Indians join the fray, promote top prospect Francisco Lindor
Come on down, Francisco Lindor. You’re the next top baseball prospect that’s headed to the big leagues.
Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan was the first to report late Saturday that the Cleveland Indians are planning to promote Lindor, the organization’s highest rated prospect, ahead of Sunday’s game against the Detroit Tigers.
Like Kris Bryant, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton before him, the 21-year-old shortstop is universally viewed as one of the top prospects in all of baseball. Baseball Prospectus and MLB.com had him ranked fourth to begin the season, which was his highest ranking. Only FanGraphs’ Kiley McDaniel ranked him outside the top ten at No. 14.
Lindor was the eighth overall selection in the 2011 first-year player draft. He brings less upside offensively than the aforementioned prospects, at least in terms of power potential and run production. Most experts view him as a hitter that will make consistent contact and use the gaps effectively, which could allow him to settle in atop a major league lineup.
In 259 plate appearances with Triple-A Columbus this season, Lindor hit .279/.346/.398 with two home runs and 22 RBIs.
[On this week’s StewPod: Should fans really pick the MLB All-Stars?]
The real upside though comes with his speed and defense, which are believed to be game-changing skills once he’s comfortable.
Lindor should slide right into Cleveland’s every day lineup at shortstop. So far, the last-place Indians have been relying on Jose Ramirez and Mike Aviles with less than satisfactory results. In fact, the Indians are getting the second worst production from the shortstop position among all American League teams.
Even if Lindor is unable to provide an offensive upgrade initially, the improved defense will make the call up worthwhile for Cleveland.
Overall, Lindor’s skillset should make him one of baseball’s more interesting and entertaining players in short order. We’re very much looking forward to watching his development.
More MLB coverage from Yahoo Sports:
– – – – – – –
Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813
