Batting first for the Lake Count Captains...

A 19-year-old.

Batting second for the Lake County Captains...

A 19-year-old.

For the second straight year, the Cleveland Indians have assembled a young team in Lake County -- and it's showing in the results.

The Captains dropped to 5-11 with a 6-1 loss to Burlington on April 19 at Classic Park. The loss was the Captains' 10th in their last 11 games.

One year after an overmatched team finished 54-83, the Captains are once again plummeting in the Midwest League standings.

The lineup the Captains used against Burlington included four 19-year-olds in the top five slots in the batting order. Center fielder Clint Frazier and shortstop Dorssys Paulino batted first and second, and first baseman Nellie Rodriguez and designated hitter Anthony Santander batted fourth and fifth. Catcher Eric Haase batted between the quartet.

Haase, a seventh-round draft pick in 2011, is 21 years old. He didn't play college baseball. In fact, only one player in the lineup attended college: No. 6 hitter and third baseman Paul Hendrix (Texas Christian).

A young roster isn't a bad thing. Minor League Baseball is designed to develop major-league players. If a player reaches full-season baseball as a teenager, he maximizes his chances to reach the big leagues.

But a young roster also often maximizes mistakes. The Captains lead the Midwest League with 30 errors and only two teams have fewer wins.

Consider what's happening early season developmental pains. It's becoming a common theme at Classic Park.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

The Lake County Captains and Lansing Lugnuts open the season April 4 at Classic Park. The Midwest League's other 14 teams begin play April 3.

Blame the late start on Lansing's exhibition game against Michigan State. It wouldn't be the first time in the last six months a group from Lansing, Mich., interrupted an Ohio team's plans.

When the season finally does start in Lake County, here are 10 Midwest League players worth tracking. Because we're discussing Minor League Baseball, all team assignments are subject to immediate change.

Aaron Blair (RHP, South Bend): The Silver Hawks won the Eastern Division last season and they could be looking at a repeat if their staff includes others with Blair's imposing dimensions: 6-foot-5, 230 pounds. The Diamondbacks used a 2013 supplemental first-round draft pick on Blair. Tight ends who command a fastball and drop another pitch or two into the zone don't last long in the baseball draft. 

D.J. Davis (OF, Lansing): It seems like the Captains and Lugnuts play 39 times each season, meaning prospect junkies who watch games at Classic Park will see plenty of Davis, the Blue Jays' 2012 first-round draft pick. Davis, 19, hasn't compiled gaudy numbers, but he's an elite athlete primed for a breakout season. If you miss this weekend's series, don't fret. Davis and the Lugnuts return in July.

Edwin Diaz (RHP, Clinton): Here's how a perfect career path looks. The Mariners drafted Diaz in third round and signed him for $300,000 in 2012. Diaz started 13 games in the rookie Appalachian League, won five of them, posted a 1.43 ERA, struck out 79 in 69 innings (and walked just 18) and ended the summer as one of short-season baseball's top prospects in 2013. Next step for the 20-year-old Diaz is full-season baseball.

Philip Ervin (OF, Dayton): The Dragons are a big hit in Dayton and the Reds selected Ervin in the first round of last year's draft. This could make him the second most popular man in town behind Dayton basketball coach Archie Miller. Ervin, 23, received a small sampling of Dragonmania last year. He must like it. He hit .349 in 12 games.

Carson Kelly (C, Peoria): Kelly, a 2012 second-round draft pick, played for the State College Spikes last season, a franchise this assistant sports editor might know something about. Our State College friends tell us Kelly can play. To their surprise, he's catching this season after spending 2013 at third base. Wherever the Cardinals tell Kelly, 19, to work, he should be fine. He hit .277 in the New York-Penn League last season. 

Kohl Stewart (RHP, Cedar Rapids): The Twins are loaded with high-level prospects, a category Stewart falls into. A 2013 first-round draft pick, Stewart passed for 8,803 yards and 87 touchdowns, but surrendered a chance to replace Johnny Manziel at Texas A&M. The reason? The Twins offered him a $4,544,400 signing bonus. It's not Johnny Football money, but it beats a Single-A per diem.

Dorssys Paulino (INF, Lake County): No, we didn't cut and paste from last year's list. The Indians are returning Paulino to Lake County for more seasoning. Only 19, Paulino struggled in the first half of 2013 before displaying promise in the second half. The second-half version of Paulino could anchor what should be an improved Lake County team in 2014.

Stryker Trahan (OF, South Bend): Best name on any Midwest League roster. Might be the best power hitter in the league, too. Trahan, 19, cracked 10 homers in 59 games at Missoula (Mont.) to lead the Pioneer League in homers last season. Multiple Pioneer League ballparks sit at altitude, which leads to a 2014 question: Can Stryker slug on flat ground?  

Ben Verlander (OF, West Michigan): Another Verlander in the Tigers' organization. This one doesn't throw 98 mph or make $20 million per year. The Tigers selected "Little Verlander" in the 14th round of last year's draft. Like older brother Justin, Ben played at Old Dominion. Unlike Justin, he will spend 2014 absorbing ribbing from Midwest League fans looking for somebody with a familiar name to heckle.

Semi-retired minor league baseball writer note:  Clint Frazier, the Indians' 2013 first-round draft pick, would be on this list if it weren't for a hamstring injury. Taking it easy with Frazier is a smart move. Chilly Eastlake air and ailing $3.5 million baseball investments don't mix.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy

The unveiling of baseball's most respected prospect list has become a prime-time television event.

Seriously.

Baseball America unveiled its Top 100 prospects on MLB Network on Wednesday night. Three players in the Indians' farm system were mentioned during the broadcast.

Shortstop Francisco Lindor, who played for the Lake County Captains in 2012, leads the Indians' trio at No. 13. Lindor's high ranking is no surprise. He plays a premium position, receives high praise from everybody associated with the sport and doesn't turn 21 until November. Lindor was ranked 28th on last year's Baseball America list. A strong performance at Double-A Akron, his likely 2014 starting destination, could propel Lindor into the top 10 of every credible 2015 prospect list -- assuming he doesn't reach Cleveland this season.

Outfielder Clint Frazier, the Indians' 2013 first-round draft pick who will likely begin this season with the Captains, is 48th on the list. Baseball America named Frazier the top prospect in the rookie Arizona League after Frazier cracked five homers in 44 games last season. Frazier turns 20 in September.

Pitcher Trevor Bauer is 82nd on the list despite a rough 2013. The 23-year-old Bauer was ranked 14th on last year's list following an offseason trade from the Diamondbacks to the Indians. Bauer is competing to become the Indians' No. 5 starter this spring.

-- Guy Cipriano | @newsheraldguy