Who are the Cleveland Indians targeting in this year's MLB Draft?
With the 2015 MLB Draft approaching, many fans are wondering what type of player the Cleveland Indians are targeting.
While MLB's amateur draft is much different than other major sports -- draftees rarely make an immediate impact on the big league club -- it still gives fans something to look forward to in the form of prospects that have the potential to turn into major-league stars.
With the 17th pick in this year's draft, the Indians seem very confident in where their first-round selection falls.
"At pick 17, we are in a position to get a player we feel really good about," Brad Grant, Cleveland's director of amateur scouting told MLB.com. "We feel there is strength to the Draft class as a whole and will focus on selecting the best player available."
While the Indians will likely spend the later rounds stocking up on young arms, most mock drafts have them selecting a position player with the 17th pick.
The most recent mock draft from FanGraphs has the Tribe taking Chris Betts, a power-hitting catcher from Wilson High School in California and Tennessee commit. FanGraphs says Betts is "a nice value with a long track record at a premium position and he'll go somewhere in the 15-25 range."
Other names that the Indians have been reportedly linked to include Arkansas outfielder Andrew Benintendi, Cincinnati outfielder Ian Happ, Arizona shortstop Kevin Newman, Vanderbilt right-hander Walker Buehler and Virginia lefty Nathan Kirby, according to MLB.com.
In addition to pick No. 17, the Indians will have the 42nd overall pick during the Competitive Balance A round and two more selections in the Top 100, Nos. 59 and 93.
The 2015 MLB Draft will be held June 8 - June 10.
