Indians Top 50: #29 Cord Phelps

Cord Phelps - Second Baseman
Born: 01/23/1987 - Height: 6'2" - Weight: 200 - Bats: Switch - Throws: Right

Year	Age	Team	Lvl	G	AB	R	H	2B	3B	HR	RBI	BB	SO	SB	Avg	OBP	SLG	OPS
2008	21	GCL Indians	R	1	3	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	.000	.000	.000	.000
2008	21	Mahoning Vy	A-	35	141	24	44	10	2	2	21	15	22	4	.312	.376	.454	.830
2009	22	Kinston	A+	130	479	72	125	27	5	4	53	93	97	17	.261	.386	.363	.749
		Totals		166	623	96	169	37	7	6	75	108	121	21	.271	.382	.382	.764

History: Phelps was selected by the Indians in the 3rd round of the 2008 Draft out of Stanford University. His professional debut in 2008 was slowed by a sprained ankle he suffered prior to the College World Series.  Prior to his junior year in college, he did not hit a home run in 278 at bats, but he hit 13 home runs in 259 at bats his junior year in 2008.  Last year at High-A Kinston he finished 7^th in the Carolina League in games played (130), 8^th in at bats (479), 9^th in runs (72), 9^th in hits (125), 6^th in triples (5), 1^st in walks (93), and 2^nd in on-base percentage (.386).

Strengths & Opportunities: Phelps is the most complete player the Indians obtained in the 2008 Draft, and has an ability to impact the game in several different areas.  He is an above-average offensive player with great instincts who maintains a consistent, patient approach at the plate that results in a good ability to put the bat on the ball and get on-base at an incredible rate.  He handles himself really well at the plate with a good game plan, and is a very strong player.  He has a very good idea of the strike zone, and is an extremely disciplined and intelligent hitter.  He pounds the gaps and is still getting stronger, so has the potential to drive the ball more down the road.

Phelps is a very athletic table-setter who has good speed and shows excellent instincts on the bases, runs them hard, and makes good decisions.  He is very disciplined with the way he goes about his preparations with his game.  He is what they call a "baseball player" because he is a hardnosed, serious player that is very mature, driven, has a good attitude, and understands the game.  His offensive game may not be that of Chase Utley, but the way he plays the game and carries himself is very much like him.  His patient, polished approach at the plate along with his good speed profiles him as a #2 hitter and potentially a leadoff hitter.

Phelps is often under-rated as a defender at second base.  He already plays very good, consistent defense at the position and it is believed that he will ultimately become an above average defender at the big league level.  He moves around well and displays very good instincts and gets good reads on the ball.  He turns a good double play and displays a solid, accurate arm, and shows a very good ability to cover the hole between second and first well.  Though he is firmly planted at second base, he does have experience at third base and shortstop in college which could create some versatility for him down the road. He is just a very sound defender where in 561 total chances last year he only had four errors, which was good for a .993 fielding percentage which was 1^st in the Carolina League.

Phelps is still transitioning to the professional game and is continuing to improve as a player, and is expected to show more power numbers.  Right now his on-base percentage is very good and it is felt that he will continue to improve in this area because of his abilities.  Going forward he needs to be a little bit more consistent, but this also comes with learning the game.  His batting average should improve as he continues to play and his approach at the plate becomes even more sound.  He needs to make some adjustments at the plate to improve his approach such as being more short to the ball and work through the ball better.  While he has a simplified, patient approach, he needs to continue to work on being a little more aggressive at the plate and to know what to expect in certain situations.

Outlook:  The Indians have had trouble in years past finding and developing quality second basemen, and things have changed now that Phelps is in the mix.  He shows good strength, speed, and defense in the middle of the diamond, and is already producing early in his career which is a good sign that he is getting the most out of his abilities.  He is an option in the near future at second base for the Indians because he is an advanced player both defensively and offensively, and should open the 2010 season as the starting second baseman at Double-A Akron.

Photo courtesy of Tony Lastoria

Cord Phelps MinorLeagueBaseball.com page

Cord Phelps Baseball-Reference page

Cord Phelps MinorLeagueSplits.com page

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