The American League Central is in an intriguing state of transition with the Cleveland Indians going all-in on their World Series aspirations while the remainder of the division looks to the future. The Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals are somewhat stuck between contending for a playoff spot and entering a full-blown rebuild while the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins have already turned to a number of their young prospects in an effort to accelerate the process. Here is a look at one untouchable prospect from each AL Central team.
C: Francisco Mejla, Cleveland Indians
The Indians have relied on homegrown talent and free-agent bargains for years but that has changed over the past couple of years as they have hunted down some quality players via trade and hit big on the free agent market this winter with the addition of Edwin Encarnacion. The good news is that they still have some quality prospects in their system led by arguably the best catcher prospect in all of baseball in Mejla. The 21-year-old was close to being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in a deal for Jonathan Lucroy before the deadline but Cleveland decided to hang on to him as a key piece to the franchise’s future. Mejla hit .342 with 11 home runs and 80 RBI in the minors last season but should still be at least one year away from joining the Indians.
SP: Matt Manning, Detroit Tigers
The Tigers are stuck between contending for a playoff spot and pushing for a rebuild so it will be interesting to see how they proceed this season. Manning is one reason for baseball fans in Detroit to be excited for the future as he is the best arm in their system right now. The No. 9 overall pick is a 6’6’’ right-hander with powerful stuff and a wide range between his floor and his ceiling. Manning already owns a fastball that can touch 97 so it’s easy to understand why the scouts are so high on a young prospect that is just making the jump from high school this year.
The Detroit Tigers finished the year 20th in terms of ERA, so clearly, they have some work to do. It’s unlikely that Manning has a huge role this year – maybe he becomes a factor in the bullpen or is a starter later on in the season – but he’s clearly a big part of their future.
3B: Hunter Dozier, Kansas City Royals
Kansas City will be banking on its young talent to push through over the next couple of seasons with a number of expiring contracts and desire to retool the roster after a couple of trips to the World Series in 2014 and 2015. One name that the Royals are excited about is the third basemen Dozier, who is expected to be an integral part of their future. Kansas City has a pair of solid pitching prospects in Matt Straham and Josh Staumont but Dozier is their most promising prospect right now.
IF: Yoan Moncada, Chicago White Sox
Moncada is widely considered one of the best prospects in baseball so White Sox fans had to be content with landing him in the deal that sent Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox. Moncada has played at both second and third base and while it will be interesting to see where he ends up the reality is that he will bring a ton of power to the plate. Moncada has mashed at every stop of his young career and it’s only a matter of time before he brings his arsenal to Chicago.
SS: Nick Gordon, Minnesota Twins
Gordon is the top dog in Minnesota’s system right now and with an influx of young talent already making its way to the club’s major league team, it’s only a matter of time before the talented young shortstop makes his mark. The Twins are currently shopping second basemen Brian Dozier and it will be interesting to see if a trade accelerates the time frame for Gordon to make the jump to the majors in the coming years.
Minnesota needs as much help as it can get these days but keep in mind that they weren’t terrible in terms of batting last year. They finished 13th in OPS.
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