Indians go pitcher-heavy in '21 draft

2021 MLB DRAFT: Indians overload on college pitching in 21-player class The Cleveland Indians, who've proven capable of developing unheralded pitchers better than almost any other organization in baseball, prioritized college pitching throughout the 2021 MLB Draft. Eighteen of the Indians' 21 picks were used to select pitchers from four-year Division I schools. That included first-rounder Gavin Williams from East Carolina and second-rounder Doug Nikhazy from Ole Miss. The first-year player draft concluded Tuesday with rounds 11 through 20 after the first round took place Sunday night, followed by rounds 2 through 10 on Monday. Here's a look at all of Cleveland's 2021 MLB Draft selections: Round 1, Pick 23: Gavin Williams, RHP, East Carolina Williams was listed as MLB Pipeline's No. 31 overall prospect after a dominant final year at ECU. In his final year with the Pirates, Williams made 15 appearances (12 starts) and struck out 130 batters in 81.1 innings pitched. He finished with a 1.88 ERA and opposing hitters batted .193 against him. High upside shone through when Williams faced perennial powerhouse Vanderbilt in the NCAA tournament. While touching 99 miles per hour with his fastball, the 6-foot-6 right-hander struck out 13 Commodores. "You've seen a ceiling that is a top-five ceiling," ESPN's Chris Burke said on draft broadcast. Round 2, Pick 58: Doug Nikhazy, LHP, Ole Miss The No. 56 prospect in MLB Pipeline's rankings, the southpaw Nikhazy just completed his third season in Mississippi. Two years ago, he set the Ole Miss freshman strikeout record. After dealing with a pectoral strain this spring, Nikhazy returned in time to strike out 16 Florida State hitters in an NCAA regional game. According to MLB.com, Nikhazy pairs a fastball that peaks at 94 miles per hour with both a 12-6 curveball and a slider. Competitive Balance Round B, Pick 69: Tommy Mace, RHP, Florida Mace became the Indians' second 6-foot-6 college righty in three picks. His fastball gets up to 96 miles per hour, and he's also a solid control pitcher with a 5.38 strikeout-to-walk ratio (113-to-21) in his final year in Gainesville. Round 3, Pick 95: Jake Fox, SS, Lakeland Christian (Fla.) HS For the Indians to pick Fox in the third round suggests they expect him to sign. He's committed to play college baseball at the University of Florida. Just 18, Fox is 6-0 and could either stick at shortstop or eventually move to second base while becoming a bat-first middle infielder. Round 4, Pick 125: Ryan Webb, LHP, Georgia Webb spent his first three seasons with the Bulldogs as a reliever, but he returned as a starter in 2021 to boost his draft stock. He battled No. 2 overall pick Jack Leiter in an April showdown which featured 13 strikeouts by Webb. The southpaw likely slid in the draft due to an elbow injury that ended his season in May. He underwent Tommy John surgery and surely won't make his pro debut until 2022. Round 5, Pick 156: Tanner Bibee, RHP, Cal State Fullerton Bibee is a strike-thrower who averaged one walk every four innings in his college career. His stuff will likely have to tick up in pro ball to make a huge impact, but the Indians have proven capable of turning consistent solid pitchers into strong big leaguers (with Shane Bieber from UC-Santa Barbara the most shining example). Round 6, Pick 186: Aaron Davenport, RHP, Hawaii Davenport, armed with flowing blonde hair and a nasty curveball, just completed his third season with the Rainbow Warriors. This spring, he started 13 games and struck out 97 batters in 86.2 innings while totaling a 3.74 ERA. Round 7, Pick 216: Jack Leftwich, RHP, Florida Cleveland apparently spent plenty of time watching the Gators this spring. The 6-foot-4 Leftwich gets his fastball up to 96 miles per hour and could wind up as a reliever. From April 23 onward, he didn't have an outing longer than 2.2 innings for the Gators. Round 8, Pick 246: Rodney Boone, LHP, UC-Santa Barbara Cleveland goes back to the well that brought them Shane Bieber to take Boone. The 6-foot-1 lefty was named the Big West Co-Pitcher of the Year in 2021. Boone's fastball tops out at 90 miles per hour, but he keeps hitters off balance for three years with the Gauchos, totaling a 2.52 ERA and 10.77 strikeouts per nine innings in his college career. Round 9, Pick 276: Will Dion, LHP, McNeese State Unlike the other college pitchers the Indians took to this point, Dion doesn't even measure 6-feet tall — he's only 5-foot-10. But he held opposing hitters to a .232 average as a junior and was named the Southland Conference Pitcher of the Year. Round 10, Pick 306: Franco Aleman, RHP, Florida The Indians obviously loved what was happening in Gainesville on the mound this spring. Aleman is also another 6-foot-6 right-hander, the third picked by Cleveland in the first 10 rounds. Aleman was born in Cuba and moved to the United States when he was 11. He began his college career at Florida International before pitching at the junior college level and then finding his way to UF. According to MLB Pipeline, his fastball touched 98 miles per hour in 2021. Round 11, Pick 336: Hunter Stanley, RHP, Southern Mississippi The 6-foot righty Stanley compiled a 2.56 ERA in his fifth season at Southern Miss. He struck out 127 batters in 102 innings and was named an All-American by multiple college baseball websites. Round 12, Pick 366: Connor Kokx, OF, Long Beach State Cleveland's run on college pitching stopped to select another player from a California school. Kokx is a 6-foot-1 right-handed hitter who batted .366 this spring with seven home runs and 14 stolen bases. Round 13, Pick 396: Davis Sharpe, RHP, Clemson And right back at it with a college pitcher. The 6-foot-4 Sharpe split time as a starter and reliever in 2021. He struck out 48 batters in 36.0 innings and could end up in a professional bullpen. Round 14, Pick 426: Trenton Denholm, RHP, California-Irvine Denholm could return to school, which may be why he fell from his No. 216 ranking by MLB Pipeline. He's only 5-foot-11, but with a mid-90s fastball and solid changeup, Denholm could be a steal if the Indians get him to sign. Round 15, Pick 456: Alaska Abney, RHP, Coastal Carolina The 6-foot-1 Abney, originally from Georgia, is a reliever who had five saves in 2021 for the Chanticleers. He struck out 68 batters in 48.2 innings pitched this spring. Round 16, Pick 486: Zach Pettway, RHP, UCLA The 6-foot-2 Pettway was a preseason first-team All-American but struggled to a 3-5 record and 4.56 ERA. Injury hindered the early part of the season. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Pettway had a 1.05 ERA. Round 17, Pick 516: Tyler Thornton, RHP, Arizona State Thornton could return to school, but the Indians couldn't let up on the college pitcher bit. After starting his career at St. Mary's (CA), Thornton struck out 103 batters in 100.1 innings at ASU. Round 18, Pick 546: Tommy Ventimiglia, RHP, Longwood (NY) HS Ventimiglia's a high-school right-hander committed to Stony Brook. According to his Perfect Game profile, he's touched 92 miles per hour with his fastball and added 13 miles per hour since beginning his varsity career. Round 19, Pick 576: Reid Johnston, RHP, NC State Johnston struck out a batter per inning as a starter this spring for the Wolfpack en route to the College World Series. The 6-foot-3 righty earned a win against Stanford in Omaha. Round 20, Pick 606: Jake Miller, RHP, San Diego Miller had a 2.52 ERA as a junior after throwing a no-hitter as a sophomore. He struck out 77 batters in 60.2 innings this spring.