INDIANAPOLIS - In 2019, the Indians will reap benefits from the Pirates organization's homegrown talent. Many of Pittsburgh's top-30 prospects will be honing their skills at Victory Field as they wait for an opportunity with the big-league club, turning Indy's roster into one of the most exciting to watch in
INDIANAPOLIS - In 2019, the Indians will reap benefits from the Pirates organization's homegrown talent. Many of Pittsburgh's top-30 prospects will be honing their skills at Victory Field as they wait for an opportunity with the big-league club, turning Indy's roster into one of the most exciting to watch in recent history.
Indy's roster will be led by those on the mound, where top prospects Mitch Keller and JT Brubaker are set to headline the Tribe's rotation. Keller comes into the 2019 season ranked as Pittsburgh's top farmhand, No. 4 right-handed pitching prospect and No. 19 overall prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He strengthened his command throughout last season and is armed with the "Best Fastball" and "Best Curveball" among Pirates prospects according to Baseball America, giving him 'ace' status in Indianapolis. Brubaker earned his title as Pittsburgh's Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2018 after gaining traction on his fastball between Altoona and Indianapolis. He holds the No. 27 spot on Baseball America's Pittsburgh top-30 prospects list.
Those likely to join Keller and Brubaker in rounding out the Tribe's starting rotation are Rookie Davis, Brandon Waddell and Alex McRae.
Camping out in the bullpen is Geoff Hartlieb, who has never started a game in his career and has been working towards the Tribe closing role. In 2018 with Altoona, he collected 10 saves and struck out 56 batters in 58.1 innings. Joining him are three hard-throwing setup men in Jesus Liranzo, Michael Feliz and Brandon Maurer, long reliever Clay Holmes and lefties Tyler Lyons and Sean Keselica.
Setting up behind the plate, the Indians have Christian Kelley rising through the organization and Steven Baron bringing major league experience to this team of prospects. Kelley has both the arm and the defensive skills to secure the plate, bringing an advantage to his pitchers and a disadvantage to baserunners. Baron has been in the minors since 2009 and has caught multiple pitchers in the big leagues. Over his minor league career, he's flashed significant arm strength by throwing out 43 percent of baserunners.
Going around the horn, the Tribe first baseman is Will Craig, named by Baseball America as Pittsburgh's No. 16 prospect after making a splash with Altoona in 2018. He knocked a team-leading 20 home runs and led the Eastern League in RBI with 102.
Kevin Kramer grounds the dirt as the only starting infielder with major league experience and is Pittsburgh's No. 5 prospect. He's versatile and can shift from second base to short or third if needed, but he has been most successful on the right side of the infield. Kramer's numbers at the plate last summer solidify his starting position in the field, as he tied for second in the International League with a .311 batting average.
Two Pirates top-10 prospects hold down the left side of the infield for the Indians and should create a lot of commotion on the basepaths. No. 6 prospect Cole Tucker ended the 2018 season leading the Eastern League with 35 stolen bases and tied for the lead in triples (seven) with teammate Ke'Bryan Hayes. The 22-year-old Hayes, Pittsburgh's No. 2 prospect and future third baseman, has the "Best Strike-Zone Discipline" and is the "Best Defensive Infielder" according to Baseball America. He backed up the latter notion by winning his second consecutive Rawlings Gold Glove Award last year.
Others to watch on the dirt are Nick Franklin and Erich Weiss. Franklin is coming off of an injury that sidelined him for most of the 2018 season but has 10 seasons of minor and major league experience to make a case for playing time. Weiss is familiar with Indianapolis, spending the majority of the last two seasons in Triple-A for the Tribe.
Patrick Kivlehan and José Osuna could see time in both the infield and outfield. Kivlehan's defense is strongest in the outfield, but he can be a versatile utilityman and play wherever the Tribe need him. He owns home run power, driving 20 over the fence in 2018 with Triple-A Las Vegas. Osuna registered a perfect fielding percentage in 122.0 outfield innings between Indianapolis and Pittsburgh last year, but his bat is really what made him stand out. He won the Tribe's Silver Slugger Award after driving in a team-high 59 RBI and hitting above .300. He was placed on Pittsburgh's 10-day injured list with neck discomfort (retro to March 25) and when healthy, will likely begin his season in Indy on a rehab assignment.
Owning the outfield grass in center field is Jason Martin, the No. 10 Pirates prospect. He's the perfect outfield leader with strong defense - he committed only one error in 961.1 combined center field innings between Altoona and Indianapolis last summer. He also brings speed to the basepaths, which he proved in 2018 by swiping 12 bases and tallying eight triples.
No. 9 prospect Bryan Reynolds missed over a month of play with a broken left hamate bone in 2018 but recovered and had an impressive finish. He committed only two errors in 730.1 innings between left and center field and Baseball America tabbed him with the "Best Outfield Arm" among Pirates prospects.
Of course it's a long season, but on paper, the Tribe appear headed for good things in 2019.
Preseason coverage is presented by Franciscan Health
