Reviewing the Cleveland Indians 2020 MLB Draft Selections

Overall, the 2020 MLB Draft was a successful one for the organization. As a small market team, capitalizing on the draft is extremely important because it allows the team to build up adequate farm system depth. Additionally, with the market that the Cleveland Indians play in player development is a critical component. Essentially, that is why the Indians were comfortable taking high school players with their picks.

According to CBSSPORTS, the Indians receive a grade of B in terms of their draft selections. When surveying over the five picks, Cleveland came away with a good bang for their buck. With this year’s draft being limited to five rounds, extracting as much value for each pick was critical. The Indians seemed to hit the nail on the head in that regard.

Furthermore, Cleveland received a lot of praise for their Day 2 picks. In fact, MLB Network’s own Dan O’Dowd said, “With a doubt (the Indians) have won Day 2”. Receiving that type of praise is every team’s goal with a draft.

With that being said, here is a more in-depth look at who Cleveland selected and how those pieces fit into the bigger, long-term picture for the organization.

1. SS Carson Tucker (First Round Pick)

During the first round of the draft, the Indians selected high school shortstop Carson Tucker. Tucker is out of Mountain Pointe High School in Ahwatukee, Arizona. As the brother of Cole Tucker, current shortstop for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Carson already has a lot of athleticism in his bloodlines. Scouts believe that he eventually will have a significant impact on the big league club. Furthermore, with the selection of Tucker, it could provide some direction for the Indians moving forward in regard to All-Star shortstop Francisco Lindor. Lindor was heavily involved in trade rumors this past offseason and Tucker very well could be viewed as Cleveland’s shortstop of the future.

Although, it could still be another couple of years before Carson Tucker debuts at the big league level. Scouts would like him to work on his overall defense as well as his overall hitting skills. One good thing is that Tucker has developed into more of a pull hitter over the past few years. In time, both of those things will come around for the 18-year old and this should be a slam dunk draft acquisition for Cleveland moving forward.

2. RHP Tanner Burns (Competitive Balance Round A Pick)

With their next pick in the MLB Draft, the Cleveland Indians selected right-hander Tanner Burns. Burns is out of Auburn University and comes with a lot of praise overall. Burns has the ability to utilize a four-pitch repertoire with his 92-97 mile per hour fastball being the most effective. In addition, Burns features a low-80s slider, curveball that includes a lot of moving depth, and a changeup with sinking action. While his pitch repertoire is impressive, there are some concerns from a durability and injury standpoint. Burns was shelved last May with shoulder tightness.

As a result, moving forward Cleveland will need to be cautious and monitor Burns overall workload. However, if Burns lives up to expectations and is able to develop throughout the minor leagues, it shouldn’t take him very long to debut at the major league level. In regard to a potential MLB comparison, a lot of scouts believe he could eventually be a mid-rotation starter like Sonny Gray of the Cincinnati Reds. The Indians have always built up a strong amount of starting pitching depth and Burns should contribute to that depth in the future.

3. LHP Logan Allen (Round 2 Pick)

At this point, you’re probably thinking, “Isn’t there already a Logan Allen in the Indians organization?” Well, to answer your question yes there is, but Cleveland seems to have an obsession with players that have the name – Logan Allen. All kidding aside, Allen is a solid second-round pick for the Indians. Allen, who is out of Florida International University, features a stellar three-pitch repertoire which scouts say he isn’t afraid to use every time he steps onto the mound. With Florida International, Allen was a two-way player, but Cleveland will certainly utilize him as a pitcher moving forward.

One of the best qualities about Allen is his ability to attack opposing teams hitters. Allen is very confident on the mound and scouts feel as though that will benefit him going forward. For the Indians, Allen could appear at the big league level very quickly. Cleveland isn’t afraid to give players a chance at the big league level if they feel as though someone has earned. That could certainly be the case for Allen and who knows, maybe there will be two Logan Allen’s pitching for the Cleveland Indians at the same time!

4. OF Petey Halpin (Round 3 Pick)

Going into the draft, the outfield was one of the areas the Cleveland Indians needed to address. After all, Cleveland has sort of mixed-and-matched their outfield together at the big league level over the past few seasons. With Petey Halpin out of Mira Costa High School in California, comes with a lot of high upside and potential. One of Halpin’s best qualities is his running game, especially on the base paths. Projecting ahead to the future, scouts believe that Halpin could be a threat for the Indians from that perspective. Furthermore, Halpin has superb defensive skills.

Additionally, some have gone as far as to say that he is very similar to Pete Crow-Armstrong, who was the New York Mets first-round selection in this year’s draft. Crow-Armstrong is going to draw more fanfare from the media and scouts alike, but if Halpin has a similar skillset to him, then that’s going to be a significant asset for Cleveland in the future. Halpin is likely still another two, potentially three years away from the big league level, but could very well be the outfielder of the future for the organization.

5. SS Milan Tolentino (Round 4 Pick)

During every MLB Draft, there are curveballs thrown. For the Cleveland Indians, one curveball was the idea of taking yet another shortstop with one of their six selections. After all, the Indians have plenty of promising infield prospects already in their system. However, Cleveland felt a need to add more and that’s what they did with Milan Tolentino from Santa Margarita High School in California. At 18-years old, Tolentino’s shining quality is his overall fielding skills. Scouts note that he has a very strong arm and does extremely well with making those critical plays at the shortstop position.

While the defense is superb, the offensive abilities aren’t nearly as high for Tolentino. Scouts would like to see him work on hitting for more power (he received a grade of 35 in the power category on the scouting scale), but believe that could come with more development. Projecting ahead to the future, Tolentino will certainly be an asset for Cleveland defensively, it’s just a matter of trying to find a spot for him at the big league level. If the aforementioned Carson Tucker becomes the team’s shortstop of the future, then the picture becomes cloudier for Tolentino. However, if Tucker for some reason doesn’t live up to expectations, then Tolentino provides Cleveland with another asset in the middle infield.

6. RHP Mason Hickman (Round 5 Pick)

The most promising pick of Day 2 for the Cleveland Indians might have been the selection of right-hander Mason Hickman. Hickman, who is out of Vanderbilt University, comes in at a staggering six-foot-six inches and 230 pounds. As a junior, Hickman posted a 0.48 ERA over three starts prior to the Coronavirus shutdown. Additionally, Hickman was the 30th best player in Baseball America’s Top 150 Overall Players for 2020. That alone speaks to his work ethic, dedication to becoming a more advanced pitcher, and the level of competitiveness that he shows every time out on the mound.

Heading into the future, the Cleveland Indians likely view Mason Hickman as a frontline starting pitcher. Depending on how well Hickman performs in the minor leagues, he could be a very quick addition to the Indians starting rotation. In fact, if he makes it to the big league team quickly enough, he could join the likes of Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber at the top of the rotation. Clevinger won’t hit free agency until 2023, while Bieber is under control through 2025. Although, both pitchers are candidates for a long-term extension with the organization which could keep the window open for Cleveland for quite some time.

Final Thoughts

In the end, the Cleveland Indians did very well in this year’s MLB Draft. Cleveland came away from the draft with more depth to add to their starting rotation. Additionally, Cleveland comes away from the draft with two potential star-studded shortstops and potentially the outfielder of the future for the organization. Now, only time will tell how each prospect develops. As with any MLB Draft, there is risk and reward involved with every single selection.

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