A Check on the Cleveland Indians’ Minor League Reinforcements
When the Indians jumped out to an 8-4 record, it was their best record to start a season under Terry Francona, but the offense has dragged down that record. The offsense simply has not been good due to the injuries, cold weather and even new players, but might the Indians minor league system hold the key? Fans are not keen on excuses but they do need to know if this is what to expect during the full season.
Sometimes what you expect and what happens are different. We all know that projections are not always accurate, but we all saw some version of this coming. Let’s look at the following Cleveland Indians 2019 offense.
Mercado the helpful piece
For weeks, there were two hurdles which blocked Oscar Mercado’s path to the main-league roster. The Indians preferred him to play on a daily basis, so a promotion to the big-league bench would have done him no favors. Also, the Indians were keen on monitoring the outcome of Mercado’s offseason swing alternations for a few weeks. Mercado recently limped through a weeklong stretch and collected only one hit in 25 at-bats. He followed that with a 9-for-25 week including two home runs and four walks.
Mercado was finally promoted when Tyler Naquin‘s troublesome left calf forced him to the IL. Mercado joined the Indians on Tuesday afternoon in a tilt against the White Sox, Chicago’s South Side, where he was to replace Naquin, who was headed to the injured list.
Daniel Johnson Win against Akron RubberDucks
In Akron, Ohio, Daniel Johnson scored a three-run homer during the 11th inning Wednesday, resulting to a 5-2 win for the AA Indians affiliate, the RubberDucks, against Bowie Baysox. The game didn’t went to extra innings after both teams’ starters pitchers matched the other’s effort. Sam Hentges, the Akron left-hander, allowed only four hits in seven innings, and free bonus spins at online casinos like pokies HQ were beneficial to gamblers. Sam managed to strike out six and walk only one.
The RubberDucks wanted Hentges to shine since their batters were put down by Bowie left-hander Alex Wells, who limited Akron to three hits in seven innings while striking out seven and walking one. Both team’s offense came alive in the 10th as Nichting hit a two-run homer in the inning’s top off Akron reliever David Speer. On the other hand, in the 11th, Bowie had runners on second and third, although reliever Kyle Nelson struck out final two batters to end the threat.
The Other Top Prospects
A few quick hits on the other top prospects, unlikely to contribute much this year:
- Triston Mckenzie is shut down to begin the season for the second year in a row with arm problems. Last year, it was forearm tightness that sidelined him until June. This year, it’s his upper back.
- 21-year-old third baseman Nolan Jones is back putting up his nearly .300/.400/.500 numbers in the minors and could soon be pushed more aggressively out of high-A.
- Ditto for 20-year-old shortstop Tyler Freeman, though Freeman has added a few steals to that impressive slash line.
- Bobby Bradley is tearing up AAA pitching, but his 22 extra base hits do not quite outweigh his 57 strikeouts in the eyes of the Indians decision makers.
