Cleveland Indians: Top 5 prospects entering Spring Training

2. Triston Mckenzie, P.

Pitching prospects can be night and day. Triston Mckenzie however, calmed any kind of doubt people may have about him last season. Pitching his way to Carolina Pitcher of the year, Mckenzie led all of minor league baseball in strikeouts. He struck out 186 batters in 143 innings. In 25 games, batter only hit .203 against this young stud.

Mckenzie is a 6’5”, 165-pound right-hander who is only 20 years old. The young man is going to build himself up and add velocity to his fastball no need to worry about that. Currently, McKenzie’s fastball sits in the low 90’s. He has 2 other pitches, a curveball, and a change-up. So, adding velocity to his fastball is really a must if he wants to continue to dominate as he progresses through the minors.

The Indians had plenty of chances to pull Mckenzie up to Double-A Akron but continued to take their time with him. What this allowed Mckenzie to do was face hitter multiple times, making adjustments if needed. In the long run, this led the Lynchburg Hillcats to a championship. Also, for Mckenzie, it allowed for him to become an even bigger name in the Indians organization.

As mentioned before McKenzie is going to need to add some weight and more muscle before he has the chance to pitch in the big leagues. This season will be a big season for Mckenzie. Last year he didn’t miss a start and also pitched in 5.7 innings in his 25 starts. Mckenzie will be in the starting rotation for the Double-A Rubberducks is expected. Mckenzie will spend a majority of the year in Double-A with the chance to be possibly called up to Columbus if needed.