Let's Go Tribe is putting together its own ranking of the top Indians prospects, with readers voting on each entry. Here are the previous entries in the series:
- Francisco Lindor
- Clint Frazier
- Bradley Zimmer
- Giovanny Urshela
- Francisco Mejia
- Tyler Naquin
- Bobby Bradley
- James Ramsey
- Justus Sheffield
- Erik Gonzalez
- Mike Papi
- Mitch Brown
For the second straight time we have a winner by a comfortable margin:
- Luis Lugo 12%
- Yu Cheng Chang 27%
- Jesus Aguilar 42%
- Shawn Morimando 1%
- Ryan Merritt 11%
- Carlos Moncrief 7%
Rating prospects is such a tricky process because you are trying to rank prospects at different stages in their development. Earlier in the series we covered young players that were just out of high school but has loads of promise, and there are also older players who are more sure things but don't have the high hopes of those in the lower levels.
Jesus Aguilar is one of those older players. He's been in the system since November 2007, signing just weeks after the ALCS. Aguilar signed as a 17-year-old, and in the seven seasons since then has slowly made his way up the organizational ladder. After a successful 2013 season the Indians added him to the 40-man roster, and this past season he made his major-league debut. Aguilar is a right-handed hitter with some power, and given the current roster configuration, should be in a position to contribute in 2015.
The vast majority of Aguilar's value comes at the plate. He hit .304/.395/511 in Columbus (note that the Clippers' home park is one of most hitter friendly parks in the minors) with no appreciable splits. That indicates to me that if anything Aguilar should be used as a pure backup rather than a platoon player (although if he does play with the Indians, he'll likely face a lot of left-handed pitching). With the addition of Brandon Moss, Aguilar will very likely start the season Columbus, and would be brought to the majors only in case of injury. Should the Indians need him, he should provide decent production, which makes him a valuable player even if his ceiling is lower than the likes of Francisco Mejia and Bobby Bradley.
Who do you think should be the #14 Indians prospect?
Remember to also let us know in the comments which player you think should join the voting next.
Other Indians Top Prospect Lists