The Cleveland Indians surprised some on the first day of the draft when they took high school shortstop Tyler Freeman with the 71st pick overall.
It wasn’t because Freeman wasn’t talented, he most certainly is, many simply feared he’d be difficult to sign due to a strong commitment to TCU, which had dropped his stock a bit.
Thankfully, the Indians signed the 18-year-old on June 28 and he’s been hot out of the gate. Even with a recent rough patch, Freeman is still slashing .282/.319/.400 through 23 games with the AZL Indians in the rookie league.