Cleveland Indians: Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier Options for 2016?
A comment from a member of the Cleveland Indians’ front office has fans wondering if the future for the Tribe is coming sooner rather than later.
In recent years, the Cleveland Indians played the prospect game about as cautiously as any team in Major League Baseball. Francisco Lindor, the team’s top pick in 2011, only made his big league debut a year ago, and Tyler Naquin, a first rounder the following year, had never had so much as a September call-up prior to making the roster out of spring training this season.
That’s what makes comments about the organization’s top two prospects, outfielders Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier, by the club’s President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, a bit eyebrow-raising.
In an interview with MLB Network Radio on Wednesday morning, Antonetti said that Cleveland’s No. 1 picks in the 2013 and 2014 drafts have “become options” for the club.
Antonetti says that Bradley Zimmer and Clint Frazier have become options "whether that becomes the latter part of this year we'll see."
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) June 15, 2016
The Indians have been without all-star Michael Brantley for most of the 2016 season, yet still find themselves atop the American League’s Central Division. The outfield situation has been further muddied by the suspensions of Abraham Almonte and Marlon Byrd for PED use and an early season stint on the disabled list for Lonnie Chisenhall.
Despite those issues, the team is fifth in the AL in runs scored and third in run differential. While filling in for Brantley, Jose Ramirez has emerged as the team’s most consistent hitter with runners in scoring position, and the trio of Chisenhall, Naquin, and Rajai Davis have perhaps been more productive than most would have anticipated.
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Zimmer and Frazier are both currently playing for Cleveland’s AA affiliate in Akron, though it has been thought for some time that promotions to AAA Columbus are not too far off. Zimmer, rated the top prospect in the organization by MLB Pipeline, is slashing .233/.359/.479 in 59 games for the Rubberducks, with 12 doubles, 10 home runs, 38 runs batted in, and 21 stolen bases. The former standout at the University of San Francisco has a rather alarming strikeout rate of nearly 37 percent, but the talent is apparent.
For his part, Frazier may be outplaying Zimmer thus far in 2016, with a slash line of .308/.402/.500. He has 20 doubles, six homers, 30 RBIs, nine steals, and is striking out in less than a quarter of his plate appearances.
While Antonetti’s comments do not indicate that either player will see time in Cleveland this season, it is a major departure from how Zimmer and Frazier have been handled by the club in the past. Perhaps, given how smoothly Lindor made the transition and the way Naquin has provided spark, the Indians are prepared to challenge their top prospects more rapidly.
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If nothing else, the Tribe will have at least sparked some new conversations amongst its fan base, and created an interesting dynamic going forward if Brantley suffers another setback.