Indians Draft: Team selects 19 pitchers, leans on abundance of college pitching

The Indians drafted 19 pitchers out of their 21 total picks in the 2021 MLB Draft.

The Indians leaned on the strength of the 2021 MLB Draft by selecting 19 pitchers out of their 21 picks. While a move that may seem excessive, the decision to do so wasn’t because of the current pitching woes on the main roster but due to the overabundance of pitching talent in this year’s draft.

At least that’s what Scouting Director Scott Barnsby told Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto.

"“College pitching was the strength of this draft. We really did plan to take the best player available. It didn’t mean we didn’t look at position players. It wasn’t the plan going in. But as the best player available, this group of pitchers lined up on our board."

Well, it’s fair to say that the Indians sure thought highly of the pitchers; since that’s almost exclusively who they drafted.

The lunacy of a draft special and the players the Indians drafted

Why there is even a baseball draft broadcast is beyond me. There’s no real point of an MLB draft special, mostly because there are 20 rounds. Then there’s the fact most fans have no clue who these prospects are. It’s not like the NBA Draft where there are eight or nine high school prospects worth looking at, or the fact there are only two rounds. It’s also not like the NFL Draft, where its power is in its popularity. The MLB Draft getting a television special is just lunacy.

It’s even more bonkers when you see the Indians took 19 pitchers. Granted, most of these kids will never make the major leagues, another issue with the draft, but it’s still bonkers to see this many pitchers in one spot.

"No. 23 Gavin Williams RHPNo. 58 Doug Nikhazy  PNo. 69 Tommy Mace  PNo. 95 Jake Fox SSNo. 125 Ryan Webb PNo. 156 Tanner Bibee PNo. 186 Aaron Davenport PNo. 216 Jack Leftwich RHPNo. 246 Rodney Boone LHPNo. 276 Will Dion LHPNo. 306 Franco Aleman RHPNo. 336 Hunter Stanley PNo. 366 Connor Kokx OFNo. 396 Davis Sharpe PNo. 426 Trenton Denholm PNo. 456 Alaska Abney PNo. 486 Zach Pettway PNo. 516 Tyler Thorntorn  PNo. 546 Tommy Ventimiglia PNo. 576 Reid Johnson PNo. 606 Jake Miller P"

The cool thing about post-draft fun when it comes to baseball is that we won’t know who stands out for years to come. Unlike the NFL where you’re done after four years, in four years, most of the kids will be 21-23 years old and just at the age where they might be something to check out. That evolution can be fun for fans of the game who appreciate patience.