Cleveland Indians: Top 5 prospects entering Spring Training
By Eric Pitcher
The Cleveland Indians farm system has produced a nice bounty in recent years, but now, the organization needs its next crop to step up.
The Cleveland Indians have had a lot of success the last couple of years. Making a run to the World Series in 2016 and making it to the playoffs in 2017. While the Indians have brought in a lot of talent in free agency and making trades, a lot of their success also needs to be credited to their minor league system.
The 2018 season will not be any different. The Indians had a boring offseason, to say the least, so they are going to need to rely on what they have in the farm system. In 2017 the biggest name they called upon was Bradley Zimmer. Zimmer was the Indians top prospect in 2017. Until Zimmer broke his hand in early September on a slide into first base against the Orioles, he was somebody the Indians really leaned on. His bat was not all that but defensively Zimmer was one of the best center fielders in baseball.
Along with Zimmer, Yandy Diaz saw a lot of time at the big league level, especially at the beginning of the season. Diaz put together an average year at the majors but tore it up in the minor leagues as he hit .350 in 309 at bats.
In 2018 the Cleveland Indians prospect list is a little different. Here’s the top five prospects as as the Tribe enters another season, according to MLB Pipeline.