/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48803719/usa-today-8915347.0.jpg)
As you may have noticed, it's prospect ranking season. This morning Baseball America, arguably the most prestigious outfit in the prospect ranking business, released its top 100 for 2016. The list is topped by Dodgers shortstop/third baseman Corey Seager, who seems to be a unanimous choice for the top spot this year. For Tribe fans, you've got to look a little farther down to find the good news, but the good news is there...
There are five Cleveland Indians prospects in Baseball America's top 100:
- 31) Bradley Zimmer (OF, age 23)
- 44) Clint Frazier (OF, age 21)
- 71) Brady Aiken (LHP, age 19)
- 81) Justus Sheffield (LHP, age 19)
- 93) Bobby Bradley (1B, age 19)
The bad news is none of those players are likely to join the Indians in 2016, but the top pair could both be plying their trade at Progressive Field in 2017, and the other three could each join them a year or two later.
The good news is... five prospects in the top 100! The only teams with more than five are the Astros, Braves, Dodgers (7 each for those teams), Reds, Rockies, and Twins (6 each). Elsewhere in the American league Central, the Royals and White Sox each have only two prospects on the list, and the Tigers have just one.
The lack of anyone in the top 30 is a little disappointing, but none of the organization's five players on the list were anywhere to be found on Baseball America's 2015 edition (when Francisco Lindor at #9 was the franchise's lone representative), so landing five players including two in the top 50 shows how impressed BA is with what happened for Cleveland's farm system last year.