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The 2011 draft was Chris Antonetti's first as General Manager, with Mark Shapiro having moved upstairs to become President at the end of the previous season. However, it is most notable for the signing of a 17yo shortstop by the name of Francisco Lindor, who was drafted along with Cody Allen and no less than 10 of the 2015 opening day Akron roster. Here is Ryan's original 2011 MLB Draft results article.
(All 2015 stats below are as of June 1).
1 (8). Francisco Lindor. SS/SH. Age 17. $2.9MM bonus.
Before the weekend, Lindor was one of the top ten prospects in baseball. The countdown to his long-awaited MLB debut is finally over.
2 (67). Dillon Howard. RHP. Age 18. $1.85MM bonus.
Howard was a huge bust, pitching (badly) in just 12 games of rookie ball and then being suspended for PEDs before being released in September 2013.
3 (97). Jake Sisco. RHP. Age 19. $325K bonus.
After a mediocre season at Lake County in 2013, Sisco was released after Spring Training the following year.
4 (128). Jake Lowery. C/LHH. Age 20. $220K bonus.
Lowery had a very good year at Akron in 2013 (.275/.363/.449), but has regressed since then and has a wRC+ of just 56 so far this season. With Tony Wolters getting most of the opportunities at catcher, Lowery has been mainly playing first base this season, which obviously significantly reduces his value to the organization.
5 (158). Will Roberts. LHP. Age 20. $150K bonus.
Remarkably, Roberts, together with Anderson (14th rd), Merritt (15th rd) and Morimando (19th rd) formed four-fifths of the opening day Akron rotation, along with Mike Clevinger who was taken by the Angels in the 4th rd of the same draft. Roberts was actually the first of these to reach AA, starting 21 games for Akron in 2013, but seems to have stalled there for now.
6 (188). Bryson Myles. OF/RHH. Age 21. $112.5K bonus.
The 25yo Myles is hitting well in his second season at Akron (.278/.372/.443), but he's blocked by a bunch of younger outfield prospects and is basically limited to LF because he doesn't have a strong arm.
7 (218). Eric Haase. C/RHH. Age 18. $580K bonus.
Haase has struggled badly since his promotion to A+ in the middle of last season, hitting .190/.246/.359 in 47 games. Earlier last year he went on a .270/.338/.514 tear in Lake County, but as yet he hasn't managed to carry that form through to the higher level.
8 (248). Stephen Tarpley. LHP. Age 18. Unsigned.
Tarpley was eventually drafted by the Orioles in the 3rd rd in 2013 and subsequently traded to the Pirates as part of a deal for Travis Snider in January.
9 (278). Jordan Smith. OF/LHH. Age 20. $125K bonus.
Like Myles, Smith is enjoying a very good second season in the Akron outfield, demonstrating superb plate discipline and hitting .268/.392/.384. As a left-handed hitter, Smith faces a tough task trying to leapfrog Ramsey and Naquin for an eventual spot in the Tribe's outfield.
10 (308). Jeff Johnson. RHP. Age 21. $100K bonus.
Johnson is one of three relievers from this draft to have made it to the high minors (the others being Grant Sides and Shawn Armstrong). He appeared to be on a fast track to the MLB when he was promoted to Akron in 2013, but was then forced to miss the whole of last year due to TJ surgery. However, he has bounced back really well as the Akron closer this year, striking guys out at a terrific 10.3 K/9 rate, and is currently one of the most promising relievers on the farm.
12 (368). Grant Sides. RHP. Age 21.
Sides has made fairly slow progress through the ranks since being drafted. He has always been plagued by control issues, and not surprisingly that has followed him for his first full season at Akron, where he has been allowing way too many free passes (8.0 BB/9).
14 (428). Cody Anderson. RHP. Age 20. $250K bonus.
After winning "pitcher of the year" in the Carolina League in 2013, Anderson looked set for a quick run to the bigs. However, his first year at Akron was derailed by injuries and loss of form, and there were questions raised as to whether he would be able to bounce back. However, he has fully justified his promotion to the 40-man roster last November and was promoted to the Columbus rotation earlier this month.
15 (458). Todd Hankins. 2B/RHH. Age 20. $110K bonus.
Hankins has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season so far. He was stuck in the low minors for several years. and although he hit .258/.327/.390 in A+ last season, it would have been almost impossible to predict that he would better that across the board in his first two months at Akron. This feat is all the more remarkable given that he has been required to flip between two challenging but very different positions, 2B and CF.
16 (488). Ryan Merritt. LHP. Age 19. $150K bonus.
Merritt followed in Cody Anderson's footsteps as the "pitcher of the year" in the Carolina League last year, but (like Anderson last year) he hasn't found the transition to AA easy so far. He was promoted to the 40-man roster last November to avoid exposure in the Rule 5 draft, but still seems some way away from an MLB debut.
18 (548). Shawn Armstrong. RHP. Age 20. $325K bonus. Armstrong made it to AAA for the back end of last season and has been the regular closer there so far this season. However, his performance has been mixed — he is striking guys out at a terrific 14.0 K/9 rate but allowing far too many walks (6.8 BB/9). Like Anderson and Merritt, he was promoted to the 40-man roster last November to avoid exposure in the Rule 5 draft, and a strong showing this season would put him very much in line for a September-call-up.
19 (578). Shawn Morimando. LHP. Age 18. $350K bonus.
Morimando has been both durable and consistent throughout his Tribe career. He was promoted to AA in the middle of last season and is now a solid fixture in the Akron rotation. His strikeout rate has been excellent, but he has been walking rather too many batters this year.
23 (698). Cody Allen. RHP. Age 22. 2.9 career fWAR (as of June 1).
Allen was the second player from this entire draft to reach the majors, way back in July 2012 (coincidentally, Trevor Bauer was the first). Nearly three years on, he was the only Indians player to have made it so far until Lindor joined him on Sunday. Allen was appointed as the Tribe's closer after John Axford flamed out last season, and (despite the odd sticky patch) he has been a big success so far.
38 (1148). Yhoxian Medina. SS/RHH. Age 21.
The 25yo Medina appears to have stalled at A+ and has been on the DL since mid-April.
41 (1238). Brian Ruiz. OF/RHH. Age 18.
Ruiz was a regular at Lake County last season, but tested positive for PEDs in February and is currently serving an 80-game suspension.
Summary
25-man: 2 (Lindor, Allen)
AAA: 2 (Anderson, Armstrong)
AA: 9 (Lowery, Roberts, Myles, Smith, Johnson, Sides, Hankins, Merritt, Morimando)
A+: 2 (Haase, Medina)
A: 1 (Ruiz)