With the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft coming up on June 4, every club in the Major Leagues will be looking to bolster their system by bringing in as many talented prospects as they can. For the Cleveland Indians, they will look to continue to build upon their upward momentum and bring in players that can help the team's early season success from the past couple seasons translate into postseason glory.
Several outlets have stated that the Tribe will look to improve their pitching staff by selecting a pitcher with their first round selection at pick No. 15. According to MyMLBDraft.com, that's what they see the team doing as the site projected that the Indians will select right-handed pitching prospect Chris Stratton with their first pick.
Startton was a junior last year at Mississippi State University where he was named the SEC's Pitcher of the Year by the conference's coaches. He stands at six-foot-three, 198 pounds and is a two-time SEC Academic Honor Roll selection.
Mississippi State is largely considered to have one of the best pitching staffs in the country with Stratton being it's best arm. Courtesy of the Columbus Dispatch:
"Nobody wants to play the Mississippi State Bulldogs right now, and that's just obvious," said ESPN college baseball analyst Ben McDonald on Monday on the NCAA selection show on ESPNU. "They've got one of the best pitchers in the country in Chris Stratton, and with that pitching depth is one of the most dangerous teams in all of college baseball."
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