Cleveland Indians Roundup: Indians Lose; Prospect Countdown; Zach Walters Notes

The Cleveland Indians prospect countdown continues

In the most recent installment of the Cleveland Indians prospect countdown, Matt Bretz profiled Shawn Armstrong. The Indians drafted Armstrong in the 18^th round in 2011 as a right-hander with velocity. Now 25, he spent quite a bit of time in the lower levels before settling into Triple-A last year. By the end of the season, he had reached the major leagues and experienced some success. In just eight innings, he struck out eleven batters with just two walks. 

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Perhaps Armstrong’s biggest asset is power pitching. Across five seasons in the minors, he has averaged nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings. These strikeouts root from a blistering fastball that can almost reach triple digits. Unfortunately, this power pitching has lead to some control issues. He regularly walks over ten percent of his batters, and this has frequently placed him between a rock and a hard place.

In other news, Danny Salazar led the Indians in a loss against the San Diego Padres yesterday, striking out seven batters in four innings. Even more impressively, he did not allow any walks or runs. Unfortunately, the rest of the team could not hold up, and the Indians went on to lose by a final score of six to three.

Finally, Paul Hoynes of Cleveland.com answered several questions in his latest edition of Hey, Hoynsie. One of the more interesting questions was about the odds of Zach Walters making the Opening Day roster. Hoynes wrote that Walters would have to show better abilities to make consistent contact. The right-hander posted some horrible contact rates during his brief time with the Indians last season.

More from around the American League Central:

Cleveland Indians 2016 Top Prospects: #20 Shawn Armstrong – Wahoo’s on First

Salazar Fans Seven in Scoreless Outing vs. Padres – Indians.com

Who Should Open the Season in Center for the Cleveland Indians? Hey, Hoynsie – Cleveland.com

Kansas City Royals Alex Gordon Building a Legacy – Kings of Kauffman

Minnesota Twins Player Preview: Miguel Sano – Puckett’s Pond