Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 6/30- 7/1/25

Next Year in Cleveland - Guardians Farm System Coverage
To: me · Wed, Jul 2 at 7:13 AM
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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 6/30- 7/1/25
Hartle dominates, DeLauter keeps on base streak going, Ralphy heats up
Arthur Kinney
Jul 2


SCOREBOARD
Toledo Mud Hens 4, Columbus Clippers 1 - Statcast
Akron RubberDucks 6, Erie SeaWolves 2
Lake County Captains 10, Dayton Dragons 5
Salem Red Sox 1, Lynchburg Hillcats 0 (F/8 - Rain)
ACL Guardians 6, ACL Cubs 2
DSL Dodgers Mega 5, DSL Guardians Mendoza 1
DSL Pirates Black 7, DSL Guardians Goryl 6
ACL Cubs 4, ACL Guardians 3 (Monday)
DSL Dodgers Mega 13, DSL Guardians Mendoza 6 (Monday)
DSL Guardians Goryl 14, DSL Cubs Blue 9 (Monday)
HIGHLIGHTS

Austin Peterson (SP, Columbus): L (0-1), 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R (both earned), 3 BB, 7 K, 1 HR allowed - Peterson’s seven strikeouts out of only 13 total outs were the result of his 16 whiffs - best in Triple-A last night - which came on a near even mix of four-seamers, cutters, and sliders (five on each of the first two and six on cutters). He also got Mud Hen hitters to look at 14 strikes, with the cutter predominating there, being responsible for exactly half of the takes. Not bad for a guy who’s been in Triple-A for less than a month.

Ralphy Velazquez (1B, Lake County): 3-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI - Velazquez followed up his impressive homestand against the all-conquering West Michigan Whitecaps (6-for-25 with three doubles and a homer) with this spectacular start to the split-site Independence week series with the Dragons.

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Alfonsin Rosario (CF, Lake County): 2-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP - In the fourth game of his current streak of reaching safely multiple times, Rosario took it to another level by reaching in all five plate appearances on Tuesday night in Southwest Ohio.

Juan Benjamin (DH, Lake County): 3-5, 2 R, 1 2B - Benjamin’s three-hit series opener extended his on-base streak to ten games, not bad for a guy routinely hitting towards the bottom of the order.

Josh Hartle (SP, Lake County): ND, 5.2 IP, 3 H, 2 R (both earned), 1 BB, 1 HBP, 10 K, 1 HR allowed - After a June in which he “only” posted a 17:11 K:BB ratio, he started July with a career-high ten strikeouts, recalling his early-season 38:12 ratio from April and May.

Sean Matson (SP, Lynchburg): L (3-2), 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R (earned), 1 HBP, 3 K - The earned run that made Matson a tough-luck loser was only the second he has allowed this summer (since Memorial Day weekend). Even so, his summer statline is still impressive at a 0.61 ERA, the same number for his WHIP, and a 30:7 K:BB ratio in 29.2 combined innings.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Will Wilson (3B, Columbus): 2-4, 1 2B, 1 K - Wilson’s 2025 OPSs (1.031 with the Clippers and .498 with the Guardians) provide one of the starkest examples of the increasing divide in talent level between Triple-A and the Major Leagues.

Petey Halpin (CF, Columbus): 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 K - Halpin’s fifth-inning solo shot to right (96.1 MPH, 359 feet) provided the entirety of the Clip Show’s scoring on Tuesday in Toledo.

Chase DeLauter (RF, Columbus): 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K - DeLauter’s on-base and hitting streaks now stand at 27 and 15 games, respectively, as Guards fans continue to await his promotion.

Cameron Barstad (C, Akron): 2-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - While Barstad may seem like an unlikely offensive hero for the RubberDucks, this big night at the plate didn’t come completely from nowhere as it extended his productive plate appearance and hitting streaks to ten and four games, respectively.

Alex Mooney (2B, Akron): 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB - Mooney ended a nine-game multi-hit drought (combined 3-for-32, albeit with one of the hits being a homer) with the Ducks’ other two-hit Tuesday.

Angel Genao (SS, Akron): 1-5, 2 RBI, 3 K, 1 E - While his streak of to-hit games ended at five, Genao did continue his hitting streak with a two-run single in the seventh that gave the Mallards of Main Street the lead for good.

Rodney Boone (SP, Akron): ND, 2.2 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 2 K - Boone was pitching well before leaving the game in the third with an injury.

Christian Knapczyk (2B, Lake County): 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI - Knapcyk’s multi-base streak now stands at six games, a stretch during which he is slugging .714.

Maick Collado (3B, Lake County): 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SF, 1 K - All three of Collado’s hits in his last four games have been of the extra-base variety, with his last two hits being homers.

Bennett Thompson (DH, Lynchburg): 2-3, Thompson’s third two-hit game of his active nine-game hit streak was a high point of a rough night for the Hillcat offense.

Nick Mitchell (CF, Lynchburg): 0-2, 2 BB, 2 SB - Mitchell stole both second and third following a leadoff walk in the bottom of the first to become one of only two Hillcats to come within 90 feet of scoring (Thompson also did so after hitting the first of back-to-back-to-back singles in the seventh.).

Yeiferth Castillo (starting RF, ACL - Monday): 2-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB - Castillo led the way offensively for the A-Guards before being pulled for a pinch runner in the eighth.

Robert Arias (LF, ACL - Monday): 1-4, 1 R, 1 RBI - Arias’ fifth-inning single got the scoring started in the A-Guards’ three-run fifth and extended his hitting streak to seven games.

Yatner Crisostomo (RP, ACL - Monday): 2.1 IP, 2 H, 3 K - Crisotomo finishes June with a 0.00 ERA for the month in 9.2 innings.

Luis Garcia (3B, Mendoza - Monday): 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 E - While he led Mendoza offensively with three trips to the basepaths on Monday, Garcia struggled mightily in the field.

Romer Taveras (RF, Goryl - Monday): 2-4, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB - Taveras’ third-straight multi-hit game was the only one of a walk-heavy 14-run day for Goryl. The trio of RBI doubled his season total and surpassed his entire output from his rookie season last year (2 RBI in 94 plate appearances).

Wuinder Torres (1B, Goryl - Monday): 1-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB - Torres, on the other hand, has had no trouble driving in runs, with his pair on Monday bringing his 2025 total to 20, nearly matching the 21 he drove in as a rookie last year.

Israel Alvarez 2B, Goryl - Monday): 1-2, 3 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 K - Alvarez opened the floodgates of Goryl runs by getting plunked with the bases loaded in the bottom of the first. That HBP was also the difference in his leading the team with four trips to the bases on Monday.

Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 7/4/25

Next Year in Cleveland - Guardians Farm System Coverage
To: me · Sat, Jul 5 at 11:08 AM
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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 7/4/25


Scoreboard
Toledo Mud Hens 5, Columbus Clippers 1 - Statcast
Erie SeaWolves 2, Akron RubberDucks 0
Dayton Dragons 5, Lake County Captains 1
Lynchburg Hillcats 4, Salem Red Sox 3
ACL Athletics 8, ACL Guardians 6
DSL Brewers Blue 9, DSL Guardians Mendoza 1
DSL Guardians Goryl 6, DSL Brewers Gold 2 (G1 - 6/16 suspended game)
DSL Guardians Goryl 9, DSL Brewers Gold 4 (G2 - F/7)
Highlights

Alfonsin Rosario (RF, Lake County): 1-2, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SB - Rosario reached thrice, including on a first-inning homer to left, to continue his recent hot streak. Since the homestand against West Michigan late last month, Rosario is slashing .385/.553/.577 with a triple, homer, and six RBI in 38 plate appearances.

Ryan Cesarini (RF, Lynchburg): 2-4, 2 RBI - Cesarini’s two-RBI performance looks impressive on paper. It looked even more impressive as the two runs were driven in in the bottom of the eighth, as his second single of the night gave the Hillcats their only lead of the evening - which they eventually converted into the org’s only domestic Independence Day victory.

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Bennett Thompson (C, Lynchburg): 2-2, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI,1 , 1 E- Thompson got the Hillcats within a run with a solo shot in the bottom of the second but gave the run back in the following half-inning on a throwing error. Still, a perfect night at the plate is always a highlight.

Yeiferth Castillo (RF, ACL Guardians): 3-for-5, 2 R, RBI - Castillo continued his hot streak with his third multi-hit performance in a row on Friday. He brought the ACL Guardians to within one with his RBI single in the seventh and came around to score later in the frame as the game’s tying run late in the contest.

Randy Baron (RP, DSL Goryl - G1): W (1-0), 4.0 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 4 Ks, WP - Baron got the “start” when the rain delayed game from June 16 resumed in the third inning on Friday and tossed four shutout innings to help secure the victory. He retired the final eight batters he faced and had to work around an error in the fourth that allowed the opponents to threaten. This was the right-hander’s best appearance of the season.

Wuinder Torres (C, DSL Goryl - G2): 2-for-3, 4 RBIs, SF - Torres had three different scoring plays for the Goryl squad in game two with a first inning single, a sacrifice fly in the fourth and a two-run hit to further widen the gap in the fifth. The 18-year-old is back above .300 on the year and has hits in each of his last seven games.

Angel Abreu (CF, DSL Goryl - G2): 3-for-5, 2 R, RBI - The leadoff man Abreu put together three hits in five plate appearances and drove in a run with his single in the bottom of the third. The 16-year-old now has five three-hit games out of 20 played in 2025 as he shows he can get on base with consistency.
Notable Performances

Kody Huff (DH, Columbus): 1-2, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SF - While Huff was the only Clipper to reach twice yesterday, his 30th RBI of the season came on a fourth-inning sac fly.

Chase DeLauter (LF, Columbus): 1-4, 1 K - Speaking of 30, DeLauter has now reached safely in all thirty games he has played for the Clippers this season after his third-inning single to right.

Juan Brito (2B, Columbus): 0-1 - Brito left in the first inning of the game with an apparent hamstring injury trying to run out a groundball.

Dylan DeLucia (SP, Akron): L (3-2), 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R (earned), 2 BB, 1 K - DeLucia seems to have gotten past allowing six earned runs in three frames in his most recent road outing as he has allowed only one run in each of his last two starts (previous one went six innings) - both at Canal Park.

Wuilfredo Antunez (LF, Lake County): 2-4, 1 2B, 1 K - Antunez has four extra-base hits in his last five games (a double and three homers). Fun Fact: His sixth-inning single was his first one-base hit since June 27.

Pedro Dalmagro (C-1B): 2-for-3, R, 2 RBIs, SB, 2 E2Ts, DP - It was an eventful five innings for Dalmagro before he was relieved with a two-run single being the highlight. He was also charged with a pair of throwing errors on stolen base attempts, was moved to first and then exited the game.

Victor Izturis (1B-C): 2-for-4, 2B, RBI - Izturis was credited with a multi-hit day as well and changed positions defensively with a shift to catcher mid-game. This was his first game since June 17 and an RBI double in the second showed he was ready to go.

Johan Rodriguez (2B, ACL Guardians): 2-for-5, R, 2 2Bs, DP - The 17-year-old had his second game of the year (38 games played) with two extra-base hits with a pair of doubles in Friday’s win.

Luis Garcia (SS, DSL Mendoza): 1-for-4, RBI, CS - The lone run for the Mendoza team was manufactured off the bat of Garcia via an RBI single in the fourth, the lone hit with a runner in scoring position for the team (1-for-11).

Heins Brito (SS, DSL Goryl - G1): 1-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBIs, 2 SBs - Brito uncorked his first homerun in 18 DSL games this season to cap off a five-run bottom of the seventh for the DSL Goryl squad.

Randy Martinez (LF, DSL Goryl - G1): 2-for-4, R, SB - The switch-hitting Martinez had a pair of hits both coming after the resumption of the game in the third inning - a leadoff single in the fifth and a single to load the bases in the seventh.

Josh Perez (SP, DSL Goryl - G2): 4.0 IP, 0 H, R, 0 ER, 2 BBs, 3 Ks - Coming off an appearance where he could not get through an inning, Perez did not allow an earned run in four innings on Friday. He had to work around a pair of errors, but that did not deter him from a quality outing.

Osmar Torrealba (RF, DSL Goryl - G2): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBIs - The left-handed swinging outfielder had multiple hits and drove in a run on his groundball out as well.

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2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #5 RHP Braylon Doughty
Next Year in Cleveland - Guardians Farm System Coverage


2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #5 RHP Braylon Doughty
Doughty has pitchability, poise, and maturity - will it be enough to break this organization's issues developing high school pitching?
Justin Lada
Jul 5



Bio
Age (2025 season): 19

Acquired: Draft (2024, Round 1A)

2024 Level: High School

Height: 6’1

Weight: 190

Throws: Right

First impression
Short and stocky build. Clean and easy delivery. Good athlete. Real feel for spin. High marks for makeup.

2025 Scouting Grades
Fastball: 55

Slider: 55

Curveball: 55

Changeup: 40

Command: 40

Overall: 50

Risk: Extreme

ETA: 2029

What Makes Doughty Fun
Pitchers with good feel for spin, and that spin two legitimately above average two breaking balls and maintain velocity with an easy delivery are very fun to watch. Doughty has a pair of breaking balls, one a high spin horizontal sweeper, and the other a tight downer type breaking ball with good spin. There's plenty of action on the fastball. He can get it up to 97. Very simple, quick and clean operation in his delivery. There aren’t a lot of moving parts of effort to it, which makes you surprised when you see solid velocity and innate ability to create spin. He’s on-line with the plate. Good hip to shoulder separation. Good rotation at foot strike. Quality athlete, which gives hope for future good control when paired with his clean delivery. 3/4 arm slot. Does come from an extreme demographic in terms of draft pick status, but has real mid rotation upside.

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What Could Hold Doughty Back
Not to be a downer, because every prospect and draft pick are different, but high school pitching, especially right-handed pitching, tends to be a high risk demographic. Considering the fact the Guardians have only been able to develop Triston McKenzie and Sam Henges over the last several years in all of their high school pitching draft targets.It's fair to worry about the long-term viability for Doughty. Aside from factors he can't control, the changeup is usable but needs work. There is some concern about his overall durability and size given that he is undersized. He may need to work to get stronger to maintain fastball velocity and starts and may even need to get it into a higher band consistently hitting the mid upper 90s versus sitting loan IDs and touching the upper 90s.

Intangibles
Doughty is young for his class, and won't turn 20 until December of 2025. .He's somewhat young for his class. He also comes from a good developmental area the Guardians of targeted. He also gets high marks for makeup and character.

Future
High School pitchers, even ones that appear to have a good feel for their stuff and control take years to develop. Especially given the Guardians track record of slow playing many pitchers, and struggling to develop high school pitching, Doughty’s path to the big leagues could be longer than some think. Unless the performance on the field is too hard to ignore, this will be a slow developmental path for Doughty. Developing his ability to throw more Innings working on his change up and building strength and routines will be important. Because he has a three pitch mix, he should have a chance to be a good reliever if it turns out durability and the lack of a changeup hold him back from starting. If his athleticism helps him overcome his size to be 150 getting 270 getting type starter, and either developing the change up or having two special breaking balls where he doesn't need it, you're looking at a potential mid rotation starter.

Role/Risk
50/Extreme - Mid-rotation starter/back of the bullpen type arm

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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 7/5/25

Next Year in Cleveland - Guardians Farm System Coverage
To: me · Sun, Jul 6 at 9:05 AM
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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 7/5/25
Bazzana returns, Detroit is Cleveland's Daddy, Favors has career day
Justin Lada and Arthur Kinney
Jul 6







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SCOREBOARD

Toledo MudHens 2, Columbus Clippers 1 (Statcast)
Erie Sea Wolves 8, Akron RubberDucks 4
Lake County Captains 9, Dayton Dragons 1
Salem Red Sox 7, Lynchburg Hillcats 5
ACL Guardians 8, ACL Brewers 7
DSL Padres Gold 1, DSL Guardians Mendoza 0 (F/7 - G1)
DSL Padres Gold 3, DSL Guardians Mendoza 0 (F/7 - G2)
DSL Tampa Bay 8, DSL Guardians Goryl 7
REHAB

Travis Bazzana (starting 2B, ACL): 0-2 - Bazzana recorded a pair of outs and played five innings in the field before being pinch hit for in the bottom of the fifth by Jhorvic Abreus. The good news is that he completed his scheduled innings, seemingly without complications.

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Cam Schuelke (RP, ACL): 1 IP, 1 H, 1 R (earned), 2 BB, 1 BK, 2 K - After a solid inning of work in his rehab debut last Friday, Schuelke struggled in his second outing.
HIGHLIGHTS

Parker Messick (SP, Columbus): 7IP, 3H, BB, 9K - Messick got a crash course in what to expect whenever he’s called up to Cleveland - seven shutout inning and the team still losing. That call up should be sometime in the second half now. His fastball was 91-93 and topped out at 95, collecting nine whiffs in the process. He needed just 88 pitches to complete seven shutout innings. Efficiency has been an area of focus. He accomplished that in two of his last three starts. And now he knows what to expect when he gets to Cleveland.

Kahlil Watson (CF, Akron): 2-5, 2B, HR, 2K - Watson seems to be finding his stroke again after his injury. The two strikeouts aren’t ideal, as that has crept up into the high 20% range again. But the pop remains and he should get a shot at Triple-A this year.

Alex Mooney (3B, Akron): 2-4, 2 2B, 2K - Mooney has also started to find better offensive results lately after a really brutal first three months.

Caden Favors (SP, Lake County): 5IP, 3H, BB, 10K - A career day for Favors, who has been having an up and down first pro season. Six of the 10 punchouts sent Dragons hitters back to the dugout with the bat on their shoulder, so it was more strike throwing than bat missing, but a good outing regardless.

Alfonsin Rosario (CF, Lake County): 2-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, BB - Two extra base hits and a walk is quite the banner day for Rosario, whose approach I worry about. The power is good and he’s been popping it since he came back from injury and taking a walk with no strikeouts is a welcome line.

Tommy Hawke (DH, Lake County): 2-4, 2R, BB, K, SB - Hawke is still 2-2 on steals and is off to a nice start in Lake County now that he’s finally playing.

Jose Devers (SS, Lake County): 2-4, HR, 3 RBI - Devers has 10 homers now and at one point this year was leading the Midwest League in doubles. When he makes contact, there is pop. But he doesn’t make it often enough.

Jose Pirela (CF, Lynchburg): 3-4, 2B, RBI - I was excited to see more of Pirela after some strong complex numbers previously, but he hasn’t carried it over to Low-A, but this was a good night for him.

Dauri Fernandez (3B, ACL): 1-3, 2 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SF - Fernandez's trio of RBI included a pair on a go-ahead - and ultimately game-winning - home run in the bottom of the eighth. He now has nearly as many RBI (five) in 15 July plate appearances as he did in all of June (7 RBI in 61 PA).

Heribert Silva (LF, ACL): 3-3, 2 R, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB, 1 Outfield Assist, 1 E - Silva has started to see more at-bats recently as he continues his return from what seems to have been an injury-induced late June absence (He didn't play for eleven days and saw limited playing time early in his return to game action.) and capitalized on it bigtime on Saturday with his first stateside three-hit game.

Alejandro Rivera (SP - G1, DSL Mendoza): ND, 4 IP, 2 H, 1 HBP, 5 K - After allowing an earned run in each of his last two outings, Rivera returnee to his scoreless ways from the first two starts of his second DSL campaign, bringing his ERA back under 1.00 (0.90, identical to his WHIP). Also, his first walkless start since his 2025 official debut brought his K:BB ratio to 16:4. Fun Fact: All five of Alejandro’s starts this season have lasted exactly four frames.

Steven Cruz (RF, DSL Goryl): 2-3, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K - Cruz put up one of the gaudier statlines of his rookie season in an effort that included his first multi-run game as a professional. He has now seen the basepaths in each of his last six games and ten of his last eleven (includes reaching via fielder;s choice on June 24), and he only had two plate appearances as a backup in the game he didn't reach in (June 21).
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Nic Enright (RP, Columbus): IP - Speaking of efficient pitching performances, six strikes and one ball in a perfect inning. Enright needs to be back in the Guardians bullpen the rest of the year to prepare for a bigger role in 2026.

Cooper Ingle (DH, Akron): 2-5 - No extra base hits, but Ingle has come back with the bat in a big way since returning from injury.

Jake Miller (RP, Akron): 2IP, 3H, 2ER, 2BB - A rare rough outing for Miller, who has been dominant most of the year in Akron. Sometimes we need to fail to learn to adjust though.

Wuilfredo Antunez (RF, Lake County): 3-5, RBI - No extra base hits, but a nice day for Antunez who has been racking up good days and results over the last few weeks. It’s a rare day where he’s collecting hits without an extra base.

Garrett Howe (SS, Lynchburg): 2-4, RBI, BB, K - I was expecting Howe to be a better bat when he got to pro ball this year but it’s been a rough year for him overall.

Gabriel Rodriguez (SS, ACL): 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 2 SB - Rodriguez, who stole two bases for the second time this season, has alternated multi-base and hitless efforts over his last five games.

Luis De La Cruz (1B, ACL): 2-5, 1 R, 2 SB - De La Cruz, who has seen the basepaths (including reaching on errors and fielder's choices) in 33 consecutive games with a plate appearance, also had a two-hit, two-steal Saturday - extending his productive plate appearance streak to seven games in the process.

Yeiferth Castillo (RF, ACL): 1-4, 2 RBI - Castillo now has five RBI over the course of an active four-game RBI streak.

Reiner Herrera (C, ACL): 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB - After spending most of June in a twelve-game stretch without a multi-RBI performance, Herrera now has two in his last five games.

Yatner Crisostomo (RP, ACL): W (2-1), 1 IP, 1 BB, 2 K - Crisostomo has now not allowed an earned run in nine outings (eleven combined innings) dating back to May 30

Romer Taveras (RF - G1 and backup RF - G2, DSL Mendoza): combined 1-2, 1 BB, 1 K - Taveras had Mendoza's only walk in Game 1 and one the two hits in Game 2 on his first day with the team after moving from Goryl earlier in the morning in a swap that saw infielder Sebastian De Los Santos go the other way. (Yes, I had to go to the transactions log to find any relevance in the second contest.)

Ricardo Romero (2B, DSL Goryl): 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 2 E - Romero opened his official professional home run account as part of his first multi-hit effort since a stretch of four in six games from June 19-26.

Freilyn Rodriguez (CF, DSL Goryl): 2-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 Outfield Assist, 1 E - Rodriguez rounded out the trio of two-hit days for Goryl with his third in his last six games.

Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 7/6/25

Next Year in Cleveland - Guardians Farm System Coverage
To: me · Mon, Jul 7 at 8:31 AM
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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 7/6/25
Detroit dominates Cleveland - again, Peterson adds another shutout performance loss; DeLauter keeps on-base streak in Columbus alive
Matthew Kennell
Jul 7






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Scoreboard:
Toledo Mud Hens 5, Columbus Clippers 4 - Statcast
Erie SeaWolves 7, Akron RubberDucks 3
Dayton Dragons 4, Lake County Captains 0
Lynchburg Hillcats 6, Salem Red Sox 5 (F/10)
Highlights:

Austin Peterson (SP, Columbus): 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 3 BBs, 5 Ks, HBP - Peterson left his start after five shutout innings and the team had a two-run lead but could not hold on for the victory upon calling the bullpen. The University of Connecticut alum did not allow a run for the first time in his five Triple-A starts this season and two hits is the fewest he has allowed with the Clippers. Opponents are still hitting .337 against the right-hander through the small sample-size of 21.1 innings in Triple-A despite the quality performance on Sunday.

Luis Merejo (1B, Lynchburg): 2-for-3, 2 R, 2B, RBI, BB, HBP - Merejo reached base four times in total on Sunday and walked it off for the Hillcats in the bottom of the tenth with a one-out single. He entered play with an 0-for-14 drought in the four games played in July, but reached base four times for the first time since April 19 when he had five appearances on base. This was also his first game since June 19 where he did not strike out.

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Julio Zapata (RP, Lynchburg): W (3-1), 2.0 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 2 Ks, Timer Violation - The 22-year-old got through the ninth and once Lynchburg rallied to tie it in the bottom half, they sent Zapata back out for the tenth and he was able to get out of the inning without any damage, even with the runner placed on second base. A popup on the infield and a strikeout put him in position to get out of the inning, even working around an error where Welbyn Francisca threw out the game-tying run at the plate.
Notable Performances:

Christian Cairo (3B, Columbus): 2-for-4, R, 2B, SB, CS, GIDP - Cairo led a trio of hitters in spots two through four with multiple hits in the series finale and had the Clippers’ lone extra-base hit, his 13th double of the year. He was 1-for-2 on stolen base attempts as well and is 15-of-19 overall.

CJ Kayfus (1B, Columbus): 2-for-4, R, RBI, DP - A two-out RBI single for Kayfus in the third highlighted his day to give him 49 RBIs across Columbus and Akron this season.

Jhonkensy Noel (RF, Columbus): 2-for-4, RBI - In what feels like happens in every Clippers game, Noel’s sixth-inning RBI single was the hardest hit ball of the day for the team at 103.7 mph.

Yordys Valdes (SS, Columbus): 1-for-4, RBI - An opposite field RBI single in the ninth kept the Clippers alive late in the game.

Chase DeLauter (LF, Columbus): 0-for-3, BB - A walk makes it 32 straight games reaching base for DeLauter.

Guy Lipscomb (LF, Akron): 1-for-4, 2 RBIs, OF assist, DP - Lipscomb capped off the three-run seventh inning with a two-run single and was credited defensively with an outfield assist to second base for a flyout double play on a back pick to second base.

Joe Lampe (DH, Akron): 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI - A Lampe double in the bottom of the seventh broke up the shutout and he later scored on the Lipscomb base hit.

Jaison Chourio (CF, Lake County): 1-for-1, 3 BBs - In his first game since June 24, Chourio reached base in all four plate appearances despite the loss with a trifecta of walks and a single up the middle in the ninth. His 38 walks in 33 games with the Captains gives him a .390 on-base percentage despite a .176 batting average.

Josh Hartle (SP, Lake County): L (5-2), 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 BBs, 7 Ks, Timer Violation - Despite the loss, Hartle was solid and accumulated a total of 17 punchouts in 10.2 innings pitched this week against the Dayton Dragons, the two highest games of the year for the left-hander. Those K’s helped him to limit the damage, especially back-to-back in the third.

Conner Whittaker (RP, Lynchburg): 2.0 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 2 Ks, Timer Violation - Whittaker made it 12.1 consecutive scoreless innings of work for Lynchburg, all of which were multi-inning appearances. He lowered his ERA to 2.63 on the year.

Garrett Howe (3B, Lynchburg): 1-for-3, 2 RBIs, SF, E5F - Howe started the game strong with an RBI single and sparked a four-run bottom of the ninth inning with a bases loaded sacrifice fly. He has reached base in each of his last six games.

Bennett Thompson (C, Lynchburg): 1-for-3, R, BB - Thompson reached base multiple times with a key hit in the ninth to keep the rally going and moved his hit streak to 12 consecutive games.

Nick Mitchell (CF, Lynchburg): 1-for-4, RBI, HBP - Mitchell’s lone hit of the game came in the ninth when he brought the Hillcats to within one run at 5-4. He has now reached base twice in four of his last five games.

2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #2 INF Angel Genao

Next Year in Cleveland - Guardians Farm System Coverage
To: me · Wed, Jul 9 at 1:22 PM
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2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #2 INF Angel Genao
Angel Genao offers an exciting combination of contact, speed, defense, and pop - will his approach hold back his potential?
Justin Lada
Jul 9






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Angel Genao Bio

Age (2025 season): 21

Acquired: International FA, 2021

2024 Level: High-A

Height: 6’0

Weight: 190

Bats: Both

Throws: Right

Rule 5/Options: 2025

Overview

Genao has been a prospect on the radar for a few years and took some time to get through Low-A and start to show the tools many thought he possessed. He’s certainly grown into his body and is taller and more physical than his listed weight. It was a breakout year for Genao, who has persevered to get this far.
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.

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2025 Scouting Grades

Hit: 50

Power: 45

Speed: 60

Defense: 55

Arm: 60

Overall: 50

Risk: High

ETA: 2027

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: #1 2B Travis Bazzana

Next Year in Cleveland - Guardians Farm System Coverage
To: me · Thu, Jul 10 at 12:31 PM


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2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #1 2B Travis Bazzana
How soon will Bazzana be ready for the majors, and will his approach and defense translate enough to be a potential All-Star or just a good everyday regular?
Justin Lada
Jul 10






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Travis Bazzana Bio

Age (2025 season): 22

Acquired: 2024 Draft (1st Round)

2024 Level: High-A

Height: 6’0

Weight: 199

Bats: Left

Throws: Right

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.
2025 Scouting Grades

Hit: 60

Power: 55

Speed: 60

Defense: 45

Arm: 45

Overall: 60

Risk: Moderate

ETA: 2026

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 Australian 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.

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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.

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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 7/10/25

Next Year in Cleveland - Guardians Farm System Coverage
To: me · Fri, Jul 11 at 9:20 AM
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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 7/10/25
Travis Bazzana continues to rehab, Ralphy and Rosario go yard, Doughty's development continues
Justin Lada and Matthew Kennell
Jul 11







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SCOREBOARD

Columbus Clippers 6, Louisville Bats 4
Richmond Flying Squirrels 6, Akron RubberDucks 1
Lake County Captains 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 4
Hickory Crawdads 3, Lynchburg Hillcats 2
ACL White Sox 5, ACL Guardians 2 (F/7)
DSL Red Sox Red 9, DSL Guardians Mendoza 7
DSL Blue Jays Blue 9, DSL Guardians Goryl 5
REHAB

Travis Bazzana (2B, ACL Guardians): 1-for-3, RBI - Bazzana was in the field for the third game out of four in his rehab stint and collected a fifth inning RBI single before being removed for a defensive replacement. Bazanna’s other at-bats featured a weak groundball out and a line drive to centerfield. He is now 2-for-9 in his four games with the ACL Guardians with four walks.

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HIGHLIGHTS

Milan Tolentino (2B, Columbus): 2-5, 2 2B, 3 RBI - Tolentino has had something of a hot stretch recently with the bat. He’s got some pop, but Tolentino is still a glove first infielder.

Ralphy Velazquez (1B, Lake County): 2-3, HR, RBI, BB - Since June 1, Ralphy is hitting .276/.333/.500 with five homers. He’s starting to find more consistency and has a normalized strikeout/walk rates. He also now has 12 homers after hitting 11 all last year.

Braylon Doughty (SP, Lynchburg): 5IP, 6H, 3ER, 2BB, K - Not the best line Doughty has had this year. But half the hits he allowed and all the runs came in the second inning. So the other four innings, he was great despite the lack of strikeouts. Furthermore, he needed 67 pitches to get through five innings, so we’re seeing more of a push up in his pitch total and efficiency, which is a nice step.

Nomar Velasquez (3B, DSL Mendoza): 3-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, SAC - At Velasquez’s age (20), we will have to see what he can do stateside with this his fourth DSL season. He showed some pop in the bat for his first homerun in 20 games played this year on Thursday. in the midst of a three-hit performance.

Ricardo Romero (2B, DSL Goryl): 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBIS, SB - The 17-year-old has looked fantastic competing for the Goryl squad with a .330 batting average over 22 games. He now has three multi-hit games in a row and has at least one RBI in each of his last four contests.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Yordys Valdes (SS, Columbus): 2-4, 2B, RBI, 2 SB - Like Tolentino, Valdes has had his moments as a hitter but he’s never sustained anything long term and is more known for his glove.

Franco Aleman (RP, Columbus): IP - Aleman really needed a clean inning. He threw 14 pitches. No strikeouts but he really just needed a good outing overall with his struggles lately.

Angel Genao (SS, Akron): 1-3, 2B, BB, K - Genao had a nice start in Akron but has hit some bumps recently, which isn’t really a shock. So this was a solid effort from him and as I’ve said, any time he can work a walk if a good thing to see from him with his approach.

Jonah Advincula (LF, Akron): 2-3, 2B - Advincula has been better in Akron in recent days after a pretty slow start.

Alfonsin Rosario (RF, Lake County): 1-4, HR, 2 RBI - In his last 28 games going back to June 1, Rosario has six homers. The average is only .248 but an exploding walk rate of 17% in that time puts him at .386 OBP and a .465 SLG in that time. The power is there, as you can see, but if the walks are like this, that is big for the profile.

Nick Mitchell (CF, Lynchburg): 1-3, 2BB, SB - The overall numbers don’t bear out, but I do like what Mitchell is doing. Walk rates from Low-A don’t translate (almost none in the minors do anymore) but the skill I think is there and he has speed.

Estivel Morillo (DH, ACL Guardians): 2-for-3, R, 2B, RBI, SB - Morillo was able to break up the shutout with a fifth inning RBI double and came around to score on the rehabbing Bazzana’s RBI single. The 17-year-old has struggled mightily since coming stateside, but now has two multi-hit games out of 13.

Reiner Herrera (C, ACL Guardians): 2-for-3, R - Herrera posted a multi-hit game as well and has now reached base in nine straight contests.

Sabastian Cadiz (1B, DSL Mendoza): 3-for-5, R, RBI - For just the third time in his professional career (first since 2023), Cadiz recorded three hits in a game and drove in a run with a seventh-inning single to get the DSL Mendoza squad to within one.

Luis Galan (SS, DSL Mendoza): 3-for-5, RBI, E6T - Galan was the third player in the lineup with a trio of hits and the team put together 15 in total despite the loss. The 16-year-old has six multi-hit games in his career already, but this is his first three-hit performance.

Romer Taveras (RF, DSL Mendoza): 2-for-4, R, 2 RBIs, SF - The sacrifice fly by Taveras tied the game up in the seventh after the team fell behind by five at one point on Thursday. He also had multiple hits.

Rodny Rosario (2B, DSL Goryl): 2-for-4, 2 RBIs - The switch-hitting Rosario had a pair of hits - the second game in a row with two singles. This was, however his first game with an RBI in the last nine.

Angel Abreu (LF, DSL Goryl): 0-for-3, R, 2 BBs, 3 OF assists - To go along with reaching base twice, Abreu had three outfield assists - two at third and one at home.