May 25, 2013

MLB Draft: Indians Gamble on Young Upside in Day Two

For most sports fans, the MLB draft is a lot a buzz with no real substance. For the dedicated baseball lovers, however, there’s plenty to analyze and share with the public.

Of note in particular, it’s intriguing first to see where the new members of the Cleveland Indians organization will land in the coming 12 months. Of course, fans have enjoyed the quick progressions of prospects drafted in 2008-10, so what does that mean for the class of ’12 (including the pictured RHP Mitchell Brown)?

After that today, I’ll take a look at how the dynamics of being a small-market team have changed with the new MLB draft rules (something TD mentioned briefly yesterday). Draft bonuses are no longer unlimited or even just suggested as they were in the past – there are now strict penalties for going beyond certain spending boundaries. So this clearly changed around the Indians strategy, and this is evident in their top five picks alone.

[Read more...]