Little Indians prospect report

[Angels]

Reports on some Indians prospects, courtesy of Fangraphs:

3. Duane Underwood, RHP (Cubs)
Current Level/Age: High-A/21.7, 6’2/215, R/R
Acquired: Drafted 67th overall (2st round) in 2012 out of Georgia HS by CHC for $1.05 million bonus
Previous Rank: 7

Underwood continued building on his solid 2014 this season at High-A Myrtle Beach, until an elbow injury forced him to miss two months of the season. He came back in August to make six starts and pitched well to close out the year. Though concerns about his makeup and maturity are still fresh in evaluator’s minds, he has done well to stay in shape and improve his command the past two seasons.

He throws a mid-90s fastball with room for more when he reaches back, and gets excellent running action. Though his curveball is his best secondary pitch, he spent much of 2015 working on his changeup, which remains a work in progress. The curve flashes better than plus, but it still has inconsistent tilt depending on his release.

Underwood almost jumps toward the plate in his delivery, but does a great job repeating his delivery and maintaining balance. There is a lot of momentum left over in his arm at his finish, and his arm recoils pretty hard after release. If he’s truly grown up now, the elbow injury and extra reliance on his arm in the delivery are really the only blemishes in projecting Underwood.

Assuming good health, he has the ceiling of a number two or three starter, likely settling into the middle of a rotation if his changeup doesn’t develop enough.

Fastball: 50/60/65 Curveball: 55/65/70 Changeup: 40/45/55 Command: 50/55/60
Overall: 45/55/65


7. Oscar De La Cruz, RHP (Cubs)
Current Level/Age: Low-A/21.1, 6’2/180, R/R
Acquired: Signed in 2012 out of Dominican Republic by CHC for $85,000 bonus
Previous Rank: NA

De La Cruz has only been pitching since he was signed in October 2012, with the Cubs converting him from his natural shortstop position as a professional. He has made the decision look genius so far, spending the 2015 season in Low-A Eugene with excellent results. He boasted a 73:17 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 73 innings. Multiple team sources had him close to their personal top-five lists, but I would like to see more development of his offspeed before going too crazy on him.

Commanding the fastball is his best asset on the mound, able to keep it in the zone with low to mid-90s velocity and decent life. He’s developing his secondary pitches, which will be essential for when he starts facing better overall hitters. He should continue getting lower minors hitters out by attacking them with fastballs, but look for his curve and change to step forward for him to see his ceiling.

He is a big, athletic pitcher who the Cubs believe will be a very durable rotation member as he continues building up innings. De La Cruz gets high marks as a great competitor, and 2016 should be an exciting year to see how well he improves his offspeed pitches as the competition gets better. Having such great command of the fastball at a young age makes his floor pretty high, though I want to see where his other offerings go over the next 12-24 months before buying in as a frontline starter.

Fastball: 45/55/65 Curveball: 40/50/55 Changeup: 35/45/50 Command: 40/50/60
Overall: 40/50/60


11. Ryan Williams, RHP (Cubs)
Drafted out of Eastern Carolina as an under-slot sign to accommodate other picks in his class, Williams has put up awesome numbers in his first 168 innings across four minor league levels. He doesn’t have a definitive strikeout pitch, but his command and control both could be plus, making him an option for the Cubs staff as soon as this year. Matched with elite makeup and an advanced comfort with properly executing game plans, Williams has some sleeper potential as a mid-rotation starter.

There is nothing flashy about his actions on the mound, which features a consistent, simple delivery. He doesn’t have the loosest arm action in the world, but it is low stress enough that his future command and health outlooks are good. His best pitch is a heavy sinking fastball that sits 88-91, which he commands well in the bottom of the zone. His repertoire includes a curveball, slider, and changeup that all have fringy movement but are spotted very well, making them all potentially play up to at least average.

He pitched mostly in long relief in college, and it’s possible his stuff relegates him there in the big leagues. I think his pitching skill makes him a solid bet for at least a back-end rotation role with underappreciated upside. The Cubs will obviously keep him in the rotation as long as possible, and sources offer praise for Williams consistency going deep into games with low pitch counts.

I was really tempted to bump him higher on this list, but I would like to see one of his secondary pitches show enough movement to get swings and misses before going crazy. Williams is likely to find himself in Triple-A to face hitters who are better able to stick to their own plans, so 2016 should give us a good look at what his future holds.

Fastball: 50/55/60 Curveball: 45/50/55 Slider: 45/45/50 Changeup: 45/45/50 Command: 50/55/60
Overall: 40+/45-50/55


5. Socrates Brito, OF (Diamondbacks)
Current Level/Age: MLB/23.6, 6’1″/220, L/L
Acquired: Signed in 2010 out of Dominican Republic by ARZ for $90,000 bonus
Previous Rank: 21

Brito finished an excellent 2015 season in the big leagues for Arizona, showing off his capabilities as a singles and gap hitter, matched with solid outfield defense. He is still an unfinished product, to be expected jumping right from Double-A for his late-season cameo. Brito makes about average contact, and has not been able to tap into his above-average raw power in games so far. His level swing plane does not provide much optimism to him finding it anytime soon.

Still, he gets his hands in the zone deep and does a good job of staying through the ball much better than a couple seasons ago. He also swings at everything, but does enough damage with the balls he puts in play it won’t kill him as a prospect. The total package gives me confidence he can be a plus hitter with minimal improvements to his approach, possibly more.

He’s a plus to plus-plus runner who has succeeded stealing and taking extra bases in the minors, a skill that could develop further over the next couple years. Given his baserunning prowess his range is a bit less than expected, leaving him more of a right field fit, though his ability to make plays at the limits of his range could bump him into center field quality if he finds enough consistency and maintains his current speed. Brito flashed a plus arm in his short time in the majors, likely playing higher in games on account of his quick feet and release.

Hit: 50/60/65 Power: 35/40/50 Run: 60/60/65 Field: 55/60/65 Throw: 60/65/65
FV/Role: 55, Above-average to plus regular


5. Chris Lee, LHP (Orioles)
Lee was acquired from the Astros earlier this season. A source with the Orioles said he sat 87-90 mph in Frederick with a good breaking ball and a decent change but not enough command. He moved to Double-A and changed his bullpen routines, coinciding with a big velocity jump on his fastball and slider. At the end of instructs, he was sitting 95 and touching 97-98 with a plus slider and changeup.

He has a lean, tall body with a quick arm. He can get too stiff with his front side, and will have continue working on his command. I’d like to see him against hitters again before going crazy on the ranking, but it sounds like Lee has a good chance of jumping up this list even further with his recent improvements. The grades here are a mix based on what he was in the season and what he’s reported to be now and in the future.

Fastball: 50/60/65 Slider: 45/55/60 Changeup: 45/50/60 Command: 40/45/55
Overall: 40/45-50/60


4. Rafael Devers, 3B (Red Sox)
Current Level/Age: A/19.4, 6’0/195, L/R
Acquired: Signed in 2013 out of Dominican Republic by BOS for $1.5 million bonus
Previous Rank: 6

Devers has a very mature body for his age, more than holding his own in full-season ball this year at a young age. As a hitter, he creates a lot of whip with the bat, keeping his barrel moving in a similar way to Javier Baez, albeit with more control and better timing. The whip to his swing results in a lot of top-spin line drives, rollover ground balls and mainly pull-side power right now. As his comfort level rises and his timing gets better, he will see his power numbers increase substantially.

The good actions in his hands seem to spoil him at times, since he can hit balls hard even when he’s fooled without letting his hips work, which could cause problems as he faces better offerings. His swing plane is currently decent, occasionally a bit too level to downward than you would like for a guy with his pop. His strength and contact ability allow him to tag balls pretty well right now, and his youth leads me to believe he will only get better as he learns to control his body.

At third base, he won’t wow anybody with amazing plays, but he has a strong enough arm and decent footwork that should allow him to graduate at the position. Unless he grows too big, he has the actions to approximate an average defender at the hot corner. The speed he currently possesses will likely deteriorate as he continues to mature, but he will not be relying on it to provide value to his parent club.

With the highest upside bat in the group, Devers could understandably be placed first overall in the organization depending on your assessment of his risk. I like the other three’s chances of reaching higher floors than Devers, simply because he still has to show he’s capable of making some changes to his balance and approach to reach his power ceiling at the plate. With his value being tied to the bat, there’s more risk here than with the top three ahead of him, in my opinion.

Hit: 40/60/70 Power: 40/55/75 Run: 40/30/35 Field: 40/45+/50 Throw: 55/55/60
Overall: 40/55/70


5. Brian Johnson, LHP (Red Sox)
Current Level/Age: AAA/25.0, 6’3/225, L/L
Acquired: Drafted 31st overall (1st round) in 2012 out of U of Florida by BOS for $1.575 million bonus
Previous Rank: 8

I originally placed Johnson just out of the 50-grade group due to concerns over his arm action that I get into below. The Red Sox sources I spoke with all agreed that Johnson looked great as he started throwing again in October, with his physical checking out amazingly well. For now, he sticks in the top group, with an interest in monitoring how he looks in spring training in 2016.

Johnson has lost some of the looser action to his arm he showed in college in the last couple years, which is a slight cause for concern following his episode of elbow pain late this season, attributed by sources to nagging soreness rather than a long-term injury concern. That said, he is not a pitcher who relies on blowing hitters away, instead moving the ball in and out of the zone with each of his pitches. He repeats his release consistently, with average present command and hopefully more to develop with a healthy arm.

His repertoire can look unexciting at times, but his command helps lift his status as a prospect who should find a consistent role in a big league rotation. His curveball has a chance of being a plus pitch, but despite great break it may be picked up by major-league hitters after seeing it a few times. The only looks I have gotten of his changeup have been lackluster, being the easiest pitch to recognize out of his hand, though other scouts have laid higher praise on it. It was largely absent in his one major-league outing this year, for what it’s worth.

He’ll likely come into camp next year competing for a rotation spot, probably ending up in Pawtucket to serve as an insurance starter. Health willing, he already has the floor of being a solid innings-eater, and he could take a step forward to force the Red Sox’ hand installing him in the rotation permanently.

Fastball: 50/55/55 Curveball: 55/55/60 Slider: 40/40/45 Changeup: 40/45/50-55 Command: 50/55/60
Overall: 45/50/55