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July 14, 20152015 Browns Position Previews: Inside Linebackers
July 14, 2015With Francisco Lindor now in the major leagues (and already making a major impact on the Tribe defense), many Cleveland Indians fans are likely out of tune with the top prospects in the organization. But with this week’s All-Star Break, it’s a great time to learn more about the fast-rising success of another recent first-round pick.
Bradley Zimmer, the team’s No. 21 overall selection in the 2014 MLB Draft, earned a promotion to the Double-A Akron RubberDucks late on Monday. The 22-year-old centerfielder competed on Sunday in the MLB Futures Game, going for 0-for-2 in the start, and was expected to be promoted shortly thereafter. He’s scheduled to make his home debut back in Northeast Ohio at Canal Park on Thursday, July 23, following the Eastern League All-Star Break and a weeklong Akron road trip.
Zimmer, a University of San Francisco product, is a 6-foot-4 left-handed bat with great speed and a very impressive 2015 campaign. He only played three Single-A Lake County games late last season before jumping to the Carolina League this year, where he batted 305/.401/.488 in 77 games. He had 16 doubles, 10 home runs, 38 RBI, 37 walks, and 32 steals. His all-around numbers were among the league best in several statistical categories and he was named a recent Carolina League All-Star.
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Before the season, he ranked No. 4 on the team’s Baseball Prospectus prospect list, behind Lindor, 19-year-old catcher Francisco Mejia, and 2013 first-round pick Clint Frazier. But after only stealing 12 bases in 48 games last year, his improved base stealing and consistent pop have Indians executives raving about his rapid improvement.
“He’s a powerful athlete,” said Ross Atkins, Indians VP of personnel, to Northeast Ohio Media Group’s Paul Hoynes recently. “He’s really talented in all phases of the game. Probably the best thing he does is compete.”
“He’s more athletic than we even thought,” said Brad Grant, Indians scouting director, to MLB.com’s Anthony Castrovince recently. “It’s been a lot of fun to see how quickly he has been able to adjust to professional baseball.”
At the time of the draft, his MLB comparison was former New York Yankee Paul O’Neill. Certainly, the Indians have a long-term need for a true centerfielder with the continued struggles of Michael Bourn defensively and at the plate. Bourn remains under contract for one more year, but with Zimmer’s continued success, there’s a decent chance he could make the big league club by the end of the 2016 season.
3 Comments
Get to Cleveland as soon as you can, Bradley. We need a real center fielder.
I imagine you were dressed in a white robe and after delivering the message, placed the disc in R2D2.
So heartening that a first round position player is tearing up the minors. And it’s good for Clint Frazier to watch his teammate zoom past him – lets him see that the org will reward production and realize that he better work to position himself for major league money before his signing bonus is all gone.