Spring Breakout Game tomorrow. It is nice of mlb to try to market prospects, but it's not exactly an exciting event.

SPRING BREAK OUT GUARDIAN LINEUP

https://www.mlb.com/gameday/mariners-pr ... 17/preview

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Cleveland Guardians Spring Training Prospect Report 3/13/25
Regulars getting longer run, which prospects can make an impact now?
Justin Lada
Mar 14






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Scoreboard
Colorado Rockies 6, Cleveland Guardians 4 (Statcast)
Reserves

Johnathan Rodriguez (RF): 1-1 - A 92 MPH single off Luis Peralta was Rodriguez’s only AB and item of note here. He’s getting fewer starts later in camp, so we’re seeing him relegated to Triple-A here sooner than later.

Micah Pries (1B): 1-1, R - Pries also singled off Peralta, a 105.9 MPH at that. He has hit the ball hard this spring, for what it’s worth. But I have seen promise in Pries before but it hasn’t really paid off. This year might be his last chance.

Tommy Hawke (CF): 1-1 - Peralta was the victim of this single, a lefty with 15 MLB games, so not tons of experience, but MUCH more than Hawke. This single was 97.7, which is actually nice to see since Hawke doesn’t offer much, if any, in the way of power. It was at a very poor launch angle (-3), not a shock since Hawke’s game is slash-and-dash anyway.

Dom Nunez (C): 1-1, HR, 2 RBI - This was the big blow off Peralta. Nunez will likely backup Huff or be in a timeshare at Triple-A this year.

Yordys Valdes (SS): 0-2 - Valdes has gotten a lot of run as a backup for defense. He hit some balls hard early in camp but his M.O. offensively is streaky at best.

Milan Tolentino (2B): 0-1, K - Tolentino is in major league camp as an NRI so not shocked at how much run he’s had but he’s probably ticketed for Double-A again.

Christian Knapczyk (3B): 0-1, K - Interesting to see Knapcyzk to get some run as a backup but nothing doing here. He’s ticketed for an infield spot at Lake County.

Esteban Gonzalez (LF): 0-1, K - I liked Gonzalez in Low-A last year but his game didn’t translate as well at High-A.

Parker Messick Shines As Guardians Take Close Spring Breakout Game

March 15, 2025

By Andres Chavez

The Seattle Mariners prospects just refused to go away, but in the end, the Cleveland Guardians earned a hard-fought 8-7 win in MLB’s Spring Breakout game on Friday night at Goodyear.

The Guardians led by as many as four runs early, but their pitching staff kept giving Seattle ways to come back into the game.

In the end, Cleveland held on for the win.

Pitching prospect Parker Messick was the Guardians’ biggest star from the mound, with three brilliant innings of work.

He would allow four hits and no runs or walks, striking out five in the process and showing why his stuff is so highly regarded around the league.

The southpaw was virtually untouchable, as he induced a whopping 14 swings and misses in just three innings.

He did enjoy some support from his teammates, particularly the offense.

Stellar center field prospect Jason Chourio went 3-for-4 with two runs scored, going the other way with ease and impacting the game in multiple ways.

Ralphy Velazquez, Angel Genao, and Cooper Ingle each drove in a run, with the last two logging two hits each.

Young shortstop prospect Welbyn Francisca had a double and plated two more runs for Cleveland.

The game also featured Guardians pitching prospect Matt ‘Tugboat’ Wilkinson,

although he surrendered three earned runs in 2.1 frames.

[ Tugboat left the game with one run in, bases loaded, two outs, when reliever Morehouse entered the game and surrendered a base hit allow two more runs to score ]

He did strike out four batters, his bread and butter last season.

You will surely see some of these names helping the Guardians within the next three years, showing why they have one of the best and deepest farms in baseball.

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2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #38 OF Wuilfredo Antunez
Interesting toolset, looking for health and consistency
Justin Lada
Mar 15






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Bio

Age (2025 season): 23

Acquired: International FA (2019)

2024 Level: High-A

Height: 6’0

Weight: 205

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

2025 Scouting Grades

Hit: 45

Power: 45

Speed: 50

Defense: 50

Arm: 55

Overall: 40

Risk: High

ETA: 2027

First Impression

Medium built athlete with a bit of a slender, but strong frame. Slightly broad shoulders. Some room remaining to add strength despite his age. Antunez only signed for $10,000 in 2019 out of his native Venezuela. Still not on the field as much as you would like for his age, not yet playing 100 games.
What Makes Antunez Fun

There’s actually a decently well rounded skill set here. Antunez is a bit of an aggressive hitter, but he make contact at a decent rate. He hits the ball hard for his size. Takes big, hard hacks to do it sometimes, but he creates good angles and shows good hands, so I’m not out on the hit tool. He might not have enough power to profile in a corner everyday, but he’s not without power. He is a good defender in the corners but can handle centerfield maybe in a pinch. He closes on balls well with above average speed and has an above average throwing arm. It’s not quite enough to scream anything, but there’s enough here to pay attention to, to see if it all clicks.

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What Could Hold Antunez Back

Aggressive offensive profile rely on high BABIP to carry. Which means you have to hit the ball very hard and/or run very well. It’s not a profile I tend to like much. Antunez hits the ball hard - for his size, and runs well enough, but neither are good enough to carry the high BABIPs necessary for such an aggressive profile to succeed at a high likelihood (think Tim Anderson’s good years). If he were a no-doubt centerfielder, I would say you can live with that offensive risk because of the defense and speed, but he’s more of a backup CF long term and profile better in right. That puts more pressure on the bat. Antunez also shows struggles with left handed pitching.
Key Metric

.347 - That was Antunez’s BABIP in Single-A in 2024, then dipped to a more normal .316 at High-A, where we saw some average regression despite better fly ball and pull rates. His swing rate increased to 7% with the promotion from an already aggressive 56.3% to 63%. Despite making more contact, this is an unsustainable level normally unless you have elite bat to ball skills, which I don’t completely buy in Antunez.
Intangibles

Antunez plays the game aggressively and takes an overall intense approach to the game, which the Guardians might like to see him focus more between the lines.
Future

Antunez needs to play everyday in High-A in 2025 and be on the field for the full year, which he should do if he stays healthy and keeps things in check. I think the ceiling for him right now is likely a corner outfielder/platoon type bat in the same vein as like a Will Brennan. He actually reminds me some of Carlos Moncrief, though I think Moncrief had more raw power. But there’s enough intrigue here to me to keep an eye on if he can put it all together. Approaches are hard to change though and his aggressive approach might stall him in Akron or Columbus, but there is high risk upside here in the form of a MLB bench/platoon OF.

The 2024 Midwest League Champions - the Lake County Captains
held their ring ceremony yesterday at Goodyear prior to the Breakout game.


Guardians News and Notes - Champions Get Rings

News and Notes for Saturday, March 15th, 2025

By Nicole_W22 Mar 15, 2025, 9:07am EDT

Yesterday the Cleveland Guardians took on the Seattle Mariners in a two game match up. The major league squad took their game 8-7 off of homers from Lane Thomas and Will Brennan. Zach has the recap here. The Guardians prospects took on the Mariners prospects in one of the most fun games I have watched in some time. The Cleveland prospects showed their already impressive talent. Talent that would make any Guardians fan excited for the future. Quincy has the recap here.

19-year-old Ralphy Velazquez was mic’d up for an inning which turned into a great look at the camaraderie in the clubhouse and the great culture that Cleveland is so great at cultivating.

Parker Messick also earned himself some attention going 3.0IP with 4H, 0R, and 5SO.






The 2024 Midwest League Champions - the Lake County Captains held their ring ceremony yesterday at Goodyear prior to the Breakout game.

A surprising contributor to Lake County’s success also earned his ring yesterday.

Zack Meisel
@ZackMeisel
One other person who received a Lake County Captains Midwest League championship ring: Steven Kwan, who played in two games last May for the Captains while rehabbing.

Kwan noted the Captains won both of those games. He flaunted the ring in his big-league teammates' faces today.

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In 'surreal moment,' Velazquez knocks in run while mic'd up in Spring Breakout

March 14th, 2025

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Ralphy Velazquez is young enough to remember watching guys such as star outfielder Mookie Betts play in MLB during his childhood. It’s why the Guardians’ No. 5 prospect (per MLB Pipeline) doesn’t take for granted the position he’s in now, living out his own baseball dream.

And it’s why a perhaps simple aspect of Friday’s Spring Breakout game against the Mariners meant so much to the 19-year-old outfielder.

Velazquez (Cleveland’s first-round Draft pick in 2023) was mic’d up on the Guardians' TV broadcast in the third inning, during which time he chatted with broadcasters Matt Underwood and Rick Manning. As the inning came to a close, Velazquez shared a wholesome parting message.

“That was a surreal moment for me,” Velazquez told Underwood and Manning at the end of his shift on the mic. “I felt like I was in MLB The Show there. That’s a dream I've had since I was a little kid."

That feeling goes beyond just getting a chance to be mic’d up and rock an earpiece. Friday was a full-circle experience of sorts for Velazquez -- from watching Betts and other stars get interviewed during games to now being in those shoes himself.

“I'm sitting on my couch and I'm still in elementary school,” Velazquez recalled after the Guardians’ 8-7 win over Seattle in the Spring Breakout. “And I see [the in-game interviews] and I'm like, ‘I want to do that one day.’ [Friday] didn’t feel real. It felt like I was in a video game.

“It’s just so surreal that I'm getting to do this. I'm so fortunate, because a lot of kids would kill to be in my situation. So I go 100 percent every day. It just felt unreal out there, definitely.”

Velazquez pulled it off like a pro, too. He was mic’d up in the bottom of the third inning, as well, and delivered for the Guardians offensively.

Cleveland had taken a 2-0 lead in the third by the time Velazquez stepped up to hit. After falling behind 0-2, he hit an opposite-field single, knocking a 93.8 mph offering from Seattle pitcher Logan Evans to left and bringing home Welbyn Francisca for the Guardians' third run of the game.

“Just stay inside the ball and adjust,” Velazquez told the broadcast crew after the hit.

With Velazquez standing on base, Seattle’s No. 1 prospect and shortstop Colt Emerson walked over and joked, “You guys have to start hitting the ball where we’re at.” Velazquez quipped back, “That wasn’t the game plan, Colt.”

Velazquez finished the night going 1-for-3 with a walk and that RBI base hit. He moved from left field to first base in the sixth inning.

In his spare time, Velazquez said he enjoys playing MLB The Show, including one of its most popular modes, Road to The Show. There, users guide a player from the lower levels of the Minor Leagues up to the Majors.

Velazquez and many of his teammates on Friday are living out that journey right now, and they’re doing it together. Before Friday’s game, the Guardians honored High-A Lake County, which won the Midwest League championship game on Sept. 18 last season.

SEE AND HEAR MOMENTS FROM THE EXPERIENCE

MUST SEE - THAT WAS A FUN MIKE UP

GREAT HOME RUN CALL ON THE LAST CLIP BOTTOM OF THE PAGE - THOUGHT IT WAS HAMILTON

https://www.mlb.com/guardians/news/ralp ... g-breakout

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Reminds me some of Carlos Moncrief

There's a name from the past. I was a Moncrief fan; a converter pitcher who was a proverbial 5 tool OF but not good enough at any of the 5 to reach the majors; wait that's wrong he got 38 big league at bats with the Giants.
If Antunez does as well, that will be about as much as I would expect

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2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #37 LHP Ryan Webb
With a solid 2024 season and good secondaries, what is Webb's future?
Justin Lada
Mar 16






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Bio

Age (2024 season): 26

Acquired: 2021 Draft (Round 4)

2024 Level:Triple-A

Rule 5: Eligible

Height: 6’1

Weight: 202

Throws: Left

First impression

Modestly sized lefty with a high 3/4 arm slot and an array of offerings that range from fringe to average or above average and fringe control. Doesn’t light up the radar gun but has enough to miss some bats.
2025 Scouting Grades

Fastball: 45

Slider: 45

Curveball: 45

Changeup: 55

Command: 40

Overall: 40

Risk: Moderate

ETA: 2025

What Makes Webb Fun

I’m a sucker for a good curveball and a changeup, especially from a lefty. Webb has confidence in both offerings, and he should. His curve has a lot of hump to it, a big downward spinner. It’s like a lite-ish version of Barry Zito. It’s not quite a 12-6, but it has good drop. His changeup also has good, hard fade and run. Both these pitches are what gets most of his swings and misses. His delivery is fairly clean with a mid-section high leg kick. Around the zone enough despite not having great control. Keeps the ball on the ground.

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What Could Hold Webb Back

Webb comes in with something of a light fastball. In the past, he could get his fastball to 94 and even 96, but in 2024 he finished the year around 90 on average, getting up to 92 with very average characteristics. 90-92 is serviceable but it requires good control, especially with low spin. He slider is decent but nothing spectacular. He’s a little undersized and there are concerns about durability and holding up velocity and stuff as his outings and innings go on. Did have TJ his final year at Georgia, where he was trending as a first rounder but health dropped him to the fourth. Control is fringe overall.
Key Metric

14.9% - A pretty good swinging strike rate for a pitcher with an underwhelming fastball and fringe control. He’s been able to miss some bats at the upper levels of the minors, which I believe mostly comes from his changeup, but also the curveball helps.
Intangibles

Webb had to fight back from TJ his final year at Georgia, which knocked his draft standing down. He’s come back to reach Triple-A to some success now, so that’s a testament to the work he’s put in. I think Webb is also greatly motivated after being left off the 40 man roster ahead of the Rule 5 draft and then not being selected back in December.
Future

As a starter, Webb kind of feels like a five-and-dive depth guy due to his size and lighter fastball. There’s some Triple-A success to build on, but he needs a better heater and he needs to be able to hold his stuff deeper into games and into the season. He might have a enough to be a sixth/seventh type arm now. I think a move to the bullpen eventually could help his fastball have some more velo and his curve/change give him options to get lefties and righties out as a reliever.
Role/Risk

40 - Depth SP/middle relief

He might have a enough to be a sixth/seventh type arm now. I think a move to the bullpen eventually could help his fastball have some more velo and his curve/change give him options to get lefties and righties out as a reliever.

MIddle Reliever is the way all the ratings seem to concur on Webb's future

BA highlighted 20 standout performances from the Prospect Games including one of ours and one who had been ours:

Parker Messick, LHP, Guardians
Facing off against a loaded Mariners lineup that featured five players ranked in the Top 100 Prospects list, Messick struck out five over three scoreless innings and landed 33 of his 44 pitches for strikes. Most impressively, he recorded 14 swing-and-misses, the second-most of any Spring Breakout or major league spring training game played on Friday. He got Colt Emerson and Lazaro Montes to strike out swinging consecutively and caught Felnin Celesten whiffing, too.

Alexander Clemmey, LHP, Nationals
It’s no secret that Clemmey has some of the loudest stuff in the Nationals system. The 19-year-old lefthander, who was dealt from Cleveland to Washington last summer in the deal that sent Lane Thomas to the Guardians, garnered a $2.3 million bonus in the second round of the 2023 draft. His eye-popping stuff makes it easy to see why. Clemmey’s fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, his upper-70s curveball flashes plus with sharp bite and his slicing slider can vex even the best of hitters. Both pitches were outstanding on Sunday night, when he struck out six in three innings. His changeup flashed at least solid-average, too. Now, he needs to throw more strikes. Clemmey’s outing was part dominant and part scattershot, which is the tale of most of his turns on the mound. He finished with a flourish, however, punching out Mets prospects Jett Williams and Ryan Clifford to finish his evening.

A Human’s Take on the Model Output: The model has been a fan since he was Cleveland’s 15th-ranked prospect per Baseball America, and we saw him as an underrated contact beast. With his 2025 entry into the middle of most T-100 lists, we’re willing to project him inside our top ten.

All You Need to Know in Three Sentences: Genao is a hit-first SS prospect who flies under the radar no longer. With awesome contact ability and doubles power, the now 21-year-old has few major weaknesses in his game, and flashed some HR power in 2024, upping his HR/FB% by 4%. Scouts are divided on his stickiness at SS, but if Genao continues to hit, he’ll be a solid infielder in any role.

A Human’s Take on the Model Output: The worry with DeLauter is the injuries, which registers in the confidence meter. This ranking is maybe slightly high in light of that, but accurately reflects the enormous potential, with the caveat that the low confidence score means the floor here is lower than it is for any other top ten guy.

All You Need to Know in Three Sentences: Yes, he has a weird swing, and yes, he gets hurt a lot—the risk is real. But let’s talk about the upside: in two seasons across four levels DeLauter has never had a wRC+ below 125. This guy is a pure hitter and if he stays on the field, the hits will keep on coming in the show.

A Human’s Take on the Model Output: He’s a slightly more power-happy and younger 2024 Angel Genao. Considering Genao’s rise, we understand the bullishness about Francisca’s. With only 132 A-Ball PA, we’d dock him a bit for the small sample, but we like the ceiling.

All You Need to Know in Three Sentences: Few players hang in A-Ball as 18-year-olds, and even fewer post a 141 wRC+! Francisca has pop to complement his high-level hit tool, and he’s got the walk rate to be an OBP threat. Small sample sizes are his lone limiter, and he’s probably our top candidate for a meteoric rise in 2025.

Atlanta returns Rule 5 draft pick to Guardians

Published: Mar. 20, 2025, 12:01 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Infielder Christian Cairo is coming back to the Guardians.

The Braves selected Cairo from the Guardians' unprotected list in December at the Rule 5 Draft during the winter meetings in Dallas. Atlanta announced Wednesday that it was returning Cairo to Cleveland.

It cost the Braves $100,000 to draft Cairo. By returning Cairo, they retain half the purchase price.

Cairo, 23, slashed .179/.294/.250 for the Braves this spring. He was competing for a utility infielder’s job.

In order to keep Cairo, the Braves were required to carry him on their 26-man big-league roster for the entire season.

Last year Cairo hit .241 (82 for 341) with four homers and 39 RBI at Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. The right-handed hitter stole 24 bases in 30 attempts.

The Guardians selected Cairo with their fourth pick in the 2019 draft. His father, Miguel, played 17 years in the big leagues.

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