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2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #29 RHP Cameron Sullivan
Can the Guardians improve development with high school arms starting with the Notre Dame commit?
Justin Lada
Mar 25






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Bio

Age (2025 season): 19

Acquired: Draft (2024, Round 7)

2024 Level: High school

Height: 6’2

Weight: 200

Throws: Right

2025 Scouting Grades

Fastball: 55

Slider: 55

Changeup: 40

Command: 40

Overall: 40

Risk: Extreme

ETA: 2028

First impression

Solidly built, projectable build. Exciting, quick arm. Natural ability to generate high spin rates. High 3/4 arm slot.
What Makes Sullivan Fun

The upside of Sullivan, like a lot of high school pitchers that get drafted, is a power armed, high spin type of talent. The stuff is evident in his fastball, which took off in his draft year, going from low-90s to now mid-upper 90s. Sullivan has great feel to manipulate his breaking stuff, throwing a harder slider/cutter in the upper-80s and a mid-80s type sweeper with huge spin. It’s potentially dominant stuff. Sullivan is also a very intelligent, motivated student that was committed to Notre Dame with a 4.5 GPA.

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What Could Hold Sullivan Back

Very few, if any, high school pitchers don’t carry huge risks (Daniel Espino, anyone?). There’s a really mixed feeling on his control and delivery. He’ll need to improve feel for his changeup if he wants to develop as a starter. Could be more efficient with use of his lower half and has a bit of a crossfire delivery, which could lead to some of his control issues.
Intangibles

Sullivan had a 4.5 GPA in school and was committed to Notre Dame for college and Cleveland has tried to make big commitments in character, intelligence and work ethic.
Future

Initially, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Sullivan hang back in Arizona for extended spring training and hopefully then make his way to Single-A Lynchburg at some point in 2025. Cleveland did push some high school arms to Single-A the last few years with new roster rules. We know the Guardians move most of their prospects slowly, and especially high school arms, so with needs in control and changeup development, Sullivan will probably be on a methodical track up the ladder as long as he stays healthy. There’s top of the rotation and high end relief upside here with a ton of risk.
Role/Risk

40/Extreme - High risk/high reward rotation/relief arm

According to MLB.com Guardians are placing their top ranked prospects pretty aggressively:

Bazzana to Akron age 22
Chourio to Lake County age 19
Genae to Akron age 20: he'll be one of the youngest in the Eastern League after only a half season [very successfully] at High A Lake County

Clippers season opens today. I keep checking for the roster update but hasn't appeared yet. Apparently Kayfus has been promoted to Columbus; a story listing top prospect in AAA included him. I'm sure Kody Huff will be promoted too and some of the unexciting infielders who trained with the Guardians this spring.

Clippers will be low on top prospects; Brito at 2nd; Kayfus at 1st.

Among pitchers I assume Messick will join Nikhazy in what could be an all LH rotation with Webb, Allard and Dion. Perhaps righty Austin Peterson will supplant Dion or Allard.

the scoreboard for today is probably accurate with Nizhazy the opening day starter, no surprise. But the position players has only 11 names including injured list stalwarts Valera and DeLauter. When I see a real roster I'll post it

"Coverning the Corners" site asks
Can Micah Pries be the Surprise Contributor of 2025?
A long story follows but we can be pretty confident that the answer is a simple NO.

the author makes the case before launching to his best case suggestion

Pries is a 27 year old first baseman that hits lefty and throws righty. He can technically occupy a corner outfield spot as well. He has spent the last two seasons at AAA and both were rather uninspiring; in neither year did he have a wRC+ above average. He ranked in the 7th percentile in wOBA (.292) among all AAA hitters last year, so what on earth do I see in him?

https://x.com/GuardsInsider/status/1905643584340328910 here are the rosters

2025 Cleveland Guardians Minor League Predictions
Guardians minor league predictions for 2025
Justin Lada
Mar 28






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Sleeper prospect: Austin Peterson

Breakout prospect: Parker Messick

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Most excited to see: Braylon Doughty

Biggest riser: Jackson Humphries

Falling: Kahlil Watson

Surprise MLB debut: Kody Huff

Best newcomer: Braylon Doughty

Which prospects will debut in 2025?

Travis Bazzana, Chase DeLauter, Juan Brito, Doug Nikhazy, George Valera, Franco Aleman, Kody Huff, Nic Enright

Non-top 100 prospects who will be top 100 prospects by the end of 2025

Braylon Doughty, Parker Messick, Austin Peterson

2025 Guardians prospect Futures Games participants

Travis Bazzana, CJ Kayfus, Braylon Doughty, Matt Wilkinson, Cooper Ingle

Bold prospect predictions: Chase DeLauter eventually gets healthy and debuts, Travis Bazzana forces his way up, Cleveland trades a high school pitcher from last year’s class, Doug Nikhazy becomes a key left handed reliever, Daniel Espino throws a pitch in a minor league game

Several of those predictions are highly speculative, as the author suggests but none more so than:
Daniel Espino throws a pitch in a minor league game

Looking at the rosters, as well as the one finally posted at MILB.com for Columbus, some notes


No Genao anywhere
Only Doughy among the high school pitchers drafted last year with a full season team.
Lots of lefties in Lake County: Wilkinson, Hartle, Kennedy, Humphries
I hope that Jacob Zibin really is healthy and ready to go for Lynchburg; wouldn't be surprised if he's going to just pitch 1-2 innings at a time in relief as he rebuilds his arm
Kayfus returns to Akron, but only for 1/2 season if he does well.
Peterson returns to Akron. Denholm up to Columbus, age 27 it's now or never for him I guess
Jake Fox reaches Akron. Alex Mooney too. I couple maybe maybenot prospects
No Parker Messick anywhere. But I don't really trust the Columbus roster, which I will copy here in the next post, since there's also no Allard, no Dion

MILB.com roster for Columbus:

Pitchers
Tanner Burns, age 26
Ross Carever, age 25
Trenton Denholm, age 25 [correct my reference above; so why him promoted not Peterson?]
Bradley Hanner 26
Mason Hickman age 26
Zach Jacobs age23
Zak Ken age 27
Jack Leftwich age 26
Nick Mikoljachek age 27
Andrew Misiaskez age 27
Parker Mushinski age 29
Doug Nikhazy age 25
Shawn Rapp age 24
Carter Spivey age 25
Ryan Webb age 25
CATHCERS
Kody Huff 24
David Leon 21
Dom Nunez 30
INFIELDERS
Juan Brito 2B age 23
Christain Cairo age 23
Kyle Datres age 29
Dayan Frias age 21
Micah Pries 1B-OF age 27
Will Wilson age 26
OUTFIELD
Justin Boyd age 23; not sure why he'd be here other than that need SOMEONE. Career stats: 251AB 171AVG 519OPS
Will Brennan age 27
Petey Halpin age 22
Angle Martinez age 23

the posted lineup doesn't jibe with that roster

Brennan RF
Brito 2B
Martinez LF
Wilson 3b [cleanup hitter??] 5 HR last season with a 595 OPS
Huff C
Halpin CF
Nunez DH
Frias 1B 203/604 in AA
Tolentino SS 241/683 in AA

That's a really poor collection of hitters.

No Genao anywhere

Assigned to Akron.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
Cleveland #Guardians minor league rosters released today are just preliminary rosters. Players likely to be added and shuffled around until the start of the season 4/4/25 for Akron, Lake County and Lynchburg.

Only roster set for now is Columbus as they start their season tonight. The Clippers roster is subject to change after the teams three game series at Toledo as they have some temporary players currently on the active roster.

Everyone else opens April 4. We'll see them all then,
20 year old Genao at Akron is aggressive placement of an excellent talent.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
·
1h
Cleveland #Guardians 20yr old switch-hitting (SS) prospect Angel Genao will begin his 2025 season at Double-A Akron.

Genao is currently still out at Goodyear dealing with a minor injury. He should be back near the end of April.