Indians Like What They See From Aiken
CLEVELAND—One year after selecting him with their first pick in the draft, the Indians are very happy with the progress of Brady Aiken.
The Indians selected the high school lefthander with the 17th overall pick in 2015 despite the knowledge that he was only three months removed from Tommy John surgery and wouldn’t pitch competitively for at least another year.
That year has passed, Aiken is pitching again, and Indians officials like what they see from the 19-year-old.
“It’s still early, but the returns from his outings have been very positive,” farm director Carter Hawkins said. “He’s commanding the ball, spinning his breaking ball well, and his velocity is in a great spot.”
Aiken made his pro debut on June 20 in the Rookie-level Arizona League, working two innings against the Reds in which he allowed no hits and struck out three.
Through his first five starts, he went 0-2, 6.00 with 18 strikeouts, nine walks and 12 hits allowed in 12 innings.
Of course at this stage, it’s less about the numbers than about how Aiken feels, how he looks, and how much he’s progressing.
“From the time we selected Brady, he’s worked daily to not only get healthy, but to be a better pitcher than he was when he first had his injury,” Hawkins said.
The Astros made Aiken, a San Diego prep product, the first overall pick in the 2014 draft, but the two sides reached an impasse during negotiations. Aiken eventually enrolled in the post-graduate program at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., where in his first start he suffered the injury that led to Tommy John surgery on March 26, 2015.
The Indians signed Aiken for $2.5 million, and he spent the majority of his time at the Indians’ spring-training complex in Goodyear, Ariz., diligently working towards the resumption of his career.
“This is really just the first step for him, getting back into competitive innings,” Hawkins said. “We’re looking forward to watching him develop now that he’s in a team environment.”
SMOKE SIGNALS
• Clint Frazier started in left field for the U.S. team at the Futures Game and went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a stolen base. Catcher Francisco Mejia went 1-for-3 as a reserve for the World team.
• Righthander Mike Clevinger ran up a 7.71 ERA through his first 16 big league innings, but he continues to be impressive at Triple-A Columbus, where in his first 14 starts he went 9-0, 2.72 with 83 strikeouts in 76 innings.
Comments are closed.