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Indians prospects Francisco Lindor and Clint Frazier named to BP Top 101

Baseball Prospectus gives Lindor and Frazier bullish rankings

By Jason Lukehart
Jason Miller

It's prospect-ranking season, and today one of the most respected outlets in the industry, Baseball Prospectus has released its Top 101 list. BP has had a number of its talent evaluators hired by MLB teams in recent years, giving a great deal of credibility to their work.

Two Indians make the BP list:

Francisco Lindor comes in at #6, Clint Frazier at #36.

Absent from the list is Trevor Bauer, My understanding (based on Twitter conversations with BP's lead scout, Jason Parks) is that Baseball Prospectus no longer considers Bauer a prospect, given the number of innings he's thrown in MLB, but I also think he would have missed their list even if he had been considered, because Parks has mentioned that he's not particularly impressed by Bauer.

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Lindor will likely begin the year with Double-A Akron, but he could arrive in Cleveland and become the team's starting shortstop very soon (see sidebar)

Frazier, only 19 years old, has already been ranked in the top 50 by multiple major lists, quite impressive, especially given that he was still in 12th grade at this time last year. He is one of four 2013 draftees ranked in the top 50 by Baseball Prospectus, but the other three were all drafted out of college.

Frazier is one of the youngest prospects on the list. Among players who are still in their teen years, Frazier has the sixth-highest ranking, behind only:

  • 5. Carlos Correa (19, SS, Astros)
  • 13. Lucas Giolito (19, RHP, Nationals)
  • 25. Albert Almora (19, OF, Cubs)
  • 29. Raul Mondesi (18, SS, Royals)
  • 35. Julio Urias (17, LHP, Dodgers)
Select company.

Frazier could start out the year with Low-A Lake County, where Lindor spent his first full season of professional ball, or he could be sent to High-A Carolina, where Lindor began 2013 (when he was 19). It's not out of the question that Frazier will land in Akron before the end of the season, to face the challenge of Double-A, which would put him in a position to debut with the Indians before the end of 2015. Obviously that's getting a but ahead of things, but the possibility is worth mentioning.

The Twins lead all AL Central teams with 8 players on the list, including Byron Buxton, who's #1 on this (and just about every other) list. The Royals have 7 players on the list, including 5 in the top 50. The White Sox have 2 players on the list, neither of them higher than #67, while the Tigers have only 1, #37, Nick Castellanos, expected to take over third base for Detroit in 2014, as Miguel Cabrera returns to first base following Prince Fielder's departure.

The Tribe's lack of depth is a serious concern, as is the lack of a marquee pitching prospect, but Lindor and Frazier give the team a great top 2, especially given their youth.

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