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Any assessment of 2013 draft has to take into consideration the fact that the Tribe severely compromised itself by giving up two key picks in order to sign free agents Nick Swisher and Michael Bourn, both of whom had declined qualifying offers from their old teams. Although the first-round pick was protected, the next two were forfeited.
Ryan's original 2013 draft review can be found here. The original draft open threads are here: day 1, day 2, day 3.
(All stats are as of July 1.)
1 (5). Clint Frazier. OF/RHH. Age 18. $3.5MM bonus.
After a strong second half at Lake County, Frazier finished with a solid .266/.349/.411 line in his first full year of pro ball, and his 2015 numbers at Lynchburg have been very similar (.248/.343/.401). Although he is on track to beat his total of 13 homers from last year, by far the biggest improvement in Frazier's game has come in his strikeout rate, down from nearly 30% to 23.6% this year. Another strong second half showing might still propel him to Akron for opening day 2016.
3 (79). Dace Kime. RHP. Age 21. $525K bonus.
The 23yo Kime returned to Lake County to start the season, following a somewhat disappointing 2014 campaign. However, he pitched well there and and earned a rapid promotion to Lynchburg on May 12, where he is still trying to find his feet. For reasons that I don't really understand, Baseball America actually had Kime in its preseason top 20 Indians prospects.
4 (111). Kyle Crockett. LHP. Age 21. $463K bonus.
It took less than a year for Crockett to make it to the majors, and he ultimately pitched effectively over 30 innings for the Tribe last season. However, after making the 2015 opening day roster, he was quickly sent down when the bullpen required reinforcements, and then fared horribly for a while with the Clippers. He did make it back to the MLB team briefly recently, but it's certainly a concern that his AAA performances have been so erratic this year.
5 (141). Sean Brady. LHP. Age 18. $800K bonus.
After two solid seasons with the AZL Indians and the Scrappers, Brady opened up the season in the Lake County rotation, where has pitched to a pretty decent 3.54 ERA/1.21 WHIP. He's still pretty much bang on track and it's not out of the question that the 21yo could make it to Lynchburg by the start of next season.
6 (171). Casey Shane. RHP. Age 17. $150K bonus.
Shane has returned to Mahoning Valley but is not really repeating, as he pitched just the last couple of games for them in 2014, following a fine season as a starter in Arizona. Still only 19, he has been in the top 25 of Baseball America's Tribe farm rankings in each of the past two seasons.
7 (201). Kenny Mathews. LHP. Age 19. $150K bonus.
Having put up decent numbers since turning professional, Mathews was shut down with elbow issues last July, ultimately opting for the TJ surgery solution earlier this year.
8 (231). Trevor Frank. RHP. Age 21. $10K bonus.
Following a successful season at Lake County last year (2.63 ERA/0.90 WHIP in 54.2 IP with a 10.21 K/9 and 6.89 K/BB), Frank was assigned to Lynchburg for the new season. However, he suffered an injury and has only just returned, currently pitching for the AZL Indians on a rehab assignment.
9 (261). Thomas Pannone. LHP. Age 19. $120K bonus.
Interestingly, Pannone was actually drafted by the Cubs as an outfielder in 2012, so he's still relatively inexperienced as a pitcher. After an up-and-down start to the season (including five games as a reliever), he has now firmly established himself in the Lake County rotation. His 8.87 K/9 suggest that he may indeed have a future as a reliever if the starting gig doesn't pan out.
10 (291). Ross Kivett. 2B/RHH. Age 21. Unsigned.
Local boy Kivett was the first hitter selected by the Tribe after a run of seven pitchers since the Frazier pick. However, he decided to return to Kansas State for his senior season and was drafted in th 6th rd by the Tigers the following year. He has been hitting really well in the MidWest League, but is already 23.
11 (321). Adam Plutko. RHP. Age 21. $300K bonus.
After missing his rookie season due to a minor stress fracture to his shoulder blade, Plutko has raced through the system. He has been pitching superbly since his recent promotion to Akron, and might well find himself in Columbus before the year's end.
13 (381). Sicnarf Loopstok. C/RHH. Age 20.
Loopstok struggled during his brief time with Captains earlier this season and was demoted to Mahoning Valley. However, with Lynchburg's catchers currently beset by an injury bug (both Alex Monsalve and Juan De La Cruz are on the DL) he has suddenly found himself in the role of back-up catcher to Eric Haase at A+.
14 (411). Silento Sayles. CF/RHH. Age 18.
The speedy 20yo recorded a respectable .262/.347/.315 in his second season with the AZL Indians and has just got his 2015 campaign underway at Mahoning Valley.
15 (441). James Roberts. SS/RHH. Age 21.
An older signing, Roberts went straight from the Scrappers to Carolina in 2014, but he didn't hit well for Lynchburg this year and was released last month.
18 (531). Paul Hendrix. SS/RHH. Age 21.
After a terrific year at Lake County (.287/.364/.448), Hendrix hasn't found things easy at A+, and his numbers are down significantly across the board (.248/.338/.355). He'll need a strong second half to get to Akron next season.
19 (561). Matt Whitehouse. LHP. Age 22.
Whitehouse struggled through 11 relief appearances with the Captains last year, and hasn't pitched in over a year. It's not known when he might be able to return from the DL.
20 (591). Shane Rowland. C/LHH. Age 21.
Rowland was released in March, having played in just 41 pro games, including five at Lake County.
22 (651). Ben Heller. RHP. Age 21.
After dominating at Lake County, Heller was promoted to A+ in the middle of last season and looked set for a fast train to Akron. However, his first month at Lynchburg was catastrophic, as he conceded 10 earned runs in just 9 IP. Thankfully, normal service has been resumed, as he has since given up just one more run in 15 IP since 7 May and now has a terrific 10.50 K/9 rate on the season.
23 (681). Grant Fink. 3B/RHH. Age 22.
Fink is repeating at Lake County after recording a .225/.326/.374 line in 2014. However, things haven't gone well at all this year and he is batting below the Mendoza line.
24 (711). Kerry Doane. RHP. Age 22.
Doane retired suddenly in June last year while struggling as a reliever at Lake County.
25 (741). Cole Sulser. RHP. Age 23.
After a terrific debut season with the Scrappers, Sulser was aggressively promoted to Carolina at the start of 2014 and despite a poor 5.62 ERA, he didn't pitch too badly with an 8.64 K/9 and 1.36 WHIP. He even earned a couple of spot starts at Akron towards the end of the season, but has unfortunately been on the DL for the whole of 2015.
32 (951). Cortland Cox. RHP. Age 18.
It's interesting that Tribe is persevering with Cox who,despite putting up fairly decent numbers last year, has been sent back to the AZL Indians for a third season.
35 (1041). Jordan Milbrath. RHP. Age 21.
The 23yo Milbrath has been a stalwart in the Lake County rotation for the past two seasons, but has regressed to a 6.21 ERA/1.68 WHIP in 14 starts this year, albeit with a 4.22 FIP. His strikeout rate is excellent (9.05 K/9), so he might ultimately end up in the bullpen.
36 (1071). Mike Giuffre. 2B/RHH. Age 22.
After playing just seven games in 2013, Giuffre missed the whole of last year and is currently on the restricted list with the AZL indians.
37 (1101). Garrett Smith. 2B/SH. Age 23.
Smith never got going as a hitter at MVS/AZL and was released in June last year.
38 (1131). Justin Garcia. RHP. Age 20.
Having played in just four games at Lake County in 2014, Garcia was almost completely off the radar when he made a belated start to the season on May 2. However, he's been highly effective as a reliever and currently boasts a minuscle 1.19 ERA/1.06 WHIP with a 7.54 K/9.
Summary
40-man: 1 (Crockett)
AA: 2 (Plutko, Sulser)
A+: 6 (Frazier, Kime, Frank, Loopstok, Hendrix, Heller)
A: 7 (Brady, Mathews, Pannone, Whitehouse, Fink, Milbrath, Garcia)
MVS: 2 (Shane, Sayles)
AZL: 2 (Cox, Giuffre)