Interesting Fall Instructs List

 Looking through one of my favorite sites, Indians Prospective, and I found a list on invites for the fall instructional league.

Normally the Indians' roster for this league is made up of the following 4 types of players:

1. Players drafted in the most recent amateur draft
2. Prospects who have been injured most or all of the season trying to play catchup.  
3. Latin prospects from the Dominican and AZL teams who they want to be ready to be assigned to a full-season team the next year.
4. Guys they intend to send to the Arizona Fall League and they just want them ready for whatever they will be doing in that league (e.g., a position change)

The list had the usual guys like Gavin Williams and all his fellow 2021 draftees except for 2021 college pitching draftees who pitched extensively in the minors in2021.  Guys like Matt Turner who essentially missed all the season.

But then the surprises:  Brayan Rocchio, Johnkensy Noel, Angel Martinez, Steve Kwan, George Valera, Bryan Lavastida

None of them need extra at bats as they each played a lot of games this year (only Noel missed any significant time).  Most of them have already been trained at multiple positions so I doubt that any of them are playing learning new positions this fall.   

Could some or all of them be transitioning to the Arizona Fall League after the instructs?   Maybe, but they just don't fit the profile of guys the Indians have historically sent to that league.   The Indians also have to send 1-2 pitchers to the AFL and I don't see any other pitchers on this list who I thought might be there like Cody Morris, Adam Scott and Joey Cantillo.

My guess is that, since every one of these guys has to be rostered or exposed to the Rule 5 draft that one of two things is happening.

1. We want our larger minor league staff to get a look at them to see if they are deserving of a 30-man roster spot or
2. We are auditioning these players to trade them before the rosters are frozen in November for a ML-ready prospect or young major leaguer who can help us in 2022 and going forward.

The two guys who are missing, both of whom I think are on the Rule 5 bubble, are Jose Fermin and Alexfri Planaz.  

I don't really know what is going on but this is unusual so it begs conjecture.   

One caution I will make to the Indians.  The year Hector Rondon was lost in the Rule 5 he missed almost the who year.  He then played in one of the Latin winter leagues after the 40-man rosters were set and lit up that league, leading to his Rule 5 stock going through the roof and him being drafted by the Cubs.  

So, if the Indians are going to further expose the talents of these guys and they don't trade them before the roster setting or don't roster them, all they will be doing will be making the job of opposing scouts and GMs easier as to whether they want to pick these guys in the Rule 5 draft.  Just like with Rondon.