Minor league thoughts for 2018

OK, going in blind to the 2018 minor league season which starts at the end of next week.

That being said, here are some thoughts about the season and possible breakout prospects

1. It is interesting that the Indians are fielding two AZL teams.   I don't know the reasoning as, just looking at last year, I can't reasonably see the need.   Yes, they had one DSL team and one co-op team but looking at the rosters of those teams in the most optimistic light, I can see MAYBE 25 players who would be ready for the AZL, based on their 2017 stats.  Where the Indians would get another 25 or so players is beyond me.  Looking at last year's AZL roster I can see maybe 12 guys who could be coming back to the AZL team this year.  That leaves minimally about 13 draftees who would be on this team.   Hey, it's never a bad idea to give guys more playing time but is it worth the expense?  So we will assume the Indians have a plan (maybe showcasing their younger players hoping some become prime trade bait in July?) but it seems odd that a low budget team would spend money this way.  It should be noted that they plan to repeat the second co-op team in the DSL league.

2. The Columbus and Akron teams may have a really tough time fielding 5 quality starting pitchers this year.  At the same time, with Bieber, Civale and McKenzie, they will definitely have some quality arms.  

3. Overall, the Indians will have an interesting minor league season.   They need to develop a lot more prospects and, for the most part, they have to have some more organizational players step up to become true blue chip prospects.   Hard to do but that is what they need as the 2018 draft won't be huge for the Indians given that they had such a good record last year that their draft slot is really low.

3. Here is my first look at breakout prospects this year.  These are guys who I think will vastly improve their prospect status during the season.

• Zach Plesac
• Will Benson
• Ben Krauth
• Justin Garza (LB State version)
• Brady Aiken (this is an easy pick as his prospect status can't get any lower than it currently is)

Next we will take a look at the final minor league rosters that will post next week.