Indians Top 100 Prospects: #30 Tim Fedroff

30. Tim Fedroff - Outfielder
Born: 02/04/1987 - Height: 5'11" - Weight: 220 - Bats: Left - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	BA	OBP	SLG	OPS
2008	21	North Carolina	C	67	285	78	115	22	5	12	71	35	34	14	.404	.468	.642	1.110
2008	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	23	91	12	29	6	1	0	12	10	20	1	.319	.382	.407	.789

History:  Fedroff was a 7th round pick in the 2008 Draft out of the University of North Carolina.  He is another draft pick who came with a big pricetag and would have gone much higher in the draft if he had not scared teams away with his bonus demands.  After selecting him, the Indians ponied up the money to sign him for $725,000 just before the August 15th signing deadline last year. 

Strengths & Opportunities:  Fedroff a well-rounded player in that he has above average speed, has good range and an average arm in the outfield, makes good contact and has some pop in his bat to pound the ball gap-to-gap.  He is a competitor who puts up some good at bats, puts the ball in play and gets his hits.  At 5'11" 220-pounds there have already been some comparisons to the Giles brothers because of his short, compact build and the way he plays and performs with the pedal to the metal.  He has a nice swing, and generates a lot of strength from his very strong forearms and wrists.  He also displayed good plate discipline in his two-year playing career at North Carolina with a 54-54 strikeout to walk ratio in 130 college games (494 at bats). 

At North Carolina he always played right field, but in his first few seasons in the organization he is expected to primarily play center field.  He covers a lot of ground out in the outfield, and with his bat the Indians feel they may have a good offensive center fielder in the making.  That said, because of his average arm he likely will find himself in left field when he reaches the upper levels of the system and potentially the big leagues. 

Fedroff's average to above average skills across the board are the result of his high school coach making him work extra hard in the areas he needed improvement.  Even with his well-rounded game, Fedroff still has things to work on. While he likes hitting, he believes he will need to make some big strides to become a better defensive outfielder, especially at a new position in center field, so he will be focusing a lot with the transition to center field this coming season and making that adjustment.  As a runner, Fedroff is still considered very raw and many baseball people feel that his raw above average speed will only improve once he learns more technique, how to read the pitchers in the stretch, and the way the ball comes off the bat to go first to third. 

Outlook:  Outside of maybe Lucas Montero, Fedroff has the best combination of power and speed in the Indians system.  After a nice debut at short-season Single-A Mahoning Valley in 2008, Fedroff should make the next step up on the minor league ladder and open with full-season advanced Single-A Kinston in 2009. 

Photo courtesy of Ken Carr 

Tim Fedroff MinorLeagueBaseball.com stats page 

Tim Fedroff Baseball-Reference page 

Tim Fedroff MinorLeagueSplits.com page

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