Short of signing Austin Jackson or Marlon Byrd, it looks like it will be a fringe major leaguer holding down the outfield until good health returns and suspensions expire.