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Cleveland Indians, Rockies prospects off to hot starts this spring

By Brody Hilgenkamp

Mar 13, 2016; Surprise, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Tyler Naquin (72) leads off of second base against the Kansas City Royals during the fifth inning at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2016; Surprise, AZ, USA; Cleveland Indians center fielder Tyler Naquin (72) leads off of second base against the Kansas City Royals during the fifth inning at Surprise Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals have prospects building strong cases for major league playing time when teams begin the regular season.

Here are some more notes on top prospects making waves during Spring Training. (All stats through play Sunday.)

Tyler Naquin, Indians
Naquin has dominated this spring, posting a .438 AVG/.486 OBP/.688 SLG line in 13 spring games. His name has come up in discussion for the Indians’ starting center fielder, and he’s building a strong case that he should win the job. While Naquin has been hot this spring, fellow Indians competing for the job have been less than impressive. While he hasn’t hit a home run, five of his 14 hits are for extra bases, including three triples.

Reymond Fuentes, Kansas City Royals
I mentioned that Alex Gordon’s return to Kauffman Stadium likely took away a spot on the major league roster from Fuentes. Whether or not that still happens, Gordon’s signing hasn’t affected him this spring as he’s slashing .367/.472/.667, including a double and a stolen base yesterday. Paolo Orlando, who is ahead of Fuentes on the Royals’ depth chart and is the favorite to win the job after Jarrod Dyson’s injury, is hitting just .243/.282/.432.

Sean Manaea, Oakland Athletics
Manaea has been one of Oakland’s best pitchers this spring, posting a 2.61 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 10 1/3 innings of work. He started for the A’s yesterday against the White Sox and went 3 2/3 innings and allowed two runs on three hits and struck out seven batters. Limited to just 74 1/3 innings last season due to injuries, Manaea had a 1.90 ERA, 3.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio and .217 opponent’s average in 42 2/3 innings after a trade from the Royals to the A’s.

Next: Maikel Franco rising star for Phillies?

Raimel Tapia, Colorado Rockies
The Rockies optioned Tapia to the minors Friday, but it wasn’t because of poor performance. In fact, Tapia has been trending upward. He hit .385/.407/.538 in 15 games while in major league camp. Before that he earned Arizona Fall League Prospects Team honors when he hit .330/.341/.466 in 23 games. Before that, he was one the Rockies’ MiLB.com 2015 Organization All-Stars after hitting .305/.333/.467 with 12 home runs and 26 stolen bases in High-A Modesto.

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