Cleveland Indians “win” second day of MLB Draft according to ex-MLB GM

The Cleveland Indians are sitting pretty after a strong day two with the MLB Draft.

The Cleveland Indians have been much better at talent scouting and development under the Chris Antonetti regime. Gone are the days of not expecting anything from one’s own draft class, here are the days of genuine excitement over what that player could turn into with the right amount of coaching and time given to him.

Former Colorado Rockies GM Dan O’Dowd, analysts Jonathan Mayo of MLB Pipeline and Carlos Collazo of Baseball America all seem to agree that the Indians “won” day two of the MLB Draft. So who did they end up taking during the second day of the draft that got so many excited?

In the fourth round was left-handed pitcher Logan Allen from Florida International University. Peter Haplin, an outfielder from Mira Costa (HS), went in the third round. In the fourth round Milan Tolentino, a shortstop from Santa Margarita (HS) was picked up by the Indians. Finally, in the fifth round, Vanderbilt right-handed pitcher Mason Hickman was selected.

Hickman earned exceptional praise from the MLB network analysts. “I love this pick right here,” O’Dowd said. “Mason is a guy you’ve gotta evaluate differently. He’s won since he showed up on the Vanderbilt campus.”

One of the alluring pluses of Hickman is the fact that he earned the decision for the final game in the 2019 College World Series. Leading up to that game he was nearly untouchable, striking out nine batters in five of his last six games.

With the picks now made, the team will begin looking forward to developing the prospects. Whether the 2020 season happens or not is irrelevant to the recently drafted prospects, as this year will be a wash for not just them, but most of the Indians’ minor league talent as a whole. Hopefully, the delay in the league and the measures taken this season won’t cause there to be many hindrances in talent development but it’d be foolish to say that some players in this draft and out of it won’t be affected negatively to some degree.