The “other” Logan Allen impressed in his first professional season
As our prospect countdown departs the top five and certainly the top ten, prospect pedigree, hype, and information tends to decline.
Things are beginning to taper a bit. I point this out not to malign Logan T. Allen, AKA Logan Allen the Greater, Logan Allen Prime, Wolverine, etc. Rather, his short track record in the minor leagues is impressive but limits his rise in our polls this season.
A second-round pick in 2020, Allen made his professional debut in 2021 at High-A. After 51.1 innings with a 1.58 ERA, Cleveland decided to bump him up to Double-A Akron. He didn’t slow down very much. Allen tossed 60 innings, holding his ERA to 2.85 in those efforts.
We do a lot of stat sheet analysis here at Covering the Corner, and I recognize this. It is primarily due to the nature of internet blogging — our Masthead lives all over the place, and while Brian and I are theoretically in range of a decent number of minor league games, boy is life busy. I have not had the opportunity to see Logan Allen pitch in person, and so from a mechanics standpoint, an evaluation of stuff, is he deceptive, does his fastball have ride — I am sorry. We’re working on it.
What I can suggest is this — we are looking to Aaron Civale and Shane Bieber as comps for Logan Allen at the moment. I think the more appropriate comparison is actually Corey Kluber. One, both attended fairly random Florida colleges (Kluber attended Stetson, Allen attended Florida International University). Two, both have shown an ability to strike batters out at the High-A level. Three, they both appear to be fairly good at the same level at limiting home runs.
Now — keep in mind that I am comparing Logan Allen to Corey Kluber before his Eureka moment with the two-seamer. As of right now, Allen has better command over his pitch mix than Kluber did at the same time. Allen has only walked about two batters per nine innings; Kluber struggled early in his minor league career, peaking at a miserable 6.8 in more than 50 innings at Double-A in 2009.
The other reason I want to bring Kluber into this: There is a whole lot of “fog of war” to deal with when it comes to prospects. If I told you in 2009 that a guy — not a dude, but just some guy — who allowed 6.8 walks per nine at Double-A would win two Cy Young Awards and throw a no-hitter, you would have told me to go swim the entire Chain of Lakes complex.
And so I make no such proclamations about Logan T. Allen. He is a promising young pitcher in a system that is exceptional at developing promising young pitchers. He is also surrounded by catchers and catching prospects who all receive rave reviews about their ability to call a game. It is possible that the conditions are just right for rapid intensification. He might also go to a farm upstate with Brady Aiken. You never know.
We will see more from Wolverine Logan Allen in the spring.
Keep an eye on how the Guardians ask him to approach hitters during that time. It is not uncommon for teams to put pitchers on a leash. As one example, it may be stated that a certain pitch can only be thrown on 0-2, or you will try to throw your changeup against righties today good luck buddy, etc. It is a great way to make pitchers target specific skills and always an interesting way to see what organizations focus on when developing talent.
Steven Kwan, OF (Age 24)
2021 (AA): 221 PA, .337/.411/.539, 7 HR, 4 SB, 10.0 BB%, 10.4 K%, 159 wRC+
2021 (AAA): 120 PA, .311/.398/.505, 5 HR, 2 SB, 11.7 BB%, 6.7 K%, 144 wRC+
Former fifth-round pick who has emerged as a legitimate hitting prospect after the missed 2020 season. Posted 12 home runs in 2021 after hitting three in his first two professional seasons.
Bryan Lavastida, C (Age 23)
2021 (A+): 198 PA, .303/.399/.467, 5 HR, 14 SB, 13.1 BB%, 15.2 K%, 136 wRC+
2021 (AA): 119 PA, .291/.373/.466, 3 HR, 2 SB, 10.1 BB%, 23.5 K%, 130 wRC+
2021 (AAA): 21 PA, .158/.238/.316, 1 HR, 0 SB, 9.5 BB%, 47.6 K%, 47 wRC+
Transitioned from infielder to catcher in college and has continued to blossom at the position ever since. Fifteenth-round selection in the 2018, hit a career-high nine home runs in 2021.
Cody Morris, RHP (Age 25)
2021 (AA): 20.0 IP, 5 GS, 36.3 K%, 8.8 BB%, 1.35 ERA, 3.14 FIP
2021 (AAA): 36.2 IP, 9 GS, 36.1 K%, 8.3 BB%, 1.72 ERA, 3.06 FIP
Maybe the most MLB-ready pitcher in the Guardians system. Missed the start of 2021 due to a shoulder injury, but quickly made the jump from Double-A to Triple-A upon his return and looks poised to make his MLB debut early in 2022.
Bo Naylor, C (Age 22)
2021 (AA): 356 PA, .188/.280/.332, 10 HR, 10 SB, 10.4 BB%, 31.5 K%, 69 wRC+
Offense took a step back in 2021, but has earned good marks for his defense and framing behind the plate. One of the youngest players in Double-A last season.
Jhonkensy Noel, 1B/3B (Age 20)
2021 (A): 162 PA, .393/.426/.693, 11 HR, 2 SB, 4.3 BB%, 16.7 K%, 189 wRC+
2021 (A+): 111 PA, .280/.351/.550, 8 HR, 3 SB, 8.1 BB%, 27.9 K%, 135 wRC+
Dominated Single-A as a 20-year-old before getting the bump to High-A and continuing a vendetta against baseballs. Lack of walks could be a concern, but capable of obliterating baseballs.
Richie Palacios, 2B/OF (Age 24)
2021 (AA): 283 PA, .299/.389/.496, 6 HR, 10 SB, 11.7 BB%, 14.8 K%, 142 wRC+
2021 (AAA): 113 PA, .292/.434/.416, 1 HR, 10 SB, 17.2 BB%, 19.3 K%, 139 wRC+
Returned from over 2.5 years between games and didn’t miss a beat, putting up extraordinary numbers at Double-A and Triple-A while playing four different positions. Added to 40-man roster in November.
Jose Tena, SS (Age 20)
2021 (A+): 447 PA, .281/.331/.467, 16 HR, 10 SB, 6.0 BB%, 26.2 K%, 115 wRC+
An under-the-radar middle infield prospect who made his presence widely known when he dominated the 2021 Arizona Fall League despite being one of the youngest players participating.
Gavin Williams, RHP (Age 22)
2021: 1st round pick in MLB Draft
Drafted 23rd overall by Cleveland in the 2021 MLB Draft. Features a high-90s fastball capable of touching triple digits. Led East Carolina to the College World Series.