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Guardians prospect watch: 10 (or more) rookies who could debut in 2025
Image
Akron RubberDucks centerfielder Chase DeLauter (22) connects with a pitch during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game at Canal Park, Friday, April 5, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.
By Zack Meisel


GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Thirty-five players have made their major-league debut for the Guardians in the last three seasons, including 10 last year.

Cade Smith emerged as one of the league’s top relievers. Jhonkensy Noel delivered the signature moment of the club’s playoff run. Kyle Manzardo became a trusted hitter in rookie manager Stephen Vogt’s lineup. Erik Sabrowski and Andrew Walters joined a historically proficient bullpen for the last leg of the wild ride. Joey Cantillo and Daniel Schneemann made the postseason roster. The club also received contributions from Angel Martínez, Johnathan Rodriguez and Connor Gillispie.

Who could join the class of newcomers in 2025? There are plenty of candidates.
A whole bunch of pitchers

10. Tanner Burns, Will Dion, Bradley Hanner, Mason Hickman, Zak Kent, Jack Leftwich, Parker Messick, Andrew Misiaszek, Ryan Webb

Take your pick. Some are starters. Some are relievers. Some are starters who could wind up in the bullpen. The Guardians used 29 pitchers last year (plus Austin Hedges for a two-inning scoreless masterpiece), so they’ll need far more arms than the 13 they lean on at the start of the season. Everyone on this list should spend time at Triple-A Columbus, leaving them one call from a debut. The Guardians reassigned Dion, Burns, Hickman and Leftwich to minor-league camp Tuesday.
Are you an outfielder? You’re in demand

9. Petey Halpin

Halpin repeated Double A last year — the front office admitted it pushed him by starting him there a year earlier — and had slightly better results at the plate. It would stand to reason he’ll start in Columbus, and with other outfield prospects at that level battling injuries, it’s not impossible he finds his way to Cleveland, especially since he’s on the 40-man roster. One complication: Many of Cleveland’s infielders, such as Martínez, Schneemann, Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman, can also shift to the outfield.
You always need more catchers

8. Kody Huff

The number of catchers who have started a game for Cleveland the last four years: three, six, four, five. It’s a safe bet that they’ll need more than just Hedges and Bo Naylor. Dom Nuñez is probably next on the depth chart, as he joined the Guardians as an extra catcher to help with pregame work last October. After him, it’s the kids. Huff, 24, is a bit older and further along defensively than Cooper Ingle, the prospect darling. The Guardians acquired Huff from the Colorado Rockies for Cal Quantrill in November 2023. He finished last season at Double A, and if there’s an injury or two, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him debut.
Prospect Travis Bazzana had twice as many walks as strikeouts in college. (Kevin Neri / Statesman Journal / Imagn Images)
The top prospect

7. Travis Bazzana

Ever study Bazzana’s 2024 Oregon State stats? Twice as many walks as strikeouts, a homer every other game, an OPS approaching 1.500, the sort of numbers you couldn’t contrive even if setting your video game to rookie mode. It won’t come as easy to Bazzana in the professional ranks, but not for a lack of effort. The guy never leaves baseball mode, exhausting every resource the Guardians can offer to help him improve. That should pay dividends as he climbs toward the big leagues, and if none of the club’s second base candidates impresses and Bazzana flourishes in Akron and then Columbus, the calls for last summer’s No. 1 pick could grow deafening by summer.
The forgotten outfielder

6. George Valera

Three years ago, The Athletic’s prospect expert, Keith Law, wrote this about Valera, whom he ranked No. 29 on his list of the Top 100 prospects in the league: “He has bat speed, big strength and an advanced eye at the plate, along with solid-average defense for right field, and there’s just an electricity to the way he plays. … He might be a 30-homer/80-walk guy at his peak.” Since then, he has battled injuries and inconsistencies against left-handed pitching. And yet, he’s only 24. The Guardians booted him from the 40-man roster over the winter, so he’ll have to earn his way back into the plans. The first step? Get healthy, and stay healthy. After that, there’s always room for a corner outfielder with pop and a good eye.
The next relievers in line

5. Franco Aleman

For the last season and a half, he’s been perhaps the organization’s most effective reliever: 46 2/3 innings, 22 hits allowed, 15 walks, 72 strikeouts and a 0.96 ERA. It’s all about health, though. He made only 24 appearances last season at Triple A, and he’ll play catch-up this year after he underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia.

4. Nic Enright

Enright was set to debut for the Miami Marlins in 2023 after they snagged him from Cleveland in the Rule 5 Draft. He was even introduced on the field on Opening Day as a member of the big-league roster. But he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, so he spent the first few months on the injured list, and then the Marlins returned him to the Guardians that June. He’s been working his way back to the majors ever since, and he would have debuted last year had he not suffered a shoulder injury. In 17 innings at Columbus, he allowed two runs, nine hits and struck out 31. The Guardians added him to the 40-man roster, so once he’s recovered from a lat strain, he should be one of the first calls when the club needs a reliever.
Only an injury can get in the way

3. Chase DeLauter

Well, this is awkward. If not for injuries, he likely would have debuted by now. Or, at least, he’d be a threat to debut early this season, and he’d be considered the Guardians’ long-term solution in right field without hesitation. Instead, frequent trips to the training room have limited him to 96 games since the Guardians selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft, and now he’s sidelined for a couple of months following sports hernia surgery. So, here’s guessing he sees the majors at some point in 2025, but even that declaration isn’t as certain as it could be.

2. Doug Nikhazy

A spring bright spot, Nikhazy has planted himself in the conversation for the Opening Day roster in his first big-league camp. Even if he doesn’t join the Guardians in Kansas City at the end of the month, now that he’s ditched his shaky command habits and has attacked the strike zone (at least, until he ran into the Dodgers on Tuesday), he figures to log some service time this year, either as a starter or a second lefty in the pen.

1. Juan Brito

The Guardians want to learn as much as they can about him this year (especially before Bazzana starts hogging the second base reps), so even if Brito has to wait until May or June for a call-up, he should receive plenty of opportunities in 2025. It helps that he’s bettered his versatility, as he can bounce to first, third or corner outfield. He boasts a polished approach at the plate with a tendency to rack up walks. Last year, as a 22-year-old in Triple A, he totaled 40 doubles and 21 homers. The Guardians need to find out whether that’ll translate to the majors.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain

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2024 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Post-Grad Evaluations

1B Kyle Manzardo

Final ranking: #2 Overall (55 OVR - Risk: Moderate)

2024 Report: “55 - Hit over power first baseman that hits enough, walks enough and maximizes his power output enough to be an above average offensive contributor.”

2024 grades - Hit: 60 - Power: 50 - Speed: 40 - Defense: 40 - Arm: 40 - Overall: 55 - Risk: Moderate

What we learned: First half Kyle Manzardo was able to hit the ball in the air enough to prove he would get to his power, but his pull rate only being 30% suggested he was a bit off, and wasn’t going to get to it that way. As a result, he didn’t homer until his Sept. 1 callup. After Sept. 1, Manzardo’s fly ball rate was 51% (compared to 55% in the first half) but his pull rate made a leap to 48.9%, suggesting the kind of bat that could get to his power despite maybe having what some called average power. His .270/.333/.540 slash line in September represented the kind of player I thought he would be, and that was with a strikeout rate of 28% and just a 5% walk rate - both areas I expect to normalize for him in 2025.

Post graduate evaluation: Manzardo’s chase rate (27.7%) was in line with MLB averages (28.5%), as was his contact rate (73.4% - 76.8%). He manages to make zone contact at a rate consistent in the minors with his numbers. If he can tone down the chase a little, and swing a little less (38.9% in Triple-A to 46.7% in MLB), his walk rate should go up and strikeout rate go down. Manzardo improved against changeups in the majors (.296/.481) in a way I didn’t think he would. He crushes fastballs but struggles with breaking stuff. Lefties may pose an issue for him, so that’s where I still have questions. Cleveland really only seems to trust him as a DH. I think I would knock the hit tool, and speed down with platoon issues and seeing his sprint speeds.

Post graduate grades - Hit: 55 - Power: 50 - Speed: 30 - Defense: 40 - Arm: Overall 50 - Risk: Moderate

Jhonkensy Noel

Final ranking: #22 Overall (40 OVR - Risk: High)

2024 report: “40 - Low-OBP, power hitting corner bat with high upside but a limited value floor.”

2024 grades: Hit: 30 - Power: 55 - Speed: 40 - Defense: 45 - Arm: 40 - Overall: 40 - Risk: High

What we learned: Noel was on fire out of the gate, hitting .254/.304/.587 with six homers and a 147 wRC+. On the surface, that’s obviously pretty good. Behind that was 71.7% (below the 76.8% league average) and a chase rate 47.8% (well above the 28.6% league average). So no shock that after the 147 mark from June-July, Noel hit just .198/.279/.431 from August 1-end of the season. The chase rate came down to 42% in that stretch, but still well above league average, while the contact rate dipped to 66%. For the year, Noel finished with a 68% contact rate, and a chase rate of 44%. The only two qualified players from 2024 with rates like that were Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar (69% - 44.8%) and Boston’s Cedanne Rafeala (69.6% - 46.3%), both coming in under 100 wRC+ at 95 and 79, respectively. O’Neil Cruz had a 67.3% contact rate but just a 32% chase rate was as close as I could find for a qualified hitter with over 100 wRC+. Julio Rodriguez had a miserable start to the season and finished with a 116 and a contact rate of 71% and a chase rate of 36%. The last two are star level players and all four of these players I mentioned have speed and are plus defenders at their positions. So what we learned is that Noel can punish pitches in the zone, and has a in-zone contact rate in-line with league average (82.4% - compared to the 85.2% league average). But struggles with chase and contact when he does. He’s faster than I thought he would be (70th percentile sprint speed) but still a negative in the outfield (-2 OAA).

Post grad evaluation: The issues with chase and contact are about what I expected. There was talk about improved pitch selection, but I didn’t see that. Approaches are hard to change. Noel’s swing rate is about 7% above league average. It’s not so high that a big reduction would change his profile. And he has to hit the ball to have an impact. So he’s going to have to swing the bat. There’s just very little reason to throw Noel strikes. He’s proved he is a mistake hitting slugger with game changing power but didn’t have the plate discipline to force pitchers into the zone often enough. If he did, Noel could be a superstar on par with a Yordan Alvarez. The bat speed, raw power and ability to find the barrel are as high as this organization has had since Albert Belle or Jim Thome, or perhaps Travis Hafner. But staying in-zone is hard for Noel and without major improvements there, his outcomes are unlikely to change. He won’t draw walks or hit for enough average, and he’s not adding value defensively in the outfield outside of his arm, which was in the 76th percentile last year. He is faster than I assumed, so that’s about the only change I would make. I do believe Noel is a capable defender at first base and if Cleveland had him play there, the defensive grade is a little better, but he’s not getting any action there currently.

Post-graduate grades: Hit: 30 - Power: 55 - Speed: 45 - Defense: 40 - Arm: 55 - Overall: 40 - Risk: High

Brayan Rocchio

Final ranking: #5 Overall (50 OVR - Risk: Moderate)


2024 Report: “50 - High contact, good swing decision SS with strong defensive skills.”

2024 grades: Hit: 50 - Power: 40 - Speed: 55 - Defense: 55 - Arm: 50 - Overall: 50 - Risk: Moderate

What we learned: No surprise that Rocchio graded out at 5 OAA (outs above average) in the 89th percentile and could draw a walk (10% - 73rd percentile). A poor launch angle (9.4

degrees) led to a groundball rate of 47.7%. Combined with a slower sprint speed and well below average exit velos, it’s easy to see why Rocchio carried a .245 BABIP. In the minors, he had stints where he carried some shockingly low BABIPs, buy also some higher ones. Batted ball quality was not a strength for Rocchio in 2024 despite a league average contact rate. You’d like to see someone without great contact quality maybe have a better contact rate, because more balls in play might lead to some more BABIP luck just by sheer volume. Despite his strong walk rate, Rocchio only have roughly league average chase rates and ended up in the 40th percentile there, making it feel more like passivity than pitch selection. His sprint speed being in the 35th percentile was a surprise given his success on the bases in the minors.

Post grad evaluation: Contact quality and swing decisions have to drive hit tool grades for me. Contact for the sake of contact isn’t enough. I thought Rocchio would make enough contact and draw enough walks to be a league average bat in terms of batting average and OBP, while certainly offering below average power. But poor batted ball quality plagued him in the minors, too. In addition to maybe being lower on the hit tool now, the sprint speed was concerning in 2024. No real changes to the glove other than consistency, but that was always an issue for him in the minors. Still an above average glove with the notable hiccups, which seemed to come at very inopportune times in 2024. He’ll need to add strength to impact the ball more and hopefully that could aid him on the bases as well. It’s also important to note that development continues at the big league level too and Rocchio could make improvements in year two, so these grades are specific to 2024.

Post-graduation grades; Hit: 45 - Power: 30 - Speed: 45 - Defense: 55 - Arm: 50 - Overall: 45 - Risk: Moderate

Cade Smith

Final ranking: #34 Overall (40 OVR - Risk: Moderate)


2024 Report: “40 - Middle relief, possible setup man future”

2024 grades: Fastball: 55 - Sweeper: 45 - Split: 50 - Control: 40 - Overall: 40 - Risk: Moderate

What we learned: Cade Smith went from barely making the opening day roster to being one of the best relievers in baseball. The most surprising thing was that Smith was able to halve his walk rate from Triple-A in 2023 (10.4% down to 5.9%), which was surprising because he’d never had a walk rate below 10% in the minors for any extended stretch. It’s unusual to see such a drastic cut there getting to the majors, but development does continue at the major leagues. The extension in his delivery (7.4) really helped his fastball play even better at its velo (95-98). His

splitter, which was newer in 2023, became his second best pitch, while his sweeper continued to be his third best pitch. Smith didn’t get many chases out of the zone (35th percentile) but he didn’t need them,throwing first pitch strikes at a league average rate (63%) for the first time in his career (49.6% in Triple-A in 2023). Hitters made contact against Smith in the zone at 8% below league average, which also helps when you’re not getting chases.

Post-grad evaluation: The extension on the delivery took what was already an above average heater velo wise to a plus pitch, maybe even double play. 95-98 at 7.4 of extension can make pitches feel like 99-100. The real jump was his confidence in his splitter and the command of his fastball overall. He did throw his fastball almost 70% of the time, so you’d like to see him have more usage of the splitter to keep hitters off the fastball, but with his velo, extension and command, it’s understandable why. The sweeper could use some work as well - below average in horizontal break. But the control and fastball grade clearly took major steps forward here.

Post-graduation grades: Fastball: 60 - Sweeper: 45 - Split: 50 - Control: 50 - Overall: 50 - Risk: Moderate

INF/OF Daniel Schneemann

Final ranking: None


2024 Report: N/A

2024 grades: N/A

What we learned: Schneeman had a strong 2023 in Triple-A, contributing in the power and speed department and showing his versatility. That got him on the radar in spring training in 2024 with an invite to camp despite not being on the 40 man roster at the time. He got off to a strong start in Triple-A in 2024 and eventually got the call and stayed up all year. He got off to a strong start seeing time all over the field. The reputation that Schneemann came with was utility, improving exit velocities and some ability to draw a walk. He had an .805 OPS before the All-Star break and and .555 after the All-Star break. But his role as a utility largely held up, adding defensive value in the outfield, and third base, while below average defensively at short.

Post grad evaluation: No shock that defensively, Schneemann saw action all over the field and appeared to be best in right and third, while being average at second and below average at shortstop. He had reverse splits against LHP (.992 OPS, .609 vs RHP) but was better against RHP in the minors, so I expect that to be fluky. Schneeman did work to improve his bat speed and hit the ball harder. Generally, he doesn’t chase out of the zone but makes below league average contact. He seems like a 26th man who can play different positions and offer some pop, a walk and speed, which is valuable in that role.

Post-graduation grades; Hit: 40 - Power: 40 - Speed: 50 - Defense: 50 - Arm: 55 - Overall: 40 - Risk: Moderate

Angel Martinez

Final ranking: #5 Overall (45 OVR - Risk: Moderate)


2024 Report: “45 - High contact switch hitter with a more utility profile that could be a fringe-average regular if he can handle second or center defensively”

2024 grades: Hit: 45 - Power: 40 - Speed: 55 - Defense: 50 - Arm: 50 - Overall: 45 - Risk: Moderate

What we learned: Martinez got some run in center when the Guardians needed a spark and he gave them some. He proved to be mostly playable in center and left, though maybe not an extended look. His strong contact rates continued and he showed the ability to take a walk. As he got more exposure, his chase rate expanded more. We really saw some strong fly ball numbers (40.7%) and pull rates (41.3%) that could be encouraging for his batted ball profile going forward. Perhaps we will see some better power for Angel despite lower average EVs. He might need some more time in Triple-A (less than 100 PAs) and the majors to adjust his approach, which isn’t as bad as Noel’s to maximize his profile.

Post grad evaluation: The batted ball data is somewhat encouraging that I think we could see maybe fringe-average power. His sprint speeds didn’t paint a picture of a great runner on the base, but those can sometimes be a little misleading. Defensively, it would appear second base is going to be his best home on the diamond, but more time in the outfield could get him to average there and he’s not unplayable. That might stick him more as a tweener/utility guy, but at 23, and few Triple-A reps, I think there’s still some growth to be had here where I’m not out on him as a starter.

Post-graduation grades; Hit: 45 - Power: 45 - Speed: 55 - Defense: 50 - Arm: 50 - Overall: 45 - Risk: Moderate
2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #1 2B Travis Bazzana

Age (2025 season)


Acquired


2024 Level


Rule 5


Height


Weight


Bats


Throws

22


2024 Draft (Round 1)


High-A


2027


6’0


199


Left


Right
Travis Bazzana 2024 Stats

PA


AVG/OBP/SLG


2B


HR


SB


K%/BB%

122


.238/.369/.296


14


3


5/5


25.4%/13.9%

Travis Bazzana 2025 Scouting Grades

Hit


Power


Speed


Field


Arm


Overall


Risk


ETA

60


55


60


45


45


60


Moderate


2025
First Impression

Compact, physically maxed athlete with good twitchy-traits. Relentless motor on and off the field with the personality to match on and off camera. Impact offensive tools. Potential All-Star.
What Makes Bazzana Fun

What’s more exciting about Bazzana? His actual impact offensive tools themselves or the fact that Cleveland hasn’t had an offensive prospect of Bazzana’s ilk in some time, that it enhances your anticipation (and expectations)? And who in the US doesn’t enjoy an Austrailian accent? Prospects are fun because they haven’t failed yet and it’s still possible to believe they will reach and even exceed expectation. The last time Cleveland in general has had a prospect that had the hype and potential to actually match the hype on the field might have been LeBron James? Bazzana has that LeBron mentality to winning and work ethic to get there. As far as on the field, Bazzana is a little active in the box in tightly wound, squared stance with a flatter bat setup. He’s explosive through his load and swing. His ability to create vertical barrel angles in his swing without sacrificing contact is impressive. He can hit line drives and fly balls to his pull side enough to tap into above average power despite not having top of the scale exit velocities. He’s able to do this in part by good pitch selection and understanding which pitches he can drive and taking pitches he can’t, rather than sacrificing for the sake of making contact because he can, unless he gets to two strikes. So his two strike approach is also good. He’s a plus runner out of the box with a great motor, enough to squeak out infield hits that can drive his batting average and also give him extra bases and steals. His work ethic and character also count as plus and make him just as fun.
What Could Hold Bazzana Back?

Even though he’s a position player, there’s still no such thing as a perfect prospect. There is a little a concern about passivity at the plate, We saw this in college in his swing rate and that carried over into the pros. That at times might cause him to strike out. He has a good eye at the plate and always feels like he knows the zone and what is a strike and what he can or cannot drive. Defensively, Bazzana doesn’t quite move in the field like you would expect from a quick twitch athlete with speed. The actions don’t quite match that for some reason that is hard to peg. Bazzana’s arm is a bit fringe in terms of strength and accuracy sometimes. Improving his throwing angles will be something to watch for so he can make throws going to his right. Perhaps the only two flaws you can find are some general passivity and some slight lack of defensive value.

Key Metric

38.8% - Bazzana’s swing rate, which seems low. But in context, this is a very similar rate to Carlos Santana, whose career low was 36.7% in 2015 (a down year for him offensively but still a 107 wRC+). His swing rate has hovered 40% most of his career, so that feels like some kind of comparison. And I would also assume Bazzana’s swing rate may go up as he moves up levels when pitchers are around the zone with better control and command. His 80.4% contact rate also seemed a tad low to me given what contact skills we hear and see from him. And I tend to believe contact rates would go down as you move up levels because the pitching gets better. That could still be true. But I looked at players from 2024 who had similar contact rates in the majors and came back with Marcus Semien, who at age 21 in High-A had a 67% contact rate, and Corbin Carroll, who has some similar offensive skills to Bazzana, only ran a 75% contact rate in Double-A. Now both are in the 80% range in the majors. Perhaps contact rate is not always a skill that goes down as you move up levels, but it could be the same as swing rates, where you see more pitches in the zone, but that also must go hand in hand with swinging at good pitches and not chasing, which Bazzana is possibly elite at if it’s not ALL passivity. So perhaps there is a lesson I need to learn about contact rates as players move up levels from this, or if it’s only something good hitters can manage and I think Bazzana is just one of them either way.

Intangibles

High performer in the Cape Cod League (MVP) and college. Kobe Bryant level of work ethic and determination (without the off-the-court allegations). And it’s not just working hard, it’s working hard and what is smart. Bazzana famously had a good sophomore year and worked on improving his swing to get to more power and put himself from a surefire first rounder to a top 3 pick guaranteed by the end of his junior year. He wants to win, learn from the best. He’s a good teammate at encouraging his teammates but also holding them accountable. Personable off the field and in front of the camera. It’s the picture of someone you want as the face of a franchise.

Future

There were definitely times last year where you saw Bazzana still trying to settle in and was a little late on pitches and caught in between in his swing, trying to figure out the pro strike zone and umpires and pitchers. Confidence isn’t an issue for Bazzana and he should be able to settle in a little easier in his first full pro season in 2025. That doesn’t mean there won’t be hiccups, and in fact, a few might be good since Bazzana has rarely failed in his baseball career. Part of the minor leagues is weeding out the guys who cannot handle failure for the first time and bouncing back from it. Passivity and defense are probably the two areas that will determine Bazzana’s level of overall success and how quickly he can run through the minor leagues. If all goes well, he could challenge the Guardians to turn over second base to him by late August/September. If not, Cleveland could opt to give him the whole year in the minors and work toward a ROY of the candidacy for 2026 and get a draft pick. But the floor is high enough here for at the very least, an average everyday regular. If second base doesn’t work, there are skills and work ethic here to succeed in possibly left or center field. 20/20 type player with OBP skills and speed, and the ceiling of an occasional All-Star.
Role/Risk

60/Moderate - Impact offensive performer at second base with fringe/passable defense and occasional All-Star.
2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #2 INF Angel Genao

Age (2025 season)


Acquired


Rule 5


2024 Level


Height


Weight


Bats


Throws

21


International FA (2021)


2025


High-A


5’9


150


Both


Right
Angel Genao 2024 Stats

PA


AVG/OBP/SLG


2B


HR


SB


K%/BB%

496


.330/.379/.499


38


10


25/30


15.5%/7.7%

Angel Genao 2025 Scouting Grades

Hit


Power


Speed


Field


Arm


Overall


Risk


ETA

55


45


60


55


60


55


High


2027
First Impression

Energetic player with an exciting up-the-middle toolset that is starting to emerge into on-field production. Plays fast and loose, with energy and enthusiasm. Slightly aggressive on both sides of the ball but comes with potential impact in all areas of his game.
What Makes Genao Fun

Genao posts good exit velocities for his size, position and age. He’s got enough raw power for his position to be considered average at the big league level. He shows the ability to drive the ball to the opposite field from both sides of the plate. Above average contact skills give Genao the ability to succeed despite an aggressive approach. He’s not a complete free swinger and does have a good amount of patience and zone awareness for that type of approach. Out of the box, Genao has very easy plus speed and doesn’t have to show a lot of effort to get down the line and run the bases. He gets good jumps when trying to steal. On the defensive side, Genao has impressive body control and good range. He shows the smoothness, footwork, hands and enough range to stick at shortstop. Genao has more than enough arm to play on the left hand side of the infield, and also handles second base well.
What Could Genao Hold Genao Back

While Genao does have good contact skills and hasn’t shown to chase much, he probably won’t be the kind of hitter to take a ton of walks, so his offense may have to come from batting average and avoiding strikeouts, and making it count. He has enough raw power to profile as average, but his swing doesn’t get the ball in the air frequently enough to take full advantage of it. He also will drive the ball to the opposite field and doesn’t catch it out in front enough to get to it on his pull side. Occasionally Genao will speed up in the field with his range or speed up his throws, or air one out. He’ll need to refine some of his natural body clock in the field to shore that up.
Key Metric

81% - Genao ran a contact rate of 81% in 2024. The average contact rate in the majors in 2024 was 76.8%. That number might be challenged as he moves up levels, due to his aggressive approach at times. But his strikeout rate only climbed 2% from Low-A to High-A, yet his walk rate jumped 0.9%. He doesn’t get cheated when he swings and how good his contact rate remains when he moves up levels with that approach will determine how much of his hit tool he can truly take advantage of.
Intangibles

Cleveland saw an impressive commitment from Genao off the field coming into 2024, which led to better results on the field and considered him a good example to other young, international players for how that can pay off. Genao comes from a challenging background and has persevered to get this far in pro ball and plays with enthusiasm for the game as well as the work that it takes to match his talent. He’s working towards improving his English as well.
Future

Unless he outgrows the position, which is possible. Genao has the chance to stay at shortstop and play as an above average defender there thanks to his range, footwork and smooth hands, and has more than enough arm. His speed should remain an impact tool for him even if he grows a little bit. His future impact depends on his approach holding up against more advanced pitching. There’s a good chance for an Andres Gimenez type approach as he moves up, but Genao hasn’t shown as much chase out of the zone so far and does have some more impact in his bat. He’ll need to get the ball in the air more to take advantage of it, but he’ll be able to play good defense at three positions if he stays at short and should be able to handle third, but that will put more pressure on the bat. There’s enough of a package here to project an average regular now with the potential that his approach carries and he’s a bit of a unicorn and is an impact regular, but enough questions with the approach that it limits his impact as he moves up.
Role/Risk

50/High - Average regular middle infielder with defense, speed and sneaky pop
2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #3 OF Jaison Chourio

Age (2025 Season)


Acquired


2024 Level


Rule 5


Height


Weight


Bats


Throws

20


International FA (2023)


Single-A


2026


6’1


162


Both


Right
Jaison Chourio 2024 Stats

PA


AVG/OBP/SLG


2B


HR


SB


K%/BB%

432


.269/.414/.398


24


5


44/55


16%/19.9%

Jaison Chourio 2024 Scouting Grades

Hit


Power


Speed


Field


Arm


Overall


Risk


ETA

55


45


60


50


55


50


Moderate


2028
First Impression

Savvy, balanced type player. Mature feel for the game despite his age. Exciting amount of room for growth potential. Does everything well and looks the part.
What Makes Chourio Fun

Chourio is both the typical Cleveland position player prospect of the last decade (balanced, savvy, and few weaknesses across the board) but actually does offer a little more ceiling than just the low-floor, balanced type of prospect. I don’t like banking on all-contact hit tools because contact for the sake of contact doesn’t make a good hitter, it just means you don’t strike out. Hitting prospects need to be able to make impact contact. But there’s some reasons so far to believe in Chourio as an offensive player. There’s a real ability to make contact and control the zone and at bat vs. pitchers at a young age that should only get better with reps. Chourio has good body control in his swing with a moderate leg left. He can make in-swing adjustments with his posture and hands to find the barrel. I don’t think he’s Steven Kwan in terms of contact and zone control, but there could be some level of Michael Brantley level of bat control here. Very similar too, how he could grow into that kind of power. Chourio presently has more speed than Brantley and looks like he could stick in centerfield, but has the arm that should profile all over the outfield. Chourio has also started to grow into his body more and put on some good strength, which is exciting. He already has strong exit velocities for his previous size and age, so anymore growth there really elevates the profile.
What Could Hold Chourio Back

I probably held back my grade on Chourio’s hit tool for a few reasons. The walk rate at Low-A won’t hold as he goes up because Low-A pitching is just that bad. He was very, very passive (think even slightly less than Carlos Santana) and that won’t work as an approach as he faces better pitching (though his contact rate should even that out and it’s better he’s not chasing, as Low-A pitching is that bad). Additionally, Chourio’s swing is fairly flat and produces a lot of groundballs right now. Though he’s growing into his body and has promising exit velocities, his swing is very geared to grounders and lacks ability to pull. Power probably won’t be his game without some changes. There’s a chance Chourio ends up in a corner spot too and the bat will have to do more work, though he might end up a special defender in a corner with a good arm. It’s worth watching how his speed is impacted as he fills out his body as well. He’s currently weaker as a right handed hitter right now and could end up as a strong side platoon hitter if that doesn’t get corrected.
Key Metric

49% GB, 36.4% swing % - As mentioned, Chourio’s swing generates a lot of grounders. He does pull more (43%) than other areas, he still is letting the ball travel or going the other way a lot (37.2%). The swing rate is lower than Carlos Santana, as also mentioned and that will likely need to slightly increase as he moves up.
Intangibles

You might have heard of another Chouio, Jackson? The Brewers wunderkind, young outfielder is Jaison’s older brother and was one of baseball’s top prospects coming into 2024. The younger brother theory here is always interesting (younger brothers of talented baseball players sometimes are better - Seagers, Maddux’s, etc), but not always. Still, the bloodlines are exciting here and Cleveland gives Chourio a lot of praise for his work ethic in terms of baseball and attacking learning English.

Future

Chourio was expected to join High-A Lake County for the final stretch of the regular season and playoff run before breaking his wrist diving for a fly ball in Lynchburg. So he’ll be 100% in spring and should spearhead the Lake County outfield in 2025 with a chance to push himself to Akron by year’s end as there aren’t really many OF prospects in his way with what should be a priority prospect if he pushes them to move him. If he can reach Akron in 2025, Chourio could find himself on the doorstop sometime in 2026 or 2027. I conservatively projected 2028 based on how Cleveland typically operates, but if he takes another leap in 2025 in terms of power or hitting in general, that could accelerate. He projects now as a potentially solid, center fielder with top of the order type skills. His platoon splits though are worth watching.
Role/Risk

50/Moderate - Top of the order centerfielder with on base skills, speed, defense and maybe surprising pop - potential for a platoon issue or more to left field
2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #4 OF Chase DeLauter

Age (2025 Season)


Acquired


2024 Level


Rule 5


Height


Weight


Bats


Throws

23


2022 Draft (Round 1)


Triple-A


2025


6’3


235


Left


Left

Chase DeLatuer 2024 Stats

PA


AVG/OBP/SLG


2B


HR


SB


K%/BB%

164


.261/.341/.500


10


8


1/2


13.4%/11.6%

Chase DeLauter 2025 Scouting Grades

Hit


Power


Speed


Field


Arm


Overall


Risk


ETA

50


55


50


50


55


50


High


2025
First Impression

Physically, DeLauter looks the part. Tall, well built with a strong base, strong arms. Physical looking corner type outfielder. Capable of carrying good raw power numbers associated with corner outfield field type and other tools to come along with this typical profile.
What Makes DeLauter Fun

When he's on the field, DeLauter has all the traits that you want in a corner outfield bat that could potentially hit in the middle of an order. He has the type of skill set and profile Cleveland typically has not had in recent years. That is a right fielder or with actual hitting and power potential. DeLauer is capable of carrying high exit velocities combined with a really strong eye at the plate. Does not chase out of the zone and has shown the ability to make good swing decisions so far. Makes a very significant amount of contact - a lot of it at very good exit velocities. Swing is generally geared to get the ball in the air to his pull side, taking advantage of his raw power. Has potential speed to make some impact on the bases but likely won't come at high totals. Should profile well as a solid defender and a corner and has an above average arm that can profile for right field.
What Could Hold DeLauter Back

We are already seeing what could hold DeLauter back from reaching potential star type upside. First and foremost, his health going back to college continues to be a challenge. He’s already had multiple foot injuries to the same foot and one on the other including, turf toe and fractures. He also had a hamstring issue at the end of 2024 though that healed and he ended up serving as a DH in the Arizona Fall League for a second straight season while he worked out in the outfield at the Guardians Arizona complex. In addition to health issues, DeLauter has concerns about his swing. His lower half and hips are activated much earlier and clear ahead of the rest of his upper body in a way that looks very unorthodox than typical hitters. He essentially uses his back leg in a scissor kick motion to clear his hips rather than rotate off of it. The scissor kick is used by multiple hitters across the sport. Some prominent names include Jose Altuve, Mike Trout, Christian Yelich and JD Martinez. I think this generally leaves him vulnerable to good offspeed stuff at the major league level. DeLauter is a good rough athlete and had some speed to be a contributor on the bases, but injuries are likely going to impact that. That also has an impact where it will limit him to a corner profile. He does have a potential where he might be a platoon type hitter with his issues with lefties which also limits his impact.

Key Metric

26.4%/87.2% - DeLauter, though a limited Triple-A sample, really was good at staying in the zone with his at bats, limiting to a 26.4% chase rate. Not surprisingly, he had a contact rate of 91.8%, and 87.2% overall in 2024. Contact and good swing decisions have always been a big part of DeLauter’s game.
Intangibles

DeLauter talks about how he’s self taught with his swing, and despite his injuries, has fought hard to be impactful when he’s on the field. He was good enough and worked hard enough to convince the big league staff to keep him in major league camp during spring training even though he wasn’t ever an official invitee and had no shot of making the major league team.
Future

Though a lot of people are quick to point out his unusual swing, it is somewhat efficient and he's always been able to make good swing decisions and make lots of contact and draw walks. His swing has never impacted his production at the minor league level. Though there's no substitution for Major League quality pitching, sometimes you have to trust the data that shows performance. There's always a chance he'll need tweaks at the major league level to make it work, especially against good breaking stuff, which could be a concern. I think ultimately it will be his health that determines his full impact as a major leader. There's a high probability that he will have platoon split issues and could wind up being platooned against left-handed pitching. But otherwise even on the strong side of the platoon, it feels like there's a good chance he can make an offensive impact while playing a solid right field with a good arm, provided he can stay on the field.

Role/Risk

50/High - Average everyday regular or semi-regular with platoon and durability concerns
2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #5 RHP Braylon Doughty

Age (2025 Season)


Acquired


2024 Level


Rule 5


Height


Weight


Throws

19


Draft (2023, Round 1A)


High School


2028


6’1


190


Right
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain

Re: Articles

10968
I'm surprised he dropped Manzardo's rating from55 to 50 we'll see if has any problems with lefties
"Lefties may pose an issue for him, so that’s where I still have questions. Cleveland really only seems to trust him as a DH. I think I would knock the hit tool, and speed down with platoon issues and seeing his sprint speeds."

Post graduate grades - Hit: 55 - Power: 50 - Speed: 30 - Defense: 40 - Arm: Overall 50 - Risk: Moderate

As for DeLauter the "KEY METRIC" should be the 96 games he's played in since he was drafted in 2022.

Re: Articles

10969
BA ranks the top 100 players in Major League baseball for 2025

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories ... -for-2025/

Where are all the Guardians on this list? Don't expect to find too many:

But here's a nice recognition for Jose:

8. Jose Ramirez
Guardians, 3B
Age: 32. | BA Grade: 70.
2024 ranking: 11. | 2023 ranking: 6.
Ramirez is a third baseman without precedent. With six 20-homer, 20-steal seasons, he has double the number of 20-20s produced by Howard Johnson or Alex Rodriguez when they were third basemen. With each great season, Ramirez climbs the MVP close-but-no-cigar leaderboard. With three top-three finishes but no wins, he’s encroaching on Eddie Murray and Mike Piazza territory.

10. is his former teammate Lindor and what a left side of the infield they could have been for a decade
Francisco Lindor
Mets, SS
Age: 31. | BA Grade: 70.
2024 ranking: 20. | 2023 ranking: 25.

Despite playing for a New York team, Lindor may be the most underrated player in MLB today. He ranks fourth in fWAR since joining the Mets in 2021, yet hasn’t made an all-star team, won a Gold Glove or received his due for compiling five career 30-homer seasons, more than any shortstop in history but Alex Rodriguez.

52. Andres Giminez Boy this would make quite an IF if they were all still around: of course it would be hard for CLE to have both Lindor and a guy he was traded for
52. Andres Gimenez
Blue Jays, 2B
Age: 26. | BA Grade: 60.
2024 ranking: 88. | 2023 ranking: 74.

59. Steven Kwan. It really WOULD BE NICE IF THEY SIGNED HIM TO a LONG TERM DEAL. is the Front Office listening?
59. Steven Kwan
Guardians, LF
Age: 27. | BA Grade: 60.
2024 ranking: NR. | 2023 ranking: 90.

85. Yainer Diaz. One that got away for little return; unless you highly value Myles Straw
Astros, C
Age: 26. | BA Grade: 55.
2024 ranking: NR. | 2023 ranking: NR.

87. Tanner Bibee. The illustrious pitching factory produces one name anyway
Guardians, RHP
Age: 26. | BA Grade: 55.
2024 ranking: 74. | 2023 ranking: NR.

95. Junior Caminero Another one who got away for a pitcher who who gave away for nothing at all and who's become a solid starter himself.
Rays, 3B
Age: 21. | BA Grade: 55.
2024 ranking: NR. | 2023 ranking: NR. [and projected to rise much higher]

97. Anthony Santander And a Rule 5 loss.
Blue Jays, LF
Age: 30. | BA Grade: 55.
2024 ranking: NR. | 2023 ranking: NR.

Re: Articles

10971
Image



In major league news: it is looking like Jose Ramirez batting second will become the norm to start the year.

José Ramírez batted third 152 times last year. He batted second six times.
This year? A change could be on the horizon.



https://x.com/ZackMeisel/status/1900596310883066235


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“Every day is a new opportunity. You can build on yesterday's success or put its failures behind and start over again. That's the way life is, with a new game every day, and that's the way baseball is.”
-- Bob Feller


Democracy Dies In Darkness - WAPO

Re: Articles

10972
Law: Scouting notes from the Mariners-Guardians Spring Breakout game

By Keith Law

21
Mar. 15, 2025Updated 8:03 am MST

The first Arizona Spring Breakout Games on Thursday were canceled by rain, which, yes, insert your desert jokes here, but the ones scheduled for Friday did come off despite some cold weather and further rain later in the day. I went to the marquee matchup of the week, Seattle (the No.1 farm system coming into this season) against Cleveland (No. 5), a game that was kind of sloppy but still featured a handful of standouts from some of the top prospects on both sides.

I don’t think anyone was as impressive as Seattle’s Jurrangelo Cijntje, an actual switch-pitcher who faced one batter left-handed, throwing just one pitch at 92 mph, then faced the remainder right-handed, where he was 95-99 with huge induced vertical break and showed a plus slider at 84-88. Even if he were just a right-handed pitcher, he’d be one of the top 15 such prospects in the minors, given this stuff — which is a tick above what he showed before the Mariners took him in the first round last year — and his (right-handed) delivery. Left-handed, it’s not quite as smooth or fluid — which is funny because that’s his natural side — and he even chooses to throw right-handed against some lefties.

He was followed by right-hander Ryan Sloan, Seattle’s second pick in last year’s draft, who showed a lightning-quick arm and was 95-97 with an average to above-average slider at 84-85. He didn’t show a changeup and only worked one inning, while Cijntje went two.

Cleveland started lefty Parker Messick, who was throwing harder than ever before, working 92-95 with a plus changeup at 85-87. When I saw him in July of 2024, he was 88-93 and his changeup was 80-83, to give you some sense of how much he’s changed. His slider had similar velocity and still wasn’t that sharp, but it was also better than it was last summer. He still has excellent deception and moves quickly through his delivery, which seems to help keep hitters off balance. He’s also still got a thick body, and that has some long-term concerns associated with it, but I’m less focused on that when the stuff is this much better. I wrote in February that he had fourth starter upside; now I’d say he has third starter/above-average upside.

He was followed by Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, another deceptive lefty who was 90-92 with a solid-average changeup at 83-85 and a fringy slider. He hung one of those sliders to Mariners outfielder Tai Peete, who picked it up and dropped it over the right field wall for one of the game’s two homers, with an exit velocity of 109 mph. Wilkinson retired seven of the next nine hitters he faced, working more fastball/changeup, with big induced vertical on the fastball as well. He’s shown a better slider in the past, but didn’t seem to have it on Friday.

Peete had three hits on the day, the homer and a pair of singles, one hard-hit, although that pitch, like the homer, came off a hanging breaking ball. He also got badly fooled by Messick’s slider in his first at-bat before poking a fastball middle-away out to left field for a hit.

The most impressive position player on either side was Cleveland shortstop Angel Genao, the No. 54 prospect in baseball coming into the season. Genao had a pair of hits including a hard-hit single past the shortstop while batting left-handed. He also showed strong defense at shortstop, with an easy-plus arm after making a stop to his right.

The Cleveland lineup was talented, with five guys on my top 100 in the starting nine, but Genao stood out even among that group. Cleveland catcher Cooper Ingle, who was No. 67 on my top 100, was two for three with a pair of well-hit singles, turning on a 95 mph fastball down and in for one hit and then going the other way on 96 down the middle. Guardians outfielder Jaison Chourio, just two spots behind Ingle on the top 100, was three for four with three singles, two of them hard-hit groundballs while the third was a more traditional line drive on a fastball middle-away. Unfortunately, second baseman Travis Bazzana, their top prospect and No. 25 overall, didn’t do much, going 0-for-4 with a walk and two strikeouts, the last one on a 99 mph fastball from Mariners righty Jeter Martinez.
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain

Re: Articles

10973
Very useful report. It sounds like the Factory has done its work with Messick, helping him add a couple MPH to his stuff. We need to add some starting pitch depth to the top of the system and he's part of it. I wonder if he returns to Akron to start the season? That's what the G's usually do and sometimes even virtually bypass Columbus for the best prospects like Bieber and Bibee.
Nothing said about the other starting pitcher who worked, RH Austin Peterson, who made a big improvement last year. BA calls him "arguably the best pure command pitcher in Cleveland's system" who "could take another step forward if finds another gear for his fastball". Obviously Law saw nothing impressive from him

Re: Articles

10974
Who's in Opening Day pitching mix? Guards want Nikhazy to build up at Triple-A

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Doug Nikhazy gave the Guardians something to think about this spring as he emerged as an option to make his first Opening Day roster. While the 25-year-old will not break camp with the team after all, he left a great impression.

Cleveland optioned Nikhazy, ranked as the club’s No. 22 prospect by MLB Pipeline, to Triple-A Columbus on Saturday, reducing its Spring Training roster to 49. He was a potential option for the Opening Day bullpen.
“We just need to get him built up to start,” said manager Stephen Vogt, “and don’t have enough innings for him to do that [in the Majors].”

Nikhazy -- who was added to the 40-man roster in November -- had a tough outing on Wednesday against the Dodgers, but he has otherwise had a strong showing this spring. He did not allow a run in his first three Cactus League appearances (all in relief), while surrendering one hit and two walks to go with 10 strikeouts.
"[The message] was, 'Doug, you made a really good impression,'" Vogt said. “'There were a lot of people talking positively about you. Just because you're not making the team on Opening Day doesn't mean you're not going to help us at some point this year.' Doug had a great camp and impressed a lot of people."

Nikhazy’s option could add some clarity to the Guardians’ pitching picture. He was one of a handful of lefties with a plausible pathway to earning a spot in the Opening Day bullpen. Tim Herrin is the only lefty reliever penciled in at this point. (Erik Sabrowski is likely to open the season on the injured list due to left elbow inflammation.)

Should Cleveland opt to carry another southpaw in the ‘pen, non-roster invitees Kolby Allard and Parker Mushinski have emerged as two veteran options to keep an eye on. Young starters Logan Allen and Joey Cantillo are potentially other candidates.

Allard signed a Minor League deal on Feb. 3. The 27-year-old has allowed just two runs on nine hits and two walks with nine strikeouts in 11 innings over five appearances this spring.

”I really like the way Kolby is throwing the ball,” Vogt said this week. “He knows how to pitch. He knows how to get outs. He's throwing a lot of strikes right now, and I think that's really been the difference for me. When he's ahead in the count, he's in the driver's seat.”

Allard has made 76 career appearances (42 starts), and four outings this spring have been multiple innings. He’s gone three innings twice, including Friday vs. the Mariners. Allard noted a key to him being successful is “being aggressive and throwing every pitch at 110 percent intent.”

“That's something that I've struggled with a little bit in the past,” Allard said. “Just intent and having confidence behind everything that we're doing. I'm in a very good place mentally with going out there and believing in what we have and believing that it’s good enough to go out and consistently get big league hitters out.”

Re: Articles

10975
No. 1 pick, top prospect Travis Bazzana channeling baseball ‘obsession’ with Guardians
Image
Pecantes de Lake County second baseman Travis Bazzana (11) runs to first base during his professional debut in the Midwest League baseball game against the Great Lakes Loons at Dow Diamond on July 26, 2024 in Midland, Michigan. (Andrew Woolley/Four Seam Images via AP)
By Zack Meisel

15
March 17, 2025 4:00 am MST

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Travis Bazzana began 2024 with the Oregon State Beavers, a second baseman with big-league dreams and Australian pride. He navigated the swirling hype as the draft approached and his name soared to the top of every big board.

The Cleveland Guardians called him about 20 minutes before they made him the first pick. From there, it was a whirlwind of news conferences, TV interviews, meetings and photos in his new jersey. He visited Progressive Field, his future home, and studied a José Ramírez batting practice session. He started his professional journey in Eastlake, Ohio, where, in mid-September, he won a Midwest League championship with the Class-A Lake County Captains.

And so, as the offseason arrived and he finally had a chance to exhale, what was the 22-year-old thinking?

“‘What now?’” Bazzana said this spring. “‘How do I grow my game to be better next year?’ Right away.”

Well, he did take a week to reset, to decompress on the paradisiacal beaches of Kauai, Hawaii, where the sand feels like velvet and the water sports shades of blue the mind can’t fathom.

But as he rested during an afternoon rainstorm, he returned to the subject that has a stranglehold on his conscience: baseball. Even on vacation, even during the rare respite he affords himself, even with his head buried in a cushy pillow, Bazzana couldn’t completely disconnect.

“It’s hard for me to keep it off my mind,” he said. “It’s always been that way. I’m always thinking about baseball and thinking about the next step.”

Added Guardians farm director Stephen Osterer: “It’s an obsession.”

When the Guardians assigned him to Lake County last summer, Bazzana texted members of the player development staff to ask about the team’s advance scouting process. He asked if he could have access to their reports. He researched his teammates, studied their strengths and asked about their development plans just in case he noticed anything he could assist with once he saw them in action.

Osterer surmised that Bazzana was the first player in the organization to ever request a meeting with the research and development department. Bazzana consulted them about their internal defensive metrics and how they analyze hitters’ swing decisions.

“It’s a combination of curiosity and work ethic,” Osterer said. “His desire to grow and get better and chase down his potential, it’s off the charts.”

It’s not a new trait. His passion and drive only ballooned as he aged and plotted his future as more resources became available at his fingertips.

He had plenty at Oregon State, a powerhouse college program. There, as an 18-year-old freshman, he once asked to shadow Steven Kwan and Trevor Larnach for a day. Kwan and Larnach, both on the cusp of establishing themselves as capable big-leaguers, took batting practice and completed some workouts. Bazzana studied their every move without uttering a word.
Travis Bazzana hit .360/.497/.660 in three seasons with Oregon State. (Amanda Loman / Associated Press)

Then, at the end of the day — “kind of forgot he was there,” Kwan said — Bazzana bombarded them with questions about their thought process during each drill.

“All very planned, very calculated — and that was when he was 18 years old,” Kwan said. “Obviously, it’s blossomed into what it is now.”

It’s an insatiable quest to find ways to improve. Last week, Bazzana texted Kwan a series of questions focused on how the All-Star prepares himself mentally and physically off the field. Kwan journals, meditates and reads at least 10 pages of a book each day. Bazzana said he likes to lean on Kwan to “talk about real stuff, the kind of life that this is.”

“It’s very clear that he’s very serious about what he’s trying to do,” Kwan said.

Perhaps that’s not a surprise, given Bazzana was the No. 1 overall pick, which came with an $8.95 million signing bonus. The Guardians’ scouting department assigns high priority to a player’s appetite to improve. They hunt for prospects who will embrace information, welcome input from coaches and seek out all the resources the organization offers. Osterer said there isn’t a realm Bazzana hasn’t explored, whether sleep studies, nutrition plans or a video breakdown of his every twitch on the infield dirt.

“If anything,” said Chris Antonetti, Cleveland’s president of baseball operations, “we have to help him manage his expectations for himself.”

Bazzana spent a week in Colorado over the winter with Kai Correa, whose title includes “director of defense.” This spring, Bazzana completed a throwing program and made a concerted effort to be “more intentional” defensively. He can now tell on video that he’s playing with more confidence at second base, and that was on display Friday night when he played all nine innings of the Guardians’ Spring Breakout game, the top-prospect showcase.

In the first inning, Bazzana ranged to his left, laid out and snared a sharp grounder. In the third, he drew a walk and raced to third on a Ralphy Velazquez single. Just 45 minutes into the game, his navy top was covered in dirt, and his white pants were full of grass stains. He never stops fidgeting in the on-deck circle, never stands still while leading off a base.

Before one turn at bat, he sat in a white padded folding chair and conversed with assistant field coordinator Anthony Medrano. He pointed out a catcher error and motioned teammate Jaison Chourio to third base. He conferenced with Velazquez on his way up the steps and onto the field.

During a sixth-inning at-bat, he challenged a strike call at the top of the zone (he was unsuccessful). He practiced the shoulder motion of his swing between pitches, swiped at the dirt with his cleats and swung through 97 mph heat from Seattle Mariners ambidextrous pitcher Jurrangelo Cijntje. Bazzana faced Cijntje a week earlier in a minor-league game. He said he keeps a mental Rolodex of each encounter.

“I think I’m able to pick apart at-bats from a while ago, especially against legit arms,” he said. “When you face the best of the best they’ve got, I know that down the road, I’ll have some mental notes on where they’re good and where I can beat them.”

He’s aiming to adjust better to breaking pitches and make more solid contact against them. He has made a point to face more left-handed pitching off the Trajekt machine, which can replicate major-league pitchers’ arm slots and offerings as it spins a baseball toward a hitter.

“There’s a focus on everything, I would say,” Bazzana said.

That tracks for a guy who doesn’t let a resource go untapped. In the dugout, he talks swing mechanics and approaches with teammates. He offers pitchers feedback from a hitter’s perspective. One morning last week, Bazzana faced some younger Class A-ball pitchers in a live batting session on a back field. After the duels, he relayed his analysis of their stuff.

“He’s very much obsessed with winning,” Osterer said, “and wants to be a contributing player at the major-league level in the World Series and understands that supporting his teammates along the way can help his shot at doing that with us.”

Osterer admitted he wonders if “there’s a line here where maybe it could be unhealthy down the road,” where the information overload could be detrimental to development.

“But so far,” he said, “he’s been good with it.”

That drive has fueled Bazzana to this point. A 2025 big-league debut isn’t out of the question if all of his research and preparation fuels the sort of on-field production the Guardians can’t live without.

Of course, Bazzana said he isn’t fixated on how quickly he could morph from Pac-12 Player of the Year to major leaguer. He said he’s savoring every moment of spring, whether fielding grounders beside big leaguers or hacking away against teenagers on a diamond tucked away in the back of the complex.

“I’m doing everything I’d want,” Bazzana said. “This is what I’m passionate about.”
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain

Re: Articles

10976
Preseason power rankings from the Athletic; generally everyone puts the Gs somewhere in the middle. That seems reasonable, depending on such factors as Bieber return and degree of bullpen [inevitable] decline. These guys are more pessimistic

Their top AL team is the RedSox ranked 6th overall. Not due to the not so wise signing of Lucas Giolito for 2 years
AL continues with
No. 7 NYY
No. 8 Houston
No. 9 Baltimore
No. 10 Texas
No. 11 Seattle
[not the AL Central earns its usual scorn]
No. 14 Tampa Bay
No. 16 TIE Minnesota
and Detroit
No. 18 Toronto
No. 19 Kansas City
No. 21 21. Cleveland Guardians
Playoff odds: 29.7 percent
The Guardians rode timely hitting and a suffocating bullpen to an ALCS appearance last fall, so putting them below every AL Central team except the White Sox is a low blow. But if the Cleveland front office really cared about our preseason power rankings, they’d have swung bigger this winter. Instead, it was out with Josh Naylor and Andrés Giménez, in with Carlos Santana and Luis Ortiz, and that was about it. It’s not a bad roster, and David Fry and Shane Bieber will join when their elbows allow, but question marks abound.
No. 25 The Peripatetic As
No. 27 Angels
No. 30 the only AL Central team projected below the Guardians

Re: Articles

10977
'He wants to be great': Ortiz settling in with Guards

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Among manager Stephen Vogt’s impressions of Luis Ortiz this spring is how much fun the right-hander is to be around.
“He’s always smiling,” Vogt said. “He's always happy. He wants to be great.”

Spring Training has been an opportune time for the Guardians to get to know Ortiz, and vice versa. The 26-year-old is entering his first season with Cleveland after the club acquired him from the Pirates in December in one of the organization’s biggest offseason additions.

That get-to-know you period, of course, extends beyond a personal basis. This spring is the first opportunity the Guardians and Ortiz have had to work up-close together since he joined Cleveland before the new year.

“I feel so far, we’ve got good results from working with the staff,” Ortiz said through interpreter Agustin Rivero. “It’s working really well so far, and it’s really important for us to continue that way. … The key is not only what happens in the game, but what we've been doing even between the games and the work that we put in during the week as well. It's been really productive as well.”

Ortiz is a good example of why Spring Training is about more than what you can see in a box score. Yes, every player would be happy to have great numbers over the six weeks of Cactus League play. But camp is, more importantly, an opportunity for players to work on their craft in a controlled environment before the regular season.

And for Ortiz, that process this year has come while getting to know a new manager, a new coaching staff and a new clubhouse of teammates. “And now, I think we've gotten through that period,” team president Chris Antonetti said recently, “and are at a point where we're actually able to start making some real developmental progress in some of the high leverage things he can be working on.”

Ortiz, who posted a 3.32 ERA in 37 games (15 starts) for the Pirates last season, features a four-seam fastball, a slider, a sinker and a cutter. When he’s attacking the zone with that mix of power stuff, he’s hard to hit. Cleveland saw it firsthand last season; Ortiz held them to one hit in six scoreless innings on Aug. 31.

He made his fifth start of the spring on Tuesday, a 7-3 loss against the Rangers. After issuing a pair of first-inning walks to Marcus Semien and Wyatt Langford and a single to Joc Pederson, Ortiz surrendered a three-run double to Adolis García.

The Guardians went to reliever Allan Hernandez to finish the first inning, but Ortiz reentered in the second. In total, he was charged with four runs on two hits and six walks in four innings.

“When he's attacking the zone, we see that the stuff plays,” Vogt said after the outing. “He had quite a few walks tonight. So it's just continuing to work and getting more consistent with the delivery and being able to pound the zone.

“Because when we see him in the zone, we see what he can do. And that's to be an elite pitcher.”

For as much success as Ortiz had last season, he’s still short on experience as a Major League pitcher. He’s made 59 appearances (34 starts) since debuting on Sept. 13, 2022.

“It’s [about] continuing to help him learn how to be a Major League starter, learn how to go about his business,” Vogt said. “But he's so hungry to get better every single day, and he's just fun to be around.”

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• Non-roster invitee Vince Velasquez made his first Cactus League appearance since March 2 on Tuesday. Velasquez, who was briefly sidelined due to an illness, threw a scoreless eighth inning with one walk and one strikeout.
Velasquez could factor into the Opening Day bullpen as a veteran capable of going multiple innings.
“Really like what we saw from Vince,” Vogt said. “It’s good to see him back out on the mound."

• The Guardians reduced their spring roster to 44 players on Tuesday after reassigning five players to Minor League camp: infielders Dayan Frias, Milan Tolentino, Yordys Valdes, catcher Kody Huff and outfielder Kahlil Watson. They must make 18 more cuts before Opening Day next Thursday.

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Here's a long article ranking the top 50 or so starting pitchers by tiers: No 5 starter No. 4 etc.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/619790 ... dailyemail

if you can't open it, here are the Cleveland names on the list; don't expect to find many

No. 29 Tanner Bibee
Guardians, RHP (age 26) His "score" 65
Several of our respondents noted that if Bibee played in a bigger market, he’d get more attention. Well, that’s why this exercise exists. Part of the reason Bibee can’t quite crack the realm of would-be aces is he “doesn’t quite have the s— to get there,” as one scout put it. So be it. He’s still pretty good. His teammate Gavin Williams could join him on this list next year.

Small market Reagans {KC] ranks 7th; and Skrubal 1st.

Despite his desire to be great, Luis Ortiz doesn't quite crack the list.
Some injured guys are listed toward the bottom of the list, but not Bieber, maybe they forgot he exists since he's somewhere in the middle of the country

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MLB American League Central preview 2025: An underrated divisional juggernaut
Image
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 18: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians hits a RBI double in the seventh inning during Game Four of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field on October 18, 2024 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
By Cody Stavenhagen, Aaron Gleeman and more

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March 19, 2025Updated 11:16 am MST

By: Cody Stavenhagen, Aaron Gleeman, Zack Meisel, Johnny Flores and Jim Bowden

In 2023, the American League Central produced one of the worst collective win percentages (.442) of MLB’s divisional era, which began in 1969. The Minnesota Twins cruised to a division title with a modest 87 wins. The Chicago White Sox and Kansas City Royals piled up triple-digit loss totals. The Central offered little intrigue, little hope.

But wait! Almost overnight, the AL Central bloomed into a divisional juggernaut, home to four winning teams in 2024 and representing 75 percent of the field in the ALDS. Oh, it was also home to the sorry White Sox, who set the MLB record with 121 losses. But the Twins submitted a winning record despite being hobbled. The Royals and Detroit Tigers won 86 games and advanced past the wild-card round. And the Cleveland Guardians claimed the division title on the way to reaching the ALCS.

This year, after a relatively quiet winter, projection systems, betting markets and common sense suggest those same four teams (sorry, White Sox) could challenge for AL Central supremacy.

“It really stresses the importance of what we talk about all the time,” said Royals manager Matt Quatraro, who is anticipating another crowded race. “A game in April is as important as a game in September.”
Key additions
Gleyber Torres

Yankees

Tigers

Torres was the Tigers’ lone offensive addition but should add a stable, established bat to a young lineup. Flawed as he can be defensively and on the bases, Torres has a lifetime .334 on-base percentage and 113 wRC+.
Jack Flaherty

Dodgers

Tigers

The Tigers were thrilled to get Flaherty back after trading him to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for two impactful prospects at last summer’s deadline. Flaherty will again be part of what could be a formidable 1-2 rotation punch alongside reigning Cy Young Award winner Tarik Skubal. Flaherty struck out 10.8 batters per nine innings last season.
Jonathan India

Reds

Royals

The Royals desperately wanted someone with a healthy on-base percentage to set the table for Bobby Witt Jr., Vinnie Pasquantino and Salvador Perez, so they flipped pitcher Brady Singer to the Reds for India. He ranked fifth in the majors in walk rate last season, to go along with 15 homers and 13 stolen bases.
Key departures
Garrett Crochet

White Sox

Red Sox

In his first full season as a starter, Crochet posted a 3.58 ERA over 32 starts and 146 innings pitched. At 25, he earned his first AL All-Star nomination, helping anchor a historically bad White Sox team. Over the winter, Crochet was traded to the Red Sox in exchange for a wealth of prospects, including headliner Kyle Teel. With Crochet out of the division, it’s one fewer ace that the rest of the AL Central has to contend with.
Brady Singer

Royals

Reds

Singer logged a career-high 179 2/3 innings for the Royals last season, and a 3.71 ERA to boot. Kansas City leaned on its rotation to reach the playoffs for the first time in nine years, and it’ll be up to Michael Lorenzen and Kris Bubic to round out a rotation that features a strong top three in Cole Ragans, Seth Lugo and Michael Wacha.
Andrés Giménez

Guardians

Blue Jays

Cleveland wanted to get out from under Giménez’s future hefty salaries, so they sent him north of the border. In exchange, they acquired rotation help in Luis Ortiz, but they don’t yet have an inspiring solution at second base — at least, until last summer’s No. 1 overall pick, Travis Bazzana, arrives.
Familiar faces
Carlos Santana

Twins

Guardians

This is the third tour with Cleveland for Santana, who is on his sixth team the past four years. He was an above-average hitter with the Twins last year and he won his first Gold Glove. The Guardians are banking on him maintaining that level of production, even though he’ll turn 39 in early April.
Must-watch series

Dodgers at Royals, June 27-29: In perhaps their biggest first-half test, Kansas City will play host to the defending World Series champions. While the Dodgers will bring their star power (Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman), the Royals will counter with a trio of homegrown stars (Witt Jr., Pasquantino and MJ Melendez). A series win in late June could give the Royals a massive confidence boost heading into July’s All-Star break and the second-half marathon.

Guardians at Twins, Sept. 19-21: If the Twins expect to win the division, or, at the very least, clinch an AL wild-card spot, they’ll need to dispatch the reigning AL Central champions in the twilight of the 2025 season. It’ll mark Minnesota’s final home series, and the stakes could not be higher, especially if the Twins hope to play host at Target Field.

Tigers at Guardians, Sept. 23-25: It’s the last series of the regular season between AL Central teams, and it involves the two clubs that needed five games full of dramatic swings to decide the ALDS last October. Could a division title hang in the balance when they clash at Progressive Field for Games 157, 158 and 159?
Jim Bowden’s AL Central report card
Guardians

B

B

A

B

B
Royals

B

B

B

A

B
Tigers

C

B

B

B

B
Twins

B

B

B

B

B
White Sox

D

D

D

D

D

Most improved: Royals

The Royals had an effective offseason, addressing two of their biggest needs: leadoff hitter and closer. They traded for infielder/outfielder Jonathan India, who will provide much-needed traffic for the middle of the lineup (Bobby Witt Jr., Salvador Perez and Vinnie Pasquantino). They signed Carlos Estévez to close, which allows them to put Lucas Erceg back in the high-leverage set-up role that fits him best.

Least improved: White Sox

The White Sox went 41-121 last year and then traded their top starting pitcher, Garrett Crochet, to Boston. They got a solid four-player return, highlighted by catcher Kyle Teel and outfielder Braden Montgomery, but neither is major-league-ready. Therefore, the only additions that improved the team this year were veteran starter Martín Pérez, outfielders Mike Tauchman and Austin Slater, infielder Josh Rojas and right-handed pitcher Bryse Wilson. It’s going to be another long summer on the South Side.
Predicted order of finish

The percentage chance to win the division — and projected 2025 win-loss record — come from the model produced by The Athletic’s Austin Mock. Team salary information comes from Cot’s Baseball Contracts.
1

Twins

42.80%

85-77

$149.6m

Minnesota carried a 70-53 record into mid-August before collapsing down the stretch and the Twins made few substantial roster changes beyond Max Kepler and Carlos Santana leaving as free agents. That means they’re counting on essentially the same group of 20-something core players who were injured and ineffective for much of the second half. It’s also largely the same group that won the division title in 2023. Pitching depth should be a strength, much like in 2023, and several of the Twins’ top prospects are knocking on the door to the majors. — Gleeman
Twins vs. AL Central
2024 record

12-1

7-6

3-10

7-6
2

Royals

27%

83-79

$128.3m

The Royals improved their record by 30 games last season, which earned them their first trip to the playoffs since their World Series-winning run in 2015. Quatraro’s club won’t be sneaking up on anyone in 2025, not with one of the league’s top talents in AL MVP runner-up Witt Jr., plus a stout rotation (two of the top four AL Cy Young Award finishers) and a bolstered bullpen. The Royals didn’t have a splashy winter, but they addressed their needs, acquiring India to top the lineup and reliever Carlos Estévez to handle the late innings. Now, can they take another step forward after a massive leap in 2024? — Meisel
Royals vs. AL Central
2024 record

7-6

12-1

8-5

6-7
3

Tigers

15.40%

80-82

$145.9m

The Tigers made their against-the-odds run to the playoffs last season largely because they had the best pitching staff in baseball over the final two months. The pitching could again be formidable with top prospect Jackson Jobe likely to join a rotation already featuring Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty and the underrated Reese Olson.

But for the Tigers to win the central, they will need more from what remains a young lineup. Last year’s Tigers ranked 29th in on-base percentage. Even after their scorching stretch began Aug. 11, the lineup ranked only 13th in runs. If players such as Riley Greene, Kerry Carpenter, Colt Keith and Parker Meadows keep trending upward, the Tigers have a chance to be more formidable. — Stavenhagen
Tigers vs. AL Central
2024 record

6-7

10-3

6-7

6-7
4

Guardians

14.70%

80-82

$99.7m

To retain their AL Central crown, the Guardians need their rotation to be their backbone. Novel concept, right? After all, Cleveland is envied for its pitching factory. The rotation was an Achilles’ heel last year, though. For the Guardians to survive 162 games in what should be a competitive division, they need some combination of Gavin Williams, Triston McKenzie, Luis Ortiz and Logan Allen to support Tanner Bibee — and hold down the fort until Shane Bieber returns. — Meisel
Guardians vs. AL Central
2024 record

8-5

7-6

5-8

10-3
5

White Sox

0.10%

58-104

$74.4m

By this point, it’s no secret that the White Sox lost an astounding 121 games last season. And while the team did ship off a budding ace in Crochet to the Red Sox, Chicago did improve slightly on the margins, adding the likes of Martín Pérez, Austin Slater and Michael A. Taylor in free agency. Whether those signings will be enough to give the White Sox a winning boost or serve as trade deadline fodder remains to be seen. At the very least, the team should be a lot more watchable in 2025, particularly as Chicago looks to promote some of its top prospects, including Sean Burke, who will serve as the club’s Opening Day starter. — Flores
White Sox vs. AL Central
"I've suffered a great many tragedies in my life....most of them never happened". Mark Twain