Cleveland Indians 2018 minor league awards
Cleveland Indians Minor League Pitcher of the Year: Eli Morgan
Level(s): low-A Lake County, high-A Lynchburg
Stats: 9-7, 27 G, 143 1/3 IP, 3.27 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 34/156 BB/K
The Cleveland Indians 8th round draft pick in 2017 out of Gonzaga, Eli Morgan was known for his changeup and excellent feel in spite of a lack of an elite fastball. In the lower levels, that plays very well, and Morgan took advantage of that in A-ball in 2018.
Morgan made 19 of his starts in high-A in 2018, which means that he will likely open 2019 in AA, and that will be a good test of his ability to use his “stuff”.
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Runners-up
The top arm in the Cleveland Indians by any measure, Triston McKenzie was injured to open the season, so he didn’t get a full season of play. In his 16 starts with AA Akron, he posted a 2.68 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, and a 28/87 BB/K ratio.
Towering 6’6″, ~250-pound lefty Sam Hentges was drafted out of Minnesota high school in 2014. A cold-weather arm, he’s taken time to develop, reaching high-A in 2018 at 21. He put up a 3.28 ERA over 118 1/3 innings with a 1.41 WHIP and 53/122 BB/K ratio.
The Cleveland Indians 7th round pick in 2017 out of Southern Mississippi, Kirk McCarty led the organization in strikeouts, but the home run ball hurt him in 2018 as he pitched across both A-ball levels. Overall, he posted a 4.06 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, and 38/161 BB/K ratio over 146 1/3 innings with 16 home runs allowed, but 14 of those allowed in low-A before his promotion.
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The Cleveland Indians were able to win the AL Central in 2018, but with many free agents in the offseason, the Indians will lean on their minor league system to compete again in 2019.