Cleveland Indians: 4 hottest prospects to watch down the stretch

GLENDALE, AZ - MARCH 01: A general view as Scott Alexander #75 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians in the spring training game at Camelback Ranch on March 1, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ - MARCH 01: A general view as Scott Alexander #75 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians in the spring training game at Camelback Ranch on March 1, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /
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GLENDALE, AZ – MARCH 01: A general view as Scott Alexander #75 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians in the spring training game at Camelback Ranch on March 1, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – MARCH 01: A general view as Scott Alexander #75 of the Los Angeles Dodgers delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Indians in the spring training game at Camelback Ranch on March 1, 2018 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images) /

These are the four hottest prospects for the Cleveland Indians to watch as the minor league season heads into its final weeks.

The Cleveland Indians are embarking on another run to the AL Central title, but if the future is to continue to be bright, the organization’s prospects must continue to deliver.

MLB front offices view the Tribe’s farm system as being down, with The Athletic’s Jim Bowden giving the organization a C-. Bowden ranks the Indians as the 27th in baseball, ahead of only the Red Sox, Royals, and Mariners.

It’s not a total surprise to see the farm fall off a little, as some of the hottest commodities have fallen off a little. The Indians moved former first-round pick Clint Frazier and another stellar prospect in Justus Sheffield to acquire Andrew Miller.

This past summer, No. 1 prospect Francisco Mejia was moved to acquire Brad Hand.

On the flip side, the Indians are getting help from prospects at the big-league level.

Shane Bieber was virtually an unknown prospect at this time last year, and now he’s fortified the back end of the rotation, most notably, defeating the mighty Boston Red Sox in his last start.

Center fielder Greg Allen will likely start in center field once the postseason commences.

And as far as prospect rankings go, just ask Jose Ramirez what he thinks of the whole racket.

Projections exist for a reason though, because it provides teams with an idea of how to build for the future.

With that in mind, these are the five most intriguing prospects to watch down the stretch.