Trio of Cleveland Indians Prospects in High-A All-Star Game

Trio of Cleveland Indians Prospects in Tonight’s High-A All-Star Game

Three Cleveland Indians prospects will participate in the 2015 Califorinia-Carolina League All-Star Game (Class A Advanced) tonight in Rancho Cucamonga, California.  Lynchburg Hillcats outfielders Bradley Zimmer and Luigi Rodriguez were selected as starters for the Carolina League All-Stars, and first baseman Nellie Rodriguez was selected to the team as a reserve. 

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Bradley Zimmer was the Indians’ 2014 1^st round pick in the MLB draft and was a consensus top 3 overall prospect in the Tribe’s system (along with Francisco Lindor and fellow Hillcat outfielder Clint Frazier).   He’s been having one of the best seasons, if not the best season, of any Tribe farmhand. To date he’s batting .300/.399/.488 with 9 HR, 28 SB, 27 RBI and 52 runs scored in 65 games.  The former college star is just terrorizing Carolina League pitching.  Here are his current offensive ranks in the Carolina League:

"AVG: 5thOBP: 2ndSLG: 3rdOPS: 2ndHR: T-2ndSB: T-1stRuns: 1st"

Luigi Rodriguez is a former top 5 prospect in the Indians system who has struggled some in recent years. After hitting just 7 HR in 2013 and 2014 combined, he’s hit 10 HR in 64 games for the Hillcats, which is tops in the Carolina League.  He’s batting .287/.342/.512 with 16 SB, 35 RBI, and 39 runs scored.   Rodriguez was signed as an international free agent back in 2009 out of the Dominican Republic.  As with Zimmer, he too has his named littered among the league leaders in several offensive categories:

"HR: 1stSLG: 2ndOPS: 4th3B: T-1stSB: 5th"

Nellie Rodriguez is enjoying a fine offensive season for the second year in a row. After hitting 22 HR in 2014 for the Lake County Captains, he’s slugged 9 thus far for the Hillcats while batting .274/.356/.473 with 54 RBI (tops in the Carolina League) and 37 runs scored.  He’s also second in the league with 19 doubles. Rodriguez is a former 15^th round pick by the Indians in the 2012 MLB draft out of George Washington High School in New York, the same high school that Manny Ramirez attended.

The game takes place tonight at 10:35 EST (7:35 local time).

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