When Francisco Lindor was finally summoned from the Minor Leagues last year on June 14, the Indians were 29-32 and six games behind the Royals in the American League Central. Though they would never catch the would-be World Series champions, the Tribe, fueled by Lindor's arrival, went 39-34 after the All-Star break and remained in the Wild Card hunt well into the season's final month.
Lindor emerged as one of baseball's premier young talents, hitting .313/.353/.482 with 12 home runs, 22 doubles and 12 steals in 99 games, while also saving 10 runs with his Gold Glove-caliber defense at shortstop. Just 21 when he debuted, Lindor, who had ranked as the Indians' top prospect since being drafted No. 8 overall in 2011, was the runner-up in the AL Rookie of the Year race behind Carlos Correa.
• Indians' 2016 Top 30 Prospects list
Replacing Lindor atop the Indians' Top 30 prospects this year is outfielder Bradley Zimmer, who's one of five former first-rounders to crack the Top 10. Meanwhile, a half-decade of strong Drafts accounts for two-thirds of the talent on this year's list, as the Tribe has assembled a deep collection of both high-ceiling and high-floor players.
Many of those players should arrive in the coming years, too, as more than half of the players in the Top 30 -- including Zimmer, Clint Frazier, Mike Clevinger, Rob Kaminsky and Tyler Naquin -- are projected to reach the Major Leagues during the 2016-17 seasons.
And talent doesn't stop there; 2015 first-rounder Brady Aiken, originally the No. 1 overall Draft pick in 2014, could provide the Indians with a new ace by the end of the decade, while slugging first baseman Bobby Bradley -- who paced the Rookie-level Arizona and Class A Midwest Leagues in home runs in back-to-back years to begin his career -- shows the makings of become a middle-of-the-order force.
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the 2015 preseason list to the 2016 preseason list.
Jump: Mike Clevinger (2015: NR | 2016: 7)
Fall: Jesus Aguilar (2015: 13 | 2016: NR)
Team Top 30 Prospects lists
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average.
Hit: Bradley Zimmer (55)
Power: Bobby Bradley (60)
Run: Greg Allen (60)
Arm: Tyler Naquin (65)
Defense: Allen (60)
Fastball: Brady Aiken (65)
Curveball: Aiken (60)
Slider: Mike Clevinger (55)
Changeup: Adam Plutko (60)
Control: Plutko (60)
Top 10 Farm Systems
How they were built
Draft: 20
International: 7
Trade: 3
Breakdown by ETA
2016: 9
2017: 7
2018: 8
2019: 6
Breakdown by position
C: 1
1B: 2
2B: 1
3B: 1
SS: 5
OF: 7
RHP: 6
LHP: 7