Guardians pushing development pedal to the floor for '25 and beyond
Prep right-handers from 2024 Draft class making early mark in camp
March 21st, 2025
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Guardians had one of the most impressive turnarounds of 2024 with 16 more victories than they had the previous year, winning the American League Central Division and advancing to the AL Championship Series. As has always been the case, they leaned heavily on homegrown players, using those taken in the Draft or signed from the international market just about as much as any postseason team. (The Tigers had one more homegrown player on their initial postseason roster.)
“The bread and butter of our strategy is acquiring and developing players,” said Guardians assistant general manager James Harris, who’s been with the organization since December 2016. “That’s how we do it. We’ve found it to be successful in the past and we’ll continue to ride that until it doesn’t work.”
They also recognize a golden opportunity when they’re given one, like hitting the jackpot in the Draft Lottery to earn the No. 1 overall pick in 2024. That not only enabled them to take Travis Bazzana, now the No. 10 overall prospect who shouldn’t take too long to impact the big league lineup, but it also meant they had the most money to spend -- and they weren’t afraid to do so.
“When you have the biggest Draft pool in 2024 with the No. 1 pick and being able to spread that throughout your acquisition strategy, it allows us to bring in some really good talent,” Harris said. “We’re excited about the group that came in.”
While the Guardians might be known lately more for their development of guys who can really hit -- their ALCS roster had seven rookies on it, including hitters like Kyle Manzardo, Jhonkensy Noel and Brayan Rocchio -- the group Harris refers to above comes from the highest risk/reward quadrant of the Draft pool there is: high school pitching.
Spreading their pool money around and saving more than $1.5 million on Bazzana’s bonus, Cleveland was able to sign four high school right-handers at or well above slot, starting with Braylon Doughty, who got full value at No. 36 overall ($2.57 million). They also inked Joey Oakie for $2 million in the third round (slot value = $906,800), seventh-rounder Cameron Sullivan received $525K (slot value = $279,100) and they had $1.8 million on hand to nab Chase Mobley in Round 10, where slot was just $183,600.
It can be a long road from the prep ranks to the highest level. As Harris points out, a year ago at this time, this crop of young arms was worrying about things like class and prom. There’s a lot of ground to cover to get them ready for what lies ahead.
“They were navigating a lot of things outside of baseball,” Harris said. “We bring them in and leave no stone unturned. You’re teaching them how to put the cleats on, you’re teaching them about the plan of attack. You’re teaching them about their arsenal, what do they do best? What is it like to get a pro hitter out?
“For a high school guy who throws 90 [mph], he’s getting everyone out in high school. That’s not going to play in pro ball. So we have to kind of teach them about what pro ball is, then teach them about themselves as they adapt to pro ball.”
So far, it’s been Doughty who has taken an early step forward in absorbing these lessons. He’s the only pitcher of any kind in the Guardians’ top 10, well ahead of Oakie and Mobley on that Top 30. Whether it’s been pitching design or off-the-mound work, Doughty has soaked it all in and put it to use.
“He came in with more of an advanced approach because he’s a really mature guy, but he didn’t necessarily have the resources we have in the pro setting,” Harris said. “He’s throwing multiple fastballs, we were working on the changeup. He’s doing his workouts on his own, trying to feed himself. We’re trying to bring all of those things within our organization and he’s been fantastic at being a sponge to learn and really dig into the resources to be able to make himself the pitcher he wants to be.”
That points to a larger, fundamental part of the Guardians’ development plans for these young arms. This might be the first Spring Training they are all going through together while preparing for their first full seasons of pro ball, but by the time of their official report date, the player development staff has checked in with them multiple times, beginning right after they sign, then again in November, followed by some time in January.
“As soon as they sign, we bring them here to Arizona and we start the process of showing them what arm care looks like, what nutrition looks like, what strength and conditioning looks like, here’s what you do in your bullpen,” Harris said. “In November, we go through that process again as we outline what their offseason should look like. Then we bring them in early in January so they have an on-ramp to Spring Training. By the time they get to their first spring, we’ve had multiple touch points of three-to-four weeks at a time to really dial in what those routines look like.”
Camp standout: Ralphy Velazquez
“It’s something that was new to him,” Harris said. “He came in as a catcher, we were trying to have him adapt to first base. At the same time, he’s saying, ‘I want to give myself the best opportunity to be in the lineup as often as possible. Can I try the outfield as well?’ And we gave him that opportunity.”
It wasn’t just a one-time experiment. Wanting to maximize his value and have a chance to be a solid corner outfield option, Velazquez remade his body during the offseason, finding a magic combination of less weight, but more strength. The hope is that this newfound athleticism will be beneficial to his defense both at first and in the outfield.
“He’s down 20 pounds, but actually increased his muscle over the course of this offseason,” Harris said. “He’s worked his tail off. He stayed here and trained with our staff and came back early in January to train. He’s playing both first base and in the outfield, and he’s out there as a true outfielder, not just a guy with a bat who stands out there.”
Breakout candidate: Alex Mooney
The Guardians have two Top 100 middle infielders in Bazzana and Angel Genao, who comes in at No. 61 overall. That duo understandably has received most of the attention among up-the-middle players on the dirt in the system. Harris cautions those following the team’s prospects not to sleep on Mooney, taken in the seventh round of the 2023 Draft out of Duke.
Mooney had an uneven first full season of pro ball with High-A Lake County, finishing with a .235/.336/.393 line. But he also hit 12 homers, stole 43 bases and had a 112 wRC+. He’s a solid defender who has shown he can man three infield spots, but he has more than enough ability to play shortstop regularly. He might seem like an afterthought with Bazzana and Genao in the fold, but he could work his way into more of the conversation this year.
“It’s both sides. It’s an advanced college bat and he’s a legit shortstop,” Harris said of Mooney. “But because you have an Angel Genao, because you have a Travis Bazzana, he’s probably mentioned third. He fits with those other guys.”
Something to prove: Jackson Humphries
Lest you think 2024 was the only time the Guardians have gone aggressively after high school pitching in later rounds, there’s Humphries, who got an over-slot deal of $600,000 as an eighth-rounder in 2022. The left-hander pitched in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and reached full-season ball in 2023, then spent the season with Single-A Lynchburg last year. The results have been mixed, but the stuff has been good … most of the time.
In 2024, he had a viral illness that cost him 20 pounds and several ticks off of his fastball. He finished with a 4.56 ERA over 79 innings and his stuff across the board was trending down.
“If you saw his numbers from last year, you’d say, ‘What happened to this guy?’” Harris said. “If you looked at him two years ago, you’re thinking, ‘This guy is going to be on the map.’ You look at him now and he’s back.”
With regained strength, Humphries came to camp ready to show that he belongs on that map.
“Velocity is the tide that raises all boats, but he’s been highly effective,” said Harris, pointing to Humphries' fastball, which is back up to the 97 mph he was touching pre-virus. “Everything’s back. The arsenal, the shape to it. He looks really, really good.”
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