Gameday Magazine July

Prospects to watch

2018

Outfielder Mitch Longo batted .361 with four home runs and 25 RBI in 55 games for the Captains before injuries robbed him of a full 2017 campaign. Longo was activated from the disabled list on August 31 when he made his debut with the Hillcats, and played in 5 games while going 9-for-16 at the plate. Cleveland’s 14th round pick in 2016 has been an everyday player so far this season for Lynchburg. Longo has batted a .284, while clubbing four home runs to go along with 23 RBI throughout the first three months of the year. He also leads the team with 20 multi-hit games. Third baseman Nolan Jones finished the 2017 season on a tear. The 19-year-old hit .371 with three home runs and 18 RBI in August for the Short-Season Mahoning Valley Scrappers. In 62 games, he batted .317 overall with four homers and 33 RBI. Jones, a 2nd round pick by the Tribe in 2016, is ranked by MLB.com as the Indians No. 5 prospect. Although he has just two minor league seasons under his belt, it’s possible that Jones could find himself in a Hillcats uniform at some point in 2018. Right-hander Eli Morgan was promoted to Lynchburg in mid-May, and has impressed in his first month and a half in a Hillcats uniform. Morgan was drafted by Cleveland in the 8th Round of the 2017 draft out of the University of Gonzaga. Prior to his promotion, Morgan began the 2018 campaign in Lake County, where he went 2-0 with a 1.38 ERA through eight starts. Through his first seven starts with the Hillcats, the Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif. native has gone 4-2 with a 2.45 ERA. He is ranked by Baseball America as the Cleveland Indians 28th-best prospect. The publication also ranked him as having the “best changeup” of any pitcher throughout the Indians farm system. Shortstop Luke Wakamatsu is seeing a big role in the Hillcats infield this year. He has been the club’s everyday shortstop when healthy, and after a slow April, his bat came around in May. Wakamatsu hit .254 in May compared to a .145 start in April. The switch-hitter spent much of June on the disabled list, however, as his batting average dipped to .143 in just 11 June games. Last season with Single-A Lake County, he batted .239 with 12 homers and 53 RBI in 100 games. He is the son of Don Wakamatsu, who is a coach on the Texas Rangers major league staff. Wakamatsu had a strong second half of the season with the Captains when he hit at a .249 clip with nine homers and 36 RBI. The Indians selected Wakamatsu in the 20th round of the 2015 draft and he is ranked by MLB.com as the Tribe’s No. 27 prospect. A variety of Indians prospects who made some noise throughout Cleveland’s other affiliates last season figure to be in the Hillcats plans in 2018.