The Smartest Pick Indians Made in the 2020 MLB Draft

The Cleveland Indians are a team that focuses on building through the MLB Draft due to a lack of desire to hand out major contracts to established players. That likely made the shortened 2020 draft a concern for the franchise.

The Indians ended up with six picks in the five-round event, and went with three high school players and three out of college -- yet one pick stands out above the rest as the smartest, and not just because of the name recognition involved.

The Indians acquired a different Logan Allen in 2019, and added another in the second round of this year's draft. This Allen is also a southpaw, and even played some first base in college. As a pitcher, he finished his career at FIU with a 3.33 ERA in 31 games with a 12.1 K/9. He also had a good enough reputation to appear on some preseason All-American lists before the 2020 season was cut short.

The Indians need more left-handed pitchers in the system, and that makes this Allen pick a great one. The ironic thing is that the team seems to primarily focus on guys named Logan Allen, when it comes to lefties. It is entirely possible both men with the same name are in the rotation at the same time one day.

Having experience in college should mean Allen's path to the majors will be quicker than those coming straight from high school. He only stands 6-0, but being a left-handed pitcher adds a different dynamic, and the Indians desperately need one in the rotation. The team has a reputation for developing pitchers, and Allen landed himself in a great situation.