NFL Draft: WFNY Discusses Joe Haden
April 23, 2010NFL Draft: What’s in Store for Cleveland?
April 23, 2010You’ve seen this story before. College draft pick, middle infielder with average tools and a grinder mentality. Player likely won’t ever be a threat to hit 15 home runs or steal 30 bases in the major leagues, but in the meanwhile could be a very serviceable player in the organization.
Well, 2B Cord Phelps is exactly that kid. He turned 23 years old in January and the 3rd round pick from the 2008 June Draft is having an impressive start to the 2010 season. In just his first 13 games in Double-A with the Aeros, Phelps is batting .388 with a pair of home runs and seven runs batted in. He already has seven multi-hit games and 10 runs scored despite being the usual #7 batter for new Akron manager Joel Skinner thus far this season.
His start to the season is a huge sign of relief for the organization. The system is usually low on middle infielders that can hit, but Phelps is starting to turn some heads for the Aeros.
Last year, Phelps hit just .261 with 17 steals in 130 games as the everyday second baseman for Kinston, an average season offensively for any given middle infielder. The four errors in 561 chances were a bright spot, but who knows what that really tells in high Single-A ball when defensive stats are so out-dated anyway.
This season, he now ranks second in the pitching-heavy Eastern League in batting average and is tied for fifth with a .434 on-base percentage. His eight strikeouts against four walks is not a great sign, but it is hard to nitpick with a switch-hitting second baseman getting two-plus hits every other night so far.
In fact, only Jose Constanza for Columbus has a higher batting average among all players in the organization at Kinston or higher. Phelps has also only one error in his 12 outings at second, and is one of a few bright spots for the 6-9 Aeros team.
A former Stanford Cardinal, he also joins a long list of alumni to play in the Cleveland organization. Some of these players include Jack McDowell, Jody Gerut, Jeremy Guthrie, Ryan Garko, Andrew Lorraine, Jason Cooper and Mike Gosling.
Before the season started, our friend Tony Lastoria at Indians Prospect Insider wrote the following about Phelps and his prospects for the future:
The Indians have had trouble in years past finding and developing quality second basemen, and things have changed now that Phelps is in the mix. He shows good strength, speed, and defense in the middle of the diamond, and is already producing early in his career which is a good sign that he is getting the most out of his abilities.
Lastoria ranked Phelps as the #29 prospect in the organization and it is obvious there were two flaws with his outlook last season. First of all, he is already 23 years old and is still quite older than his double play partner Carlos Rivero, who played for the Aeros last season.
Also, with Jason Donald and Luis Valbuena at the top of the system, it looked like there might be no immediate future for him in the system. But his presence is a sign of the much better overall organizational depth chart for the Indians. With him being in the upper minors and Donald holding down the fort in Columbus, it certainly looks like middle infield is no longer a severe weak spot for the future.
It will be interesting to see whether Phelps can continue his recent tear. Anything could still be possible with his future and it is always a positive sign to see some of the higher draft picks starting to perform well in the minors.
(Stanford photo above via AP)
2 Comments
2B has been one position in particular that I am a little concerned with in terms of the future of the club. Luis V. just doesn’t seem to be a long term solution despite his random power. I’m not too familiar with the progress of Donald, but it would be nice for a young guy to emerge.
[…] Akron OF/1B/DH Matt McBride and new Kinston catcher Chun Chen: – Cord Phelps: I wrote about him earlier in the season when he starting off hot for the Aeros, and now he continues to dominate offensively for the […]