Cleveland Indians: Top 2012 Prospects
Indians Retool After Cashing Out in 2011
Most of Cleveland's unspent farm is focused on pitching, but premium shortstop Francisco Lindor is an exceptional exception.
The Indians are an enigma. Despite lacking enough talent to compete just yet, the team still made a huge move last year by trading away not just one, but two top pitching prospects for righthander Ubaldo Jimenez. While Jimenez is certainly a legitimate ace talent, it's hard to see how the Indians of the near-future would not have benefited more from the services of the now-departed Alex White and Drew Pomeranz for the next six or seven years.
After unloading thusly for Ubaldo, the Indians dutifully returned to restocking their (now thinner) farm system. The best recent addition, prized shortstop Francisco Lindor, should be a serious threat on both sides of the game. The remaining farm isn't the greatest, but it does have a few gems. Look for the Indians to continue adding young players this season, and lean hard on big drafts in 2012 and 2013, in order to get their minor league system back into shape. In the mean time, here's a quick look at Lindor and the rest of the best of Cleveland's farm today.
The usual disclaimer: Scouting Book's Prospect Rankings change very often, to reflect the latest and most promising prospects and situations. These listings recalculate every day as we include new input, correct errors (thanks for letting us know, helpful readers) and MLB situations evolve. For more information on our system, read this blog posting.
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