2010 Indians 2nd Round Pick: OF LeVon Washington

With their 2nd round pick in the 2010 Draft, the Indians have selected outfielder LeVon Washington out of Chipola JC (FL).

Height: 5'11 Weight: 170 lbs DOB: 07/26/1991 Bats: Left Throws: Right

Signing Update (June 11): Contrary to reports, Washington is not close to signing with the Indians. In fact, the Indians have not even spoken to him or anybody associated with him. The reports that he is close to a $1.55 million deal are greatly exaggerated, and most likely being fueled by his agent to put pressure on the Indians, which should be no surprise since in this case it is Scott Boras.

2010 Stats:

147 AB, 39 R, 48 H, 11 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 24 BB, 20 K
.327 AVG, .429 OBP, .578 SLG, 9-for-12 SB

Draft Ranks:

Keith Law: 61
PGCrosschecker: 45
Baseball America: 66

Indians Director of Amateur Scouting Brad Grant's Take: “He is an athletic high upside centerfielder, and is a left-handed bat with an advanced approach to hit. He has very good natural bat speed and a very disciplined approach. He is a 7 runner on the 2-8 scale, which is a well above average runner. He is 4.0 to 4.1 down to first base which is well above major league players. He was a second baseman in high school and transitioned to center field this year in junior college, and we see him as a center fielder. With his speed and ability to cover gaps, and the ability to track down balls and go back and come in very well on balls he has a chance to be an above average centerfielder in the future. He also has power too, so [while] he has the leadoff discipline, hitting and running, he also has some ability to pull the ball out of the ballpark and drive the ball into the gaps. He is a good advanced junior college hitter. There is a lot of upside to LeVon; that’s what is exciting about him. He is a very good athlete with two things you can’t teach: above average bat speed and the ability to run. He had a slight tear to his throwing shoulder which caused him to have to DH sometimes in high school. This year the shoulder did not have any issues at all, though during the course of the season he did have some hamstring issues which caused him to miss games, but as far as the shoulder goes he has been fine. We are fine [with the makeup] and I have talked with LeVon in the winter and we have known him since high school. He is a good kid, and we are very comfortable with him.”

Jeff Ellis: LeVon Washington is a talented athletic player, the type of player fans have been screaming for the Indians to draft. He looks like he might end up as a 2B because he does not have the arm to play SS or CF. The kid is very toolsy with plus speed and a nice looking swing, and he shows a good eye. There are some major red flags here, one his agent is Scott Boras, two he might need more surgery on his labrum, and lastly he showed a lack of passion and frankly indifference a lot of times this year in college. Washington might be the most talented player on the board, but I have to say I don’t like this pick because of the red flags, though for all those fans screaming for the team to draft athletes they should love this pick. I just would never touch a kid who seems like he doesn’t have a love for the game.

Charlie Adams: Levon Washington was the 1st round pick of the Rays last year going 31st overall. He didn’t sign and instead opted to play at Chipola JC in Marianna, FL. Washington has a below average arm for any of the 3 outfield spots and despite excellent speed, he isn’t a plus-defender in terms of range. His best tool is his bat as he uses plus-speed and good contact skills to generate offense. He has surprising pop as can be seen by his 8 HR’s in only 41gms during his sole season of JC ball.

His bat will be a boon to the system at whatever level he hops into, whether it be Rookie, or low-A. Finding a position for him could be tough however. There was some mention of a move to 2B and the Indians clearly aren’t afraid to do this with their 2nd round picks, as evidenced by Jason Kipnis and his immediate conversion from OF to 2B upon being drafted.

A concern that has come up on multiple scouting reports, apart from his lack of a true defensive home, is his seeming lack of interest in the game. However, some of this could be chalked up to his 1st round selection, failure to sign and subsequent participation in JC ball as opposed to the more challenging (and more lucrative) minor leagues + signing bonus. As far as the intangibles go, the Indians front-office is huge on this part of the game and you have to believe that they are convinced they can sign him and that he will be a hungry player, eager to prove the doubters wrong.

Andrew Zajac: The Indians brass assured their fans they would be aggressive in this year's draft and the first sign of this is the selection of LeVon Washington out of Chipola Junior College in Florida. Last year, he was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays and they failed to sign him; however, the signing process with the Rays wasn't pretty. Washington claims the lack of a deal was the Rays "choice". In comments to the Gainesville Sun/Gatorsports.com, Victor Washington claimed the Rays didn't abide by a predraft agreement and wouldn't "budge" from an offer of slot value, which Baseball America estimated at $1.08 million. (SI.com reported the Rays offered $1.1 million.) Signability appears to be an issue, not to mention Washington is also represented by the one and only, Scott Boras.

Washington has plus speed and while he didn't run often, he has the ability to run the bases well and quickly. He has a below average arm in the outfield with bad instincts, but has the speed to cover ground out there. There has been some talk about converting him to second base, but with the surplus of players at second in our system, the Indians may give Washington a shot to prove he can stay in center. His swing needs some work, but he has quick wrists and fairly decent plate coverage. His power is below average. However, he's an athletic kind of guy. Some scouts compare him to guys like Coco Crisp, Johnny Damon, and Shannon Stewart.

His character is in question though because many teams have been turned off by his lack of energy on the field and some question his love for the game. The Sun reported a while back that Washington didn't meet the academic requirements for the University of Florida to attend there and may be why he chose to go the junior college route. The Indians must feel pretty confident they can sign this guy and also turn a switch on with him. It's a high risk pick and it can be very hit or miss with Washington.

Indians Press Release:

The Cleveland Indians have selected OF LeVON WASHINGTON with their second round pick (55th overall) in the 2010 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

Washington, 18, is a 5-10, 170-pound left-handed hitting outfielder who batted .327 (48-147) with 11 doubles, a triple, eight home runs, 25 RBIs and 39 runs scored in 41 games for the Chipola College Indians. He stole nine bases in 12 attempts, which was second most on the team and ranked eighth among NJCAA Division I Region 8.

Last year, as a senior at Buchholz High School in Gainesville, FL Washington hit .400 (34-85) with seven home runs, 19RBI and 32 runs scored while also stealing14 bases.

This marks the second time Washington has been selected in the Major League Baseball First-Year player draft as he was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays with the 30th overall selection in the first round of the last year’s draft.

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