Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – The Indians have two players ranked in Baseball Prospectus' Top 101 prospects for 2019. The annual rankings give us an idea of where their farm system stacks up against everyone else. The Indians are one of 12 teams that have two prospects or less on the list.
Right-handed pitcher Triston McKenzie is 43rd in the rankings. The 21-year-old became the top prospect in the Indians' farm system last season after Francisco Mejia was traded to San Diego. McKenzie posted an ERA of 2.68 and finished 7-4 in 16 starts for Double-A Akron last season.
"He's got that disappearing fastball," Shane Bieber told MLB.com, when asked about his former minor league teammate. "Then, when you pair that up with the curveball that he's got, it's extremely tough to hit. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that guy just go out there time after time, seven innings, one hit, 12 K's or whatever. He just knows how to pitch and he knows how to use his stuff. I think he knows who he is as a pitcher, and that's probably his greatest strength.
"It's truly impressive. You forget how young he is, one, because of how successful he is at every level with guys who are a lot older than him. But, too, just how he pitches and creates his game. His mental maturity – how he knows how to pitch – you don't see that a lot with younger guys, guys his age.”
McKenzie was a first-round pick in the 2015 draft. He was ranked 37th on Baseball Prospectus’ list last season.
Luis Oviedo was the second Indians’ prospect to be ranked, coming in at 93. The 19-year-old was signed out of Venezuela in 2015. He pitched in the Arizona Fall League and the Dominican Summer League, before making his Low-A debut in 2018.
The right-hander started nine games for the Mahoning Valley Scrappers, posting a 1.88 ERA and striking out 61 in 48 innings. Oviedo was promoted to Single-A Lake County. He posted a 3.00 ERA in two starts. He finished with a 5-2 record combined with both clubs last season. There's a chance he's much higher in these rankings next year, assuming he continues to develop.
