Cleveland Indians: No Promotion for Top Prospects Zimmer, Diaz

Two of the Cleveland Indians’ top prospects will not be getting a September call-up this year.

Since rosters expanded on September 1st, the Cleveland Indians have not been shy about calling players up to the big leagues from the minor league affiliates. The active roster now stands at 36 players, and includes the most recent call-ups of Ryan Merritt and Jesus Aguilar after the Triple-A Columbus Clippers were eliminated from the International League playoffs.

“In September, there’s no reason to ever get caught short,” Francona said. “We’ll try to balance the pitching the best we can. Some of the position players, they’re probably not going to play much, and they know that.”

Among position players who would not have seen much playing time are two of the top prospects in the upper levels of Cleveland’s organization in Yandy Diaz and Bradley Zimmer. The two will not be getting their first tastes of the major leagues this year, as the team has decided not to call them up.

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Practically, this decision makes sense, and the reasoning from the club is sound. But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the correct decision.

In Zimmer’s case, foregoing the promotion is probably the prudent thing to do. The second-year outfielder and top prospect in the organization just wrapped up a season in which he ascended to Triple-A, showing good pop in his bat, speed on the bases, and plus defense, but also clearly in need of refining his approach at the plate. Zimmer had a strikeout rate of over 35 percent, going down 171 times in 468 at-bats in 2016.

“There’s a difference between developing and getting somebody here too quick,” Francona said of Zimmer. “That doesn’t help anybody. And it doesn’t mean we don’t love him. But, even the guys you love, man, you want them to knock the door down getting here, not leave it wide open.”

Zimmer will also play in the Arizona Fall League, as a member of the Mesa Solar Sox, so a short break before the fall ball season gets underway in October is likely of benefit.

The same cannot be said for Diaz, though, who was just named to the Triple-A all-star team by Baseball America after a season that saw him slash .318/.408/.446 between Double-A Akron and Columbus, with 22 doubles, nine home runs, 58 runs batted in, a strikeout rate of under 20 percent, and a strikeout-to-walk ratio that was nearly equal. Diaz is 25, and should be in the mix to win a roster spot in Goodyear next spring.

The argument for not promoting Diaz is that he is not on the 40-man roster, and someone would have to be taken off to accommodate him, just so he could ride the bench. As mentioned, the reasoning is sound.

“We did talk about him a lot,” Francona said. “Not just adding him to the roster, but we talked about him a lot, because the people that have seen him think he’s got a chance to be a really good player. I just think right now, there wasn’t really a place for him to play.”

But there are at least a few players on the 40-man roster that are unlikely to remain there once the offseason hits, so why send Diaz home and continue to carry someone else who isn’t likely to contribute much down the stretch?

The additions of Brandon Guyer and Coco Crisp have made for a crowded outfield, so playing time for Diaz would be sparse, but the experience of being with the big league club and interacting with veterans would appear to be worthwhile for the three-year pro from Cuba.

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If anything, Diaz (along with Erik Gonzalez, who was called up on September 1st) should be seeing time before Michael Martinez and his non-existent baseball IQ ever sniff the lineup. A pennant race is a delicate dance, tough to balance playing to win with development for younger guys. But for Diaz, just being in the clubhouse and dugout every day could pay serious dividends in 2017 and beyond.

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