Indians prospect George Valera cracks Top 50 in latest Baseball Prospectus rankings

Indians prospect OF George Valera ranked as the 47th-best prospect in all of baseball in the latest rankings from Baseball Prospectus.

The Queens-native moved to the Dominican Republic as a teenager and signed a $1.2 million bonus with the Indians in 2017. Without having played a single game, Let’s Go Tribe readers ranked him as the #10 prospect in the Indians season. Last year, despite barely playing due to a broken hamate bone, readers bumped him up to #3. He’s been called “one of the best pure minor league hitters.”

Now, it seems that the national media is catching on to the hype surrounding the left-handed outfielder.

For good reason, too

Valera began the season in the New York-Penn League despite being only 18 with six professional games to his name. He’s rewarded this aggressive placement by slashing .269/.367/.474 in 90 plate appearances, including four home runs and four doubles. Despite standing 5’10 with 160 pounds on his frame, he’s capable of putting a serious charge into the baseball. Perhaps more importantly, he hits dingers when he’s supposed to bunt.

He’s also a young bat flipping prodigy. Check out his swing at the thirteen second mark of this tweet:

What’s next for Valera?

I expect to see him continue to shoot up the prospect listings. Despite being one of the youngest players at his level of the minors, he’s proving himself to be one of the most talented. On even the most aggressive timeline he’s at least three years away from Cleveland, but it should be a joy to watch him develop and advance through the system.