Let’s Go Tribe top Cleveland prospects for 2021 voting

It’s that time of year again, by far my favorite time of the year when the Let’s Go Tribe community works together for one full month to compile its own top prospects list for the Cleveland organization, the last year we'll be doing it before a new team name is chosen.

If you’ve been around for top prospect votes in the past, you’ll be familiar with how it’ll work this year: After today's vote, posts will go up at 10:00 a.m. ET every Monday through Saturday, staying open until 10:00 p.m. that same night. Due to the depth of top young talent in the Tribe system, you will have three options to choose from for the top overall prospect, then five options through the top 10, and 10 options for slots 11 through 20.

It will be a bit trickier this year because there was no MiLB season in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, so the only players in the prospect rankings who saw any action during the regular season were the ones who were called up to the major leagues.

Feel free to comment, debate, argue, whatever in the comments, but keep it civil. Everyone sees prospects and values skills differently, so don’t bash someone for valuing a prospect differently than you, but you’re free to try and change their mind nicely.

You can also make suggestions for the next prospect to be added to the list, but whoever gets added is ultimately up to the staffer writing the next day’s post.

Nolan Jones, 3B/OF (Age 22)
2019 (A+): 324 PA, .286/.435/.425, 7 HR, 5 SB, 20.1 BB%, 26.2 K%, 157 wRC+
2019 (AA): 211 PA, .253/.370/.466, 8 HR, 2 SB, 14.7 BB%, 29.9 K%, 147 wRC+

One of the top on-base prospects in all of baseball due to an elite eye at the plate and possessing plus power, Jones has put in time transitioning to the outfield this past season to help crack the Indians lineup in 2021. He was added to the 40-man roster ahead of the 2020 Rule 5 draft.

Triston McKenzie, RHP (Age 23)
2020 (MLB): 6 GS, 33.1 IP, 33.1 K%, 7.1 BB%, 3.24 ERA, 3.91 FIP

Returned from nearly two years of injury to strike out 10 batters across six one-run innings in his MLB debut, topping out at 97 mph. McKenzie expects to be a key factor in Cleveland’s 2021 starting rotation, although questions about his drop in velocity as the season progressed need to be answered.

George Valera, OF (Age 20)
2019 (A-): 188 PA, .236/.356/.446, 8 HR, 6 SB, 15.4 BB%, 27.7 K%, 142 wRC+
2019 (A): 26 PA, .087/.192/.174, 0 HR, 0 SB, 7.7 BB%, 34.6 K%, 14 wRC+

Has impressed in a small sample size, and was invited to Cleveland’s expanded roster in Lake County in 2020, but needs to put together some at-bats during full-season ball this year to prove himself.