Brian Slocum

Slocum made some progress when he tossed 94 innings at Triple-A Buffalo, striking out 91, but continues to struggle with walks. A big arm will not stay long if it's wild and Slocum will have to tame himself or be back in Buffalo by March.

Slocum is plodding up the ladder after spending three seasons at Villanova, which means much of his success has come against players much younger and less experienced. That success has also not been extraordinary, which begs the question: Why did Cleveland protect him in the Rule 5 draft? He wasn't exactly dominant in college and owns 4-plus ERAs over the past three seasons, two spent in Kinston. It could be his nice Arizona Fall League campaign as a reliever, where he struck out 19 in 20 innings. He can build on that and maybe get to a level where he's playing with boys his own age.