Feature Photo: Bobby Bradley, 1B, Indians
Heading in to the first week of August, the Indians are favorites to run away with the American League Central Division for the first time since 2007. They once again have a dominant top of the rotation (RHP Corey Kluber, RHP Danny Salazar, RHP Carlos Carrasco) that could be better than the pair of 19-game winners they had in 2007 with RHP C.C Sabathia (now with NYY) and RHP Roberto Hernandez (formerly named Fausto Carmona, but we’ll avoid deep-diving on the name change here).
As it stands, Cleveland is rumored to be looking for lineup and bullpen help and could be close to making a deal. Per MLB.com, the Indians top two prospects are in Triple-A, but they have a wealth of talent currently residing at their High A Lynchburg affiliate, including two of the top six prospects in the organization who are currently holding down the middle of an impressive Hillcats’ lineup. Based on the quality of those prospects, I expect that at least one of these four will be switching organizations before the August 1st non-waiver trade deadline.
Bobby Bradley, 1B, Indians (High A Lynchburg, Carolina League)
Ht/Wt: 6’1”/225 B/T: L/R DOB: May 29, 1996
Bradley is a big-bodied kid with impressive strength for a 20-year-old. His best attribute is his plus power potential (future 60), but what may go overlooked is how quiet his approach is at the plate. He has a low hand position with a very compact load and a slight uphill plane, which enables him to really generate backspin carry to the big parts of the field. However, what may end up separating him from the rest of the power-bat prospects are his simple, low-maintenance mechanics and the great balance he has throughout his swing. He will have some timing issues, as he can get out on the front side early and show some hip travel, but it isn’t overly pronounced and he is adept at keeping his hands back even when he’s fooled. He stays short to the ball and gets excellent plate coverage, both attributes that I think will make it hard for him to be consistently overmatched. Like all young players, Bradley has holes and is going to have to make adjustments as he climbs the ladder. But his advanced approach and the simple mechanics of his swing have him in excellent position to do so.
He has big strikeout numbers (124 in 413 PAs), but he also has walked 62 times, and he owns a career .377 OBP through 2 ½ minor league seasons, including a .380 mark this year. So what that tells me is that Bradley is getting in deeper counts on a regular basis, and he isn’t afraid to hit with two strikes—both of which illustrate his feel for the strike zone at a young age. Coming off of a quick three-game look that theory held true, as Bradley was in deep counts the majority of the time, and got to three-ball counts in five of his nine PAs on 7/25 and 7/26 (vs. Wilmington).
In addition, Bradley also has shown that he can handle both righties and lefties (.817 OPS vs LHP and .870 vs RHP). Three games are a small sample size for sure, but to this point in his short career, the kid has displayed attributes that will serve him well as he faces better pitching.
There have been a couple players that have exploited a similar profile, such as Adam Dunn (CIN, ARI, WSH, CHW, OAK) and Prince Fielder (TEX), both of whom have had highly-productive MLB careers. It’s far too early to put that type comparison on Bradley, but the plate discipline/power combo that he currently features is easy to like.
Bradley is also a much better athlete than one would think given his build. He only has below- to fringe-average range at first base, but he showed excellent footwork around the bag with soft hands. Much like Jose Abreu (CHW) when he first came over, Bradley has good body control for such a big, hulking frame. He will need to maintain the body, as it does look like it could blow out if he doesn’t maintain himself, but I’d give him the benefit of the doubt on that, and say that his advanced feel for the game will carry over to his training habits, if it hasn’t already.
Francisco Mejia, C, Indians (High A Lynchburg, Carolina League)
Ht/Wt: 5’10”/175 B/T: S/R DOB: October 27, 1995
Another name that has been bantered about a good bit is catcher Francisco Mejia. Mejia has always had a very compact frame—even in rookie ball as a 17-year-old he had strength and fast twitch actions, but three years later he has filled out plenty, and he’s now significantly stronger.
He is pretty upright in his stance, has a level plane from both sides of the plate, and does a decent job of staying down through the ball. He can generate some bat speed, but while he may pop a few out, he’s not going to be a big power guy, though he does get carry on his line drives to the gaps and he should hit his share of doubles. Mejia is aggressive at the plate, sometimes overly so, though he has some feel for the strike zone (as evident by the 2:1 SO:BB ratio he put up last year in the Class A Midwest League)—it seems more like he thinks he can hit everything rather than it is issues with pitch recognition . He is a high-energy player who makes a good amount of hard contact from both sides and has a chance to add some on-base value.
Defensively I have heard solid reviews in the scout seats, but I’m not sold just yet that he will be an above-average defender. He is athletic and does a good job on balls in the dirt directly in front, but he has a high target and tends to sit forward as the pitch is being delivered, and that weight shift I think is prohibitive when it comes to him sliding side-to-side. He also tends to reach at, and consistently drops the left knee, while receiving anything off-speed. He has received high marks when it comes to pitch framing, however for me the hands have some noise. They are strong and he does a good job at the bottom of the zone, but anything he has to move the glove off of his left shoulder to receive gives him trouble and creates a good deal of movement. That said, both of these things should be correctable for a 20-year-old plus athlete. He showed me good footwork on his throws and has a well-documented 60-grade arm with accuracy, so he figures to be above average when it comes to controlling the running game. Like many catchers with arm strength, he loves to show it off and isn’t shy about throwing behind runners.
Should the Indians make a big move to load up for a playoff run, my guess is that Mejia is atop most other clubs’ wish lists. That said, whomever trades for him probably has to view him as a future plus defender behind the plate—and I’m not sure that he has answered that question just yet.
Yu-Cheng Chang, SS, Indians (High A Lynchburg, Carolina League)
Ht/Wt: 6’1”/175 B/T: R/R DOB: August 18, 1995
Cheng is a solid third piece to the middle of the Lynchburg lineup, and an emerging prospect. Signed out of Taiwan in 2013 as a 17-year-old, Chang’s carry tool has always been his bat and power potential. He was signed as a shortstop, but he didn’t bring a lot of athleticism to the position, and didn’t project to have the range or hands to stick there. Three years later, what I am seeing now is a kid who has gotten a lot stronger and more coordinated. I still think he has below-average range for a shortstop, but he makes the routine plays with 55-grade arm strength. He also showed soft, quick hands and a good game clock. Ultimately, I think he moves off of shortstop, but the bat may end up playing well enough for him to slot into a super utility-type role at the big league level.
He stands upright in the box with a simple load and smooth stroke, and does a good job staying balanced, show excellent barrel exit at times. What is concerning is that he has some arm bar, and tends to work around the ball, leading to some rollover outs and weak fly balls vs. anything on the outer half. He is a very strong kid and should continue to get stronger, but the quality of the breaking stuff is only going to get better as he advances, so he’ll need to show that he can work inside the ball better and use the middle of the field.
Cheng has shown a marked jump in power numbers in 2016, going from a .655 OPS in Class A Lake County (Midwest League) to an .847 OPS at Lynchburg. His strikeout rates are about the same (23% in 2015 and 21% this year), but he has a more balanced ground ball:fly ball ratio (1.01 in 2016 vs. 0.72 in 2015) which leads me to think that he may be adjusting to stay more level through the zone. Whichever way you choose to look at it, Chang will need to show that he can handle balls out away from him and do damage to the right-center field gap because he soon is going to stop seeing fastballs on the inner half. Assuming he does have to move off of shortstop, the extra base potential in the bat is only going to become more vital for him at the upper levels. He is not a headliner of a big trade at this point, but he is an interesting player who could draw interest as a secondary piece.
Tyler Krieger, 2B/SS, Indians (High A Lynchburg, Carolina League)
Ht/Wt: 6’2”/170 B/T: S/R DOB: January 16, 1994
Krieger was a fourth-round pick out of Clemson as a shortstop in 2015, but he’s transitioned to second base and after some defensive bumps in A ball seems much more comfortable now. After 11 errors through 61 games with Lake County in the Midwest League, he only has one through 23 games since being called up to Lynchburg. Krieger is a plus athlete who has average arm strength, and he has enough range to be able to move around the infield.
A switch-hitter, he hits out of a slight crouch at the plate with very loose, quick hands. He stays balanced and does a nice job getting the barrel out front from both sides. He doesn’t project to hit for a ton a power, but he has some present gap pop and I would not be surprised to see him turn in consistent doubles production. Krieger had surgery in 2014 to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder—he made it back for his junior season, but that’s a quick turnaround for such a significant procedure so he may still be building strength. Shoulder injuries can often sap a hitter’s power. He is 22 years old, but it looks like there is still some physical development to come and when you factor in his injury setback, he should continue to add strength to the very athletic actions. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see him show a little more arm strength down the line as he gets further removed from surgery.
Across two levels in 2016, he’s producing to the tune of a .380 OBP and .814 OPS (including two HR’s, 1 3B and 6 2B’s in 95 AB’s since being promoted to the Hillcats). On top of that production, he is at least an average runner (4.21, 4.26 HP-to1B from left side). It doesn’t look like he will be a true basestealer (just over a 50% success rate in 2016), but he is aggressive, will take the extra base and can score from first base on a double.
Cleveland may let him finish the year at Lynchburg, but if he puts up another week or two comparable to what he’s already done, perhaps they will let him get his feet wet at Double-A and get a better idea of where he stands in his development going into the offseason. His middle-infield capability, coupled with the extra base hit potential is a coveted combination for most organizations. It’s still too early to dub Krieger a big-time prospect, but the ingredients are there to make him a name to keep an eye on.
So, as we roll into Monday’s non-waiver trade deadline, clubs with major league-level pieces to move are paying special attention to the Indians’ system, and for good reason. If the Indians pull off any kind of significant deal over the weekend, chances are it will include one or two of the guys in the Lynchburg lineup. We shall see.
