Indians sign undrafted high school player

CLEVELAND -- The Indians have added another name to their non-drafted free agents list.

On Saturday evening, the club announced the signing of high school infielder Alonzo Richardson. Since Sunday morning at 9 a.m. ET, teams have been able to ink prospects who were not taken in the five rounds of this year’s MLB Draft for up to $20,000 each. The Draft was shortened from its original format of 40 rounds due to the coronavirus pandemic.

• Team-by-team: Undrafted free agent signing tracker

Earlier this week, the Tribe signed catcher Joe Donavon from the University of Michigan, lefty Jaime Arias from Fresno State University and right-hander Cade Smith from the University of Hawaii.

The Indians agreed to terms with their first high school non-drafted free agent in Richardson, who attended Helix High School in La Mesa, Calif. The 17-year-old was previously committed to San Diego State University and was a shortstop and right-handed pitcher in high school. According to his 2019 National Showcase Report on his Perfect Game profile, the middle infielder has good arm strength with a decent swing that shows potential to add more strength in the future.

At 5-foot-11, 160 pounds, Richardson sits around 89-90 mph consistently with his fastball and boasts a curveball (his best pitch) with high spin rates. As a 17-year-old out of high school, it may be too early to tell whether he’ll be able to maintain his status as a two-way player. He’ll likely improve both in the field and on the rubber as he continues to grow and develop.