A Tale of Two Aggies: Is Tyler Naquin the Anti-Manziel?

The words “first round pick out of Texas A&M” don’t elicit a lot of positive feelings in Cleveland these days, but if you’ve managed to watch just about any Cleveland Indians spring training game this year, you’ve seen the emergence of a very different Aggie—one who might just be the spiritual antithesis of his troubled schoolmate.

When A&M quarterback and Heisman winner Johnny Manziel (nee, Football) was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 22nd pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, there was an eruption of excitement—grown men racing out into the streets to squeal with joy; grandmothers tossing their knitting to the floor and doing the “money” gesture; goldfish leaping out of their bowls, preferring a sweet release from a world hopelessly infatuated with blank-eyed narcissists. It was a wild night!

Now, by contrast, what do you remember about June 4, 2012? Well odds are good you weren’t glued to the MLB Network, eagerly awaiting the Cleveland Indians’ No. 15 pick in the glitzy “First Year Player Draft.” I actually did watch the proceedings that day, but I’m pretty sure I was home sick with the flu. I’m also pretty sure there wasn’t much of a peep about the event on local sports radio that day, before or after. Nor was there a torrent of reaction to the Tribe’s selection, outside the diehard community. Among those who did have an opinion on the choice, the reviews were… less than enthusiastic.

The pick, as it happens, was an outfielder out of Texas A&M named Tyler Naquin. He hadn’t been discussed much as a likely Cleveland target heading into the draft (fellow Aggie Michael Wacha actually seemed the more likely choice), so when his name was announced, the conspiracy theories began.

WFNY’s Jon Steiner reported afterward that “There is currently some sentiment floating around that the Indians selected Naquin with the hopes of saving some of their budget for later rounds (each team is allotted a capped budget to spend on their first 10 draft picks; exceeding this figure results in draconian penalties including the loss of future first-round picks). Such a strategy would allow them to go over-slot on a second round pick, as some talented players continue to fall down boards due to signability concerns.”

That actually sounds halfway logical, maybe even smart, when you break it down. But for some fans, the overarching narrative became, shockingly: DOLANZ R CHEAP.¹.

I don’t want to give the impression that there was a tidal wave of negativity against Naquin, but let’s just say, nobody was dancing in the streets. The feeling was that Cleveland could have done better, and the critics don’t necessarily look misguided four years later. Among players taken shortly after Naquin were the aforementioned Wacha, plus emerging stars Corey Seager²), Marcus Stroman, Joey Gallo, and Lance McCullers, Jr.

Two weeks after Naquin was selected, LeBron James won his first title with the Heat, and everybody forgot to be annoyed about other things. Over time, though, as Naquin proved to be a serviceable player but far from a “future star” level prospect, grumbles re-emerged. Would he be added to the heap of wasted first round picks that have plagued the Indians for the better part of two decades?

Well, the jury is still out. But for the time being, at least, Tyler Naquin (who looks a little like Nick Swisher’s scrappy little brother) is the most uplifting story in the Cleveland sports universe. While we slog through #HeGone LeBron drama, Browns free agency nightmares, and growing Indians injury concerns, this is the ray of sunshine. In some respects, that latter issue—the Tribe MASH unit—opened the door to Naquin’s opportunity (along with Abraham Almonte’s bad life decisions). But then again, Naquin has been so good this spring; he just might have won a roster spot with everything else being equal.

Like a bizarro Manziel, Tyler has overcome the silence of zero hype—and a freaking broken hand suffered last season—to come back stronger than ever in 2016, relying on heart, determination, and a sincere dedication to his craft. As has been widely reported, he spent much of the winter training in the Indians’ strength camp, and it’s clearly paid off.

https://vine.co/v/iDaObmQZaxA

Still a few weeks shy of his 25th birthday, Tyler has shown uncharacteristic power this spring, clubbing three homers along with three doubles and three triples. He’s slugging at an .867 rate across 49 plate appearances—hitting .467 and playing a fine center field. It’s production that’s not completely out of the blue (he posted a strong .828 OPS between Akron and Columbus last year), but in a world where spring stats aren’t supposed to mean anything… they ended up meaning something.

Naquin will be the first true rookie position player (i.e., zero career games under his belt) to start for the Tribe at the beginning of a season since—I don’t know—Bill Wambsganss? I’m sure somebody has looked it up. I have better things to do.

After several years in relative obscurity, playing second fiddle to fellow outfield prospects Clint Frazier and Bradley Zimmer, Naquin will get his chance—which is all a good Aggie can ever ask for.

Johnny Manziel, on the other hand, had his chance. I suppose I am angling for some deeper meaning in the fact that most of us probably didn’t know—until reading this headline possibly—that Naquin was an A&M kid, too. The un-glamorous picks tend to disappoint us because of who they aren’t, and we punish them by not bothering to care much about who they are. Well, the ceiling still isn’t super high for Naquin. Nobody is anointing him the next Mike Trout. But what he’s doing right now is fun to watch, and just maybe—possibly—the kid could wind up being the difference in whether a depleted Indians team gets headed in the right direction this April.

1. I’m not sure, incidentally, if the team actually did go “over-slot” in Round 2, but their eventual pick, pitcher Mitch Brown, is still in Lynchburg, coming off an ugly season with a 5.15 ERA and 1.58 WHIP [↩]
2. Arguably the game’s top position-playing prospect. [↩]