Cleveland Indians: Top 5 prospects entering Spring Training
By Eric Pitcher
4. Yu-Cheng Chang, SS.
Being a shortstop in the Cleveland Indians organization may be difficult at times. Knowing you are going to be in the minors for a period of time. In case any Tribe fans have been under a rock the last 3 years, the Indians have a guy by the name of Francisco Lindor. One of the top shortstops in baseball.
However, that doesn’t mean Yu-Cheng Chang is just going to throw in the towel as a ballplayer. In 2017 the power in Chang’s bat really showed as he mashed 24 home runs. Despite him hitting that many home runs, his batting average significantly dropped by 39 points.
2018 is going to be a very important year for Chang. He is going to need to prove that not only can he hit for power again, but also that he can hit at a more consistent rate.
The future for Chang is blurry. As mentioned before, he has Lindor in front of him at the shortstop position. So the road to the majors gets a little rocky. With the unknown status of Francisco Mejia and where he may be playing also adds to the mix.
Chang has taken reps at the hot corner before, but with the Indians possibly trying to transition Mejia there also adds a little bit of cluster into the mix.
A possibility that has been thrown around for Chang is being traded to a team that is need of a young shortstop. If he can prove that he is a more consistent hitter, it wouldn’t be a surprise if we see Chang’s name involved in a trade in the middle of the season.
For the time being though, expect Chang to start where he finished last season in Double-A but it won’t be long before he is called up to Triple-A.