I can't unfortunately disagree with this assessment by Baseball America, both in terms of the top players who underachieved due to injuries and to the overall stength of the system regardless'
This exercise is not simply a rehash of our 2025 farm system rankings. Those rankings measure the overall state of prospect talent in each organization. Here, the focus is on performance this season, examining how each system delivered this year in terms of MLB graduations, breakouts and also setbacks or injuries.
To do that, we’re examining systems in several key areas:
Farm system rank
Key MLB graduations
Breakouts
Disappointments and/or injuries
Key additions
CLEVELAND GUARDIANS GRADE C-
C.J. Kayfus was a nice surprise, but the Guardians had a hard time keeping their top prospects healthy. Travis Bazzana missed significant time with an oblique injury. The oft-injured Chase DeLauter played in just 42 games. Angel Genao missed two months of the season, and Jaison Chourio never looked quite right after a shoulder injury impacted the start of his season. There’s still plenty of talent here, but we’d like to see it on the field more in 2026.
clRecent farm system talent rankings:
2025 Midseason Rank: 15
2025: 7
2024: 19
2023: 4
2022: 12
2021: 11
2020: 19
Key graduations: LHP Joey Cantillo
Breakouts: 1B C.J. Kayfus, RHP Braylon Doughty
Disappointments/Injuries: OF Chase DeLauter, OF Jaison Chourio, RHP Daniel Espino
Key additions: RHP Khal Stephen, OF Jace LaViolette
Re: Minor Matters
13877Hard to say Espino was a disappointment. He was not supposed to pitch most of this year.
Re: Minor Matters
13878Baseball America chooses all star teams for each level [not individual league] of minors. 3 Guardians are honored:
Rookie Ball, 2nd base Daurio Fernandez Finished in Lynchburg
High A one the half dozen starters LH Josh Hartle Finished in Akron
AA catcher Cooper Ingle. Finished in Columbus
Rookie Ball, 2nd base Daurio Fernandez Finished in Lynchburg
High A one the half dozen starters LH Josh Hartle Finished in Akron
AA catcher Cooper Ingle. Finished in Columbus
Re: Minor Matters
13879Civ, this has to be your Super Bowl of the minors. Valera, Rodriquez, Noel, Halpin, Kayfus, Messick and now DeLauter !!!!!!!!!
I wonder which team has the most home grown players in the playoffs ?
I wonder which team has the most home grown players in the playoffs ?
Re: Minor Matters
13880. Valera, Rodriquez, Noel, Halpin, Kayfus, Messick and DeLauter . Hard to believe they all contributed !
Re: Minor Matters
13881It was nice to see contributions from all of those guys; but I do think we would have had a better chance with at least one more grown-up outfielder. Although we don't talk much about it, the absence of Lane Thomas was a signficant blow to the offense. He really did give us a 3rd experienced major leaguer who, when not in a cold spell, was a solid contributor.
On the other hand, the absence of Will Brennan was of a minor significance;
'And the absence of Nolan Jones was only a positive giving Valera some at bats which were surprisingly effective.
Not sure all of those kid OFs deserve to remain on the 40 man roster. Noel? JRod? Valera wasn't even on the roster until they added him.
On the other hand, the absence of Will Brennan was of a minor significance;
'And the absence of Nolan Jones was only a positive giving Valera some at bats which were surprisingly effective.
Not sure all of those kid OFs deserve to remain on the 40 man roster. Noel? JRod? Valera wasn't even on the roster until they added him.
Re: Minor Matters
13883Espino opening day starter for Surprise in the Arizona Fall League. I don't think he's expected to pitch more than one ininng or a very low pitch limit.
Re: Minor Matters
13884Valera was hot stuff for several years until he was hurt and again and again. His tiny sample with the Guardians was pretty good.
Re: Minor Matters
13885The biggest baseball news of the day, outside of the AL playoffs
Daniel Espino, RHP, Guardians: After more than three years of dealing with injuries, Guardians righthander Daniel Espino returned to competitive action this season. His first turn came on Sept. 20, and he showed understandable amounts of rust while allowing three earned runs on three hits in 0.2 innings.
Simply staying healthy afterward was victory enough. His comeback tour moved to the Arizona Fall League, where he made his debut on Tuesday night against Mesa.
This time around, the results were much better. Espino, 24, went just one inning for Surprise, but he struck out two and allowed just one hit before yielding to the Saguaros' bullpen. Espino, Cleveland's first-round pick in 2019 out of high school in Georgia, worked primarily with a mix of four-seamers, cut fastballs and sliders and got five swings and misses—two on his four-seamer and three on the cutter—before ending his day.
His fastball averaged 97 mph and topped out at 98.6, while his cutter came in at 89 mph.
The outing was a small step, but he showed crisp stuff throughout and is in line to make his next turn on Sunday in Glendale. Those two facts alone mark sizable progress for a pitcher who still has immense talent.
YouTube video by Baseball America
Daniel Espino Makes 2025 Arizona Fall League Debut
Daniel Espino, RHP, Guardians: After more than three years of dealing with injuries, Guardians righthander Daniel Espino returned to competitive action this season. His first turn came on Sept. 20, and he showed understandable amounts of rust while allowing three earned runs on three hits in 0.2 innings.
Simply staying healthy afterward was victory enough. His comeback tour moved to the Arizona Fall League, where he made his debut on Tuesday night against Mesa.
This time around, the results were much better. Espino, 24, went just one inning for Surprise, but he struck out two and allowed just one hit before yielding to the Saguaros' bullpen. Espino, Cleveland's first-round pick in 2019 out of high school in Georgia, worked primarily with a mix of four-seamers, cut fastballs and sliders and got five swings and misses—two on his four-seamer and three on the cutter—before ending his day.
His fastball averaged 97 mph and topped out at 98.6, while his cutter came in at 89 mph.
The outing was a small step, but he showed crisp stuff throughout and is in line to make his next turn on Sunday in Glendale. Those two facts alone mark sizable progress for a pitcher who still has immense talent.
YouTube video by Baseball America
Daniel Espino Makes 2025 Arizona Fall League Debut
Re: Minor Matters
13887Every Minor League Pitcher Who Threw 100 MPH In 2025
Here's a list of the CLE prospects among the 125
Kendeglys Virguez CLE R 100.5 21 year old RH injured most of the year, 7 2/3 innings in Lynchburg fanned 13 5.71 ERA
Joey Oakie CLE R 100.4 He's a serious prospect after his terrific last 2 starts of the regular season, total 9 2/3 innings 1 hit 5 walks 22 strikeouts
Here's a list of the CLE prospects among the 125
Kendeglys Virguez CLE R 100.5 21 year old RH injured most of the year, 7 2/3 innings in Lynchburg fanned 13 5.71 ERA
Joey Oakie CLE R 100.4 He's a serious prospect after his terrific last 2 starts of the regular season, total 9 2/3 innings 1 hit 5 walks 22 strikeouts
Re: Minor Matters
13888BA Feature on 40 standout hitting prospects among International signings. Only one of ours listed, under the category: Skills & Instincts… But Will Power Come?
Ricardo Romero, INF, Guardians
Is there a more fun player in the league than Romero?
At 5-foot-5, 160 pounds, he’s a Ronald Torreyes-type player as a smaller Venezuelan infielder who raked in the DSL, batting .312/.415/.476 with more walks (28) than strikeouts (21) in 205 plate appearances after signing for $110,000.
Romero has a sound lefthanded swing with a knack for barreling balls for consistent quality contact in games. He doesn’t project to ever hit for big power, but his pitch recognition and contact skills are both advanced for his age.
Romero mostly played second and third base this season with a bit of exposure to left field and shortstop, as well, to get him into the lineup every day. Second is likely his best defensive fit.
Ricardo Romero, INF, Guardians
Is there a more fun player in the league than Romero?
At 5-foot-5, 160 pounds, he’s a Ronald Torreyes-type player as a smaller Venezuelan infielder who raked in the DSL, batting .312/.415/.476 with more walks (28) than strikeouts (21) in 205 plate appearances after signing for $110,000.
Romero has a sound lefthanded swing with a knack for barreling balls for consistent quality contact in games. He doesn’t project to ever hit for big power, but his pitch recognition and contact skills are both advanced for his age.
Romero mostly played second and third base this season with a bit of exposure to left field and shortstop, as well, to get him into the lineup every day. Second is likely his best defensive fit.
Re: Minor Matters
13889a rating of top hitting prospects by age, using a statistical anaylsis I don't begin to understand includes Clevelanders among nearly each age group beginning with
17 year old Juneiker Caceras who excelled in Lynchburg as well as in Arizona
Ralphy Velazquez
Travis Bazzana
Chase DeLauter [based on a pretty small sample size this year]
Caceras should zoom up our prospect rankikngs which Chourio tumbles down. Velazquez finished very strong. Brito hardly played. Genao missed plenty of timed. Lots of college position player draftees will be finding places, too.
17 year old Juneiker Caceras who excelled in Lynchburg as well as in Arizona
Ralphy Velazquez
Travis Bazzana
Chase DeLauter [based on a pretty small sample size this year]
Caceras should zoom up our prospect rankikngs which Chourio tumbles down. Velazquez finished very strong. Brito hardly played. Genao missed plenty of timed. Lots of college position player draftees will be finding places, too.
Re: Minor Matters
13890an interim MLB top 30 has Caceras up to 13; Chourio still at 5, certainly not based on anything he did this season. Most recent BA list still has Caceres at 26 [that list still includes Kayfus who's graduated; JRod at 21; Sabrowski who won't qualify anymore either]