For the past three years, Indians fans have been told over and over again that the team was rebuilding for the future. We said goodbye to CC Sabathia, Cliff Lee, Victor Martinez, Casey Blake, Jhonny Peralta and many others, all for players two or three years away from the big leagues.
I don’t need to say that the past three years have been rough for Tribe fans. We all know that.
The good news is that these young prospects are finally ready to contribute at the big league level. We’ve seen some of them already (Carlos Santana, Matt LaPorta, Michael Brantley) make it to the majors. While they’ve had varying levels of success, their futures, at least for now, look bright.
The even more exciting part for Indians fans everywhere is the rest of the crop of young players on their way up. There is plenty of talent pushing through the farm system ready to burst onto the scene. Five of these players are under 24 and poised to contribute to the big league club in a big way this year.