It was pretty apparent midway through the 2015 season that Zimmer had no business falling to the Indians with the 21st pick in the 2014 draft. He slashed .308/.403/.493 with 10 home runs and 32 steals in 335 plate appearances at High-A Lynchburg before receiving a promotion to Double-A. The 22-year-old center fielder struggled against Eastern League pitching, but he still finished with a .273 average, 16 homers and 44 steals in 127 games across the two levels. There are questions about whether Zimmer will be able to stick in center field, given his 6-foot-5 height, but he moves well enough to stay up the middle in the short term. A hairline fracture in his foot canceled the Indians’ plans of sending Zimmer to the Arizona Fall League, but he should be ready to go for the start of the 2016 season. Cleveland’s deficiencies in center field could cause them to fast track Zimmer to the big leagues sometime this summer if he gets off to a hot start at Double-A, and at the very least he will be part of the outfield mix entering 2017.

Zimmer was the 21st pick in the 2014 draft, and finished the year with a three-game stint at Low-A Lake County after playing 45 games with short-season Mahoning Valley. The 21-year-old outfielder figures to move fast through the Indians’ system, as is typical of college bats drafted in the first round. His short-season numbers were pretty ridiculous (four home runs, 11 steals, .401 OBP), but it’s hard to put much stock into those given the small sample and the quality of competition. At 6-foot-4, 185 pounds, he has some filling out to do, and with that, he should go from being a 30-plus steal threat to a 15-25 steal option over a full season in the majors. With a solid approach at the plate and present gap-to-gap doubles power, there’s room for projection in the bat, with an outside shot that Zimmer develops into a 20/20 threat by the time he reaches the big leagues, possibly by late 2016.