Cleveland Indians Minor League Player of the Week (6/12-6/18)

Top catching prospect Francisco Mejia took firm grasp of last week with 71 percent of the vote and due to his current 20-game hitting streak, he made it again this time around.

Overall, Tribe minor league affiliates had a rough week, especially in the pitching department as no one who pitched deserved a nomination and no single performances were spectacular enough to stand above the rest. Instead, we have six hitters who rose above the rest, and it wasn't easy to narrow the list down.

Some of the following Tribe farmhands will be extremely familiar to you as we had them ranked high on our preseason prospects list, but don't discount some of the unfamiliar names either, as they may be working their way onto next season's lists.

Without further ado, here are the Tribe's top performers from the past week (June 12-June 18):

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Francisco Mejia (A, C) - .321/.367/.571

While he wasn't quite as red hot as last week where he batted .500 and slugged 1.000, Mejia continued to tear the cover off the ball, picking up a hit in all seven games he played this past week.

Of his organization leading 10 hits, five were for extra bases including four doubles and a home run. Mejia seems locked and will almost certainly be rocketing up the Tribe prospect rankings come 2017 if he can continue to put on performances like he's been doing this season.

Anthony Santander (A+, OF) - .345/.367/.724

Anthony Santander has flown completely under the radar this season. The 21-year old was signed out of Venezuela in 2012 and has blossomed as the #3 hitter in the Lynchburg lineup, keeping pitchers honest before they face big time slugger Bobby Bradley.

Santander led all Tribe affiliates in home runs this past week with three, socking five extra base hits in total out of the 10 knocks he collected this week, which also led all Cleveland affiliates.

Greg Allen (A+, OF) - .455/.556/.545

Another underrated outfielder in the Tribe system, Greg Allen was an on base machine this past week from the leadoff role for the Lynchburg Hillcats offense.

Allen reached base safely 15 times in total with five walks and 10 hits, also stealing three bases to set the table perfectly for the heavy hitters in the middle of Lynchburg's lineup. Allen didn't pick up many extra base hits (just one triple), but he was slapping the ball across the field all week and deserves some recognition for his effort.

Taylor Murphy (A+, OF) - .370/.452/.630

Taylor Murphy was demoted last week, and it was not from playing poorly in Akron. He was simply the odd man out when Luigi Rodriguez came off his PED suspension.

Perhaps in an attempt to show the front office how silly they were to send him down, Murphy went off this week in Lynchburg, collecting 10 hits in eight games including two doubles, a triple and a home run. He also walked four times and stole a base.

What's crazy is the fact that Murphy's batting average barely went up because he's been incredible all season in Lynchburg. Re-promote this man!

Bradley Zimmer (AA, OF) - .450/.576/.750

Just when the readers at LetsGoTribe were starting to get concerned about the Indians #1 ranked prospect, Bradley Zimmer went out and proved why he earned top dog status in the Cleveland organization with a huge week.

In six games, Zimmer went 9-20 with a double, a triple, a home run, SIX walks and he stole four bases. Perhaps most promising of all was the fact that Zimmer only struck out twice in those 26 plate appearances. Hopefully he can stay locked in and completely erase any more doubts from LGT readers.

Erik Gonzalez (AAA, SS) - .360/.385/.720

A 2008 free agent signing out of Puerto Rico, Erik Gonzalez has taken the slow route in regards to his development, but he's almost to the promised land after a big week at Triple-A Columbus.

He kicked things off with a two-homer game last Sunday and stayed hot all week, collecting three more doubles and reaching base safely in all six games he played. Gonzalez now leads Columbus in qualified batting average on the season and has been moved to the top of the batting order due to his solid contact-making abilities.

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Previous Winners

Francisco Mejia (71%) - Week of 6/5-6/11
Brock Hartson (64%) - Week of 5/29-6/4
Nathan Lukes (60%) - Week of 5/22-5/28
Clint Frazier (89%) - Week of 5/15-5/21
Ryan Merritt (52%) - Week of 5/14-5/20

Most Nominations

Francisco Mejia - 3
Clint Frazier - 2
Ka'ai Tom - 2
Shawn Mormando - 2
Bobby Bradley - 2
Julian Merryweather - 2
Connor Marabell - 2
Bradley Zimmer - 2
Taylor Murphy - 2