MLB: 5 AL Central prospects ready to make an impact in 2020
By Nick Stevens
These top MLB prospects from the American League Central should have the opportunity to make some noise in 2020.
We’re now just hours away from Opening Day and the return of MLB play and while this season will look unlike any other, baseball is back and it’s a wonderful feeling after the last few months.
In anticipation of Opening Day on July 23rd, we are taking a division-by-division look at some of the top prospects expected to either debut in 2020 or become regulars at the major league level after a brief taste of the bigs last season.
More from Call to the Pen
- Philadelphia Phillies, ready for a stretch run, bomb St. Louis Cardinals
- Philadelphia Phillies: The 4 players on the franchise’s Mount Rushmore
- Boston Red Sox fans should be upset over Mookie Betts’ comment
- Analyzing the Boston Red Sox trade for Dave Henderson and Spike Owen
- 2023 MLB postseason likely to have a strange look without Yankees, Red Sox, Cardinals
You can check out our look at five American League East prospects primed to make some noise in 2020 here.
Today, we’re looking at the American League Central, a division sure to become one of the more competitive and entertaining divisions in baseball with the rise of the Chicago White Sox and growing Kansas City farm system currently loaded with future major league talent.
Cleveland Indians- 1B Bobby Bradley
The Cleveland Indians have a solid group of prospects at the top of their Top 30 list, but many of their top prospects are still a few years away from seeing major league action, even in a unique 2020 season.
Names like Nolan Jones, Ethan Hankins, Tyler Freeman, Bo Naylor, and Daniel Espino would have been must-see viewing if there was a minor league season this year, instead, each of these top prospects will be working out as part of the Indians 60-man player pool, with Jones having the best odds of seeing any time on the major league roster.
One name who won’t begin the season on the Opening Day roster but could eventually work his way back to the majors is first baseman Bobby Bradley.
The 24-year-old power-hitting lefty played in 15 games at the major league level last season and struggled in his big league debut. However, Bradley’s big power numbers from the left side could provide a much-needed boost this season as Cleveland attempts to hold off an improved Minnesota Twins team.
Bradley, Cleveland’s 12th-ranked prospect, hit 33 home runs last season in Triple-A and has 147 to his name across his six-year minor league career. He’s finished atop the home run leaderboard at three different stops along the way. But can Bradley learn to hit for a higher average and cut down on his strikeouts? He’s a career .254 hitter and struck out 153 times last season.
The strikeout rate isn’t going to get any better in the big leagues and his defense leaves a lot to be desired, but the game power can be a gamechanger. With Carlos Santana, Franmil Reyes, and Domingo Santana slated for starts at either 1B or DH ahead of Bradley, playing time may be hard to come by, but if he’s playing well at the team’s alternate sight, the Indians will find a way to get him into their lineup.