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Indians: 3 Cleveland players to build around for the future

By Chad Porto

CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 30: Franmil Reyes #32 of the Cleveland Indians celebrates after scoring during the first inning of Game Two of the American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field on September 30, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 30: Franmil Reyes #32 of the Cleveland Indians celebrates after scoring during the first inning of Game Two of the American League Wild Card Series against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field on September 30, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) /
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CLEVELAND, OH – JULY 13: Nolan Jones #95 of the Cleveland Indians rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of an intrasquad game during summer workouts at Progressive Field on July 13, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH – JULY 13: Nolan Jones #95 of the Cleveland Indians rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the third inning of an intrasquad game during summer workouts at Progressive Field on July 13, 2020 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Ron Schwane/Getty Images) /

Nolan Jones

We’ve talked before about how Nolan Jones’ arrival is all but imminent in 2021. The Indians will need to build their middle infield again, with second basemen Cesar Hernandez leaving via free agent and shortstop Francisco Lindor expected to be traded before training camp. That means Three-time AL MVP top-three finalist and two-time second runner up, Jose Ramirez, will more than likely move to one of those positions where’s a better defender. That means Jones will have a clear path to the major leagues.

While he doesn’t have the same hype that Lindor had coming up, he’s a far better hitter than Lindor was at this point in their development. Lindor hit .280 in the minors while Jones has hit .283 with 15 more home runs in 79 fewer games. Now, of course, the game has to translate from the minors to the majors but the hype around what this kid can do is surreal. He’s one of the better prospects the team has had in years, and he’s only 22-years-old at the moment.

He didn’t play any in 2020 due to the pandemic shutting down the minors but it seems highly unlikely that the Indians won’t be promoting a bunch of minor league players this year to the majors. Expect Jones to be one of those players and expect him to do some serious damage, even if he’s slow to start.

If the Indians can find successful rookie call-ups in the field at third base and in the outfield, the Indians won’t miss a beat.

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