Beyond The Bases

2019 Roster prospec s to watch

Third baseman Nolan Jones emerged as a top bat in the system in 2018. After smashing 16 home runs in 90 games with Class-A Lake County, he hit .298 with three home runs and nine doubles in 104 at-bats for Lynchburg. A second-round selection from the 2016 draft, Jones is widely regarded as the top position player in the Indians’ farm system. Jones has made big strides defensively as well, as Baseball America ranked Jones as having the “best infield arm” in the farm system. Shortstop Tyler Freeman is entering his first year in full-season ball after hitting .352 with 14 stolen bases in 72 games with Mahoning Valley in 2018. At just 19 years old, Freeman hit more doubles (29) than any player had in the New York-Penn League since 1999. Freeman also led the league in hits (95), batting average, slugging percentage (.511), and runs scored (49). Right-handed pitcher Jean Carlos Mejia got a cup of coffee with Lycnhburg in 2018, starting in one game where he allowed four runs in six innings of work against Salem. Prior to his call-up, Mejia threw to a 3.13 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 92 innings with the Captains, earning him a spot on the Indians’ 40-man roster heading into 2019. Mejia will turn 23 in August, making him one of the more advanced pitching prospects in the Indians’ system. Right-handed pitcher Luis Oviedo began to put it all together in 2018 with a fantastic showing in Mahoning Valley where he threw to a 1.88 ERA with 61 strikeouts in 48 innings. Oviedo earned a promotion to Lake County where he started two games, allowing just three runs in nine innings. Oviedo features a fastball that touches 98 mph to go along with a power curveball and a slider. Oviedo will be 20 years old in 2019, and will look to keep improving in his first year in full-season ball.