Here is the minor league report for the 2010 Columbus Clippers, the Triple-A affiliate for the Cleveland Indians.
The key name to note on the roster is catcher Carlos Santana. By next March, I would expect for him to be drafted in fantasy baseball leagues around the same time Matt Wieters is. With a .287 minor league average and more walks than strikeouts (288 to 283) he is the number one minor league catcher in baseball. He hit 23 home runs last year in double-A with 97 RBI and has already jacked four out in 2010. He will likely be up for good come June 1.
Another name to keep an eye on is starting pitcher Hector Rondon. Pitching at two levels in 2009, Rondon compiled a 3.38 ERA with a 1.18 WHIP and 8.4 strikeouts per nine innings. Having just turned 22 in February, he looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
Carlos Carrasco is another starting pitcher to keep an eye on after coming over from Philadelphia last season in the Cliff Lee trade. He still needs to do some work on his control with a minor league walk rate per nine of 3.5 and an ERA of 4.08.
How they rank:
Baseball America: Santana (1), Rondon (7), Carrasco (8)
Keith Law: Santana (1), Rondon (3)
John Sickels: Santana (1), Rondon (5), Carrasco (7)
Here is a look at 2010 Columbus Clippers roster by position:
Catchers:
Carlos Santana
Damaso Espino
Infielders:
1B Wes Hodges
2B Jason Donald
SS Brian Bixler
3B Brian Buscher
Anderson Hernandez
Russell Branyan
Outfielders:
LF Shelley Duncan
CF Trevor Crowe
RF Chris Giminez
Jose Constanza
Brian Horwitz
Starting Pitchers:
Carlos Carrasco
Hector Rondon
Scott Lewis
Jeanmar Gomez
Yohan Pino
Relief Pitchers:
Hector Ambriz
Mike Gosling
Frank Hermann
Saul Rivera
Carlton Smith
Jess Todd
Josh Tomlin
Steven Wright
