Re: Articles
Posted: Wed Mar 12, 2025 1:29 pm
by TFIR
Guardians prospect watch: 10 (or more) rookies who could debut in 2025
Akron RubberDucks centerfielder Chase DeLauter (22) connects with a pitch during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game at Canal Park, Friday, April 5, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.
By Zack Meisel
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Thirty-five players have made their major-league debut for the Guardians in the last three seasons, including 10 last year.
Cade Smith emerged as one of the league’s top relievers. Jhonkensy Noel delivered the signature moment of the club’s playoff run. Kyle Manzardo became a trusted hitter in rookie manager Stephen Vogt’s lineup. Erik Sabrowski and Andrew Walters joined a historically proficient bullpen for the last leg of the wild ride. Joey Cantillo and Daniel Schneemann made the postseason roster. The club also received contributions from Angel Martínez, Johnathan Rodriguez and Connor Gillispie.
Who could join the class of newcomers in 2025? There are plenty of candidates.
A whole bunch of pitchers
10. Tanner Burns, Will Dion, Bradley Hanner, Mason Hickman, Zak Kent, Jack Leftwich, Parker Messick, Andrew Misiaszek, Ryan Webb
Take your pick. Some are starters. Some are relievers. Some are starters who could wind up in the bullpen. The Guardians used 29 pitchers last year (plus Austin Hedges for a two-inning scoreless masterpiece), so they’ll need far more arms than the 13 they lean on at the start of the season. Everyone on this list should spend time at Triple-A Columbus, leaving them one call from a debut. The Guardians reassigned Dion, Burns, Hickman and Leftwich to minor-league camp Tuesday.
Are you an outfielder? You’re in demand
9. Petey Halpin
Halpin repeated Double A last year — the front office admitted it pushed him by starting him there a year earlier — and had slightly better results at the plate. It would stand to reason he’ll start in Columbus, and with other outfield prospects at that level battling injuries, it’s not impossible he finds his way to Cleveland, especially since he’s on the 40-man roster. One complication: Many of Cleveland’s infielders, such as Martínez, Schneemann, Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman, can also shift to the outfield.
You always need more catchers
8. Kody Huff
The number of catchers who have started a game for Cleveland the last four years: three, six, four, five. It’s a safe bet that they’ll need more than just Hedges and Bo Naylor. Dom Nuñez is probably next on the depth chart, as he joined the Guardians as an extra catcher to help with pregame work last October. After him, it’s the kids. Huff, 24, is a bit older and further along defensively than Cooper Ingle, the prospect darling. The Guardians acquired Huff from the Colorado Rockies for Cal Quantrill in November 2023. He finished last season at Double A, and if there’s an injury or two, it wouldn’t be shocking to see him debut.
Prospect Travis Bazzana had twice as many walks as strikeouts in college. (Kevin Neri / Statesman Journal / Imagn Images)
The top prospect
7. Travis Bazzana
Ever study Bazzana’s 2024 Oregon State stats? Twice as many walks as strikeouts, a homer every other game, an OPS approaching 1.500, the sort of numbers you couldn’t contrive even if setting your video game to rookie mode. It won’t come as easy to Bazzana in the professional ranks, but not for a lack of effort. The guy never leaves baseball mode, exhausting every resource the Guardians can offer to help him improve. That should pay dividends as he climbs toward the big leagues, and if none of the club’s second base candidates impresses and Bazzana flourishes in Akron and then Columbus, the calls for last summer’s No. 1 pick could grow deafening by summer.
The forgotten outfielder
6. George Valera
Three years ago, The Athletic’s prospect expert, Keith Law, wrote this about Valera, whom he ranked No. 29 on his list of the Top 100 prospects in the league: “He has bat speed, big strength and an advanced eye at the plate, along with solid-average defense for right field, and there’s just an electricity to the way he plays. … He might be a 30-homer/80-walk guy at his peak.” Since then, he has battled injuries and inconsistencies against left-handed pitching. And yet, he’s only 24. The Guardians booted him from the 40-man roster over the winter, so he’ll have to earn his way back into the plans. The first step? Get healthy, and stay healthy. After that, there’s always room for a corner outfielder with pop and a good eye.
The next relievers in line
5. Franco Aleman
For the last season and a half, he’s been perhaps the organization’s most effective reliever: 46 2/3 innings, 22 hits allowed, 15 walks, 72 strikeouts and a 0.96 ERA. It’s all about health, though. He made only 24 appearances last season at Triple A, and he’ll play catch-up this year after he underwent surgery to repair a sports hernia.
4. Nic Enright
Enright was set to debut for the Miami Marlins in 2023 after they snagged him from Cleveland in the Rule 5 Draft. He was even introduced on the field on Opening Day as a member of the big-league roster. But he had been diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma, so he spent the first few months on the injured list, and then the Marlins returned him to the Guardians that June. He’s been working his way back to the majors ever since, and he would have debuted last year had he not suffered a shoulder injury. In 17 innings at Columbus, he allowed two runs, nine hits and struck out 31. The Guardians added him to the 40-man roster, so once he’s recovered from a lat strain, he should be one of the first calls when the club needs a reliever.
Only an injury can get in the way
3. Chase DeLauter
Well, this is awkward. If not for injuries, he likely would have debuted by now. Or, at least, he’d be a threat to debut early this season, and he’d be considered the Guardians’ long-term solution in right field without hesitation. Instead, frequent trips to the training room have limited him to 96 games since the Guardians selected him in the first round of the 2022 draft, and now he’s sidelined for a couple of months following sports hernia surgery. So, here’s guessing he sees the majors at some point in 2025, but even that declaration isn’t as certain as it could be.
2. Doug Nikhazy
A spring bright spot, Nikhazy has planted himself in the conversation for the Opening Day roster in his first big-league camp. Even if he doesn’t join the Guardians in Kansas City at the end of the month, now that he’s ditched his shaky command habits and has attacked the strike zone (at least, until he ran into the Dodgers on Tuesday), he figures to log some service time this year, either as a starter or a second lefty in the pen.
1. Juan Brito
The Guardians want to learn as much as they can about him this year (especially before Bazzana starts hogging the second base reps), so even if Brito has to wait until May or June for a call-up, he should receive plenty of opportunities in 2025. It helps that he’s bettered his versatility, as he can bounce to first, third or corner outfield. He boasts a polished approach at the plate with a tendency to rack up walks. Last year, as a 22-year-old in Triple A, he totaled 40 doubles and 21 homers. The Guardians need to find out whether that’ll translate to the majors.
Re: Articles
Posted: Thu Mar 13, 2025 12:34 pm
by TFIR
2024 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Post-Grad Evaluations
1B Kyle Manzardo
Final ranking: #2 Overall (55 OVR - Risk: Moderate)
2024 Report: “55 - Hit over power first baseman that hits enough, walks enough and maximizes his power output enough to be an above average offensive contributor.”
2024 grades - Hit: 60 - Power: 50 - Speed: 40 - Defense: 40 - Arm: 40 - Overall: 55 - Risk: Moderate
What we learned: First half Kyle Manzardo was able to hit the ball in the air enough to prove he would get to his power, but his pull rate only being 30% suggested he was a bit off, and wasn’t going to get to it that way. As a result, he didn’t homer until his Sept. 1 callup. After Sept. 1, Manzardo’s fly ball rate was 51% (compared to 55% in the first half) but his pull rate made a leap to 48.9%, suggesting the kind of bat that could get to his power despite maybe having what some called average power. His .270/.333/.540 slash line in September represented the kind of player I thought he would be, and that was with a strikeout rate of 28% and just a 5% walk rate - both areas I expect to normalize for him in 2025.
Post graduate evaluation: Manzardo’s chase rate (27.7%) was in line with MLB averages (28.5%), as was his contact rate (73.4% - 76.8%). He manages to make zone contact at a rate consistent in the minors with his numbers. If he can tone down the chase a little, and swing a little less (38.9% in Triple-A to 46.7% in MLB), his walk rate should go up and strikeout rate go down. Manzardo improved against changeups in the majors (.296/.481) in a way I didn’t think he would. He crushes fastballs but struggles with breaking stuff. Lefties may pose an issue for him, so that’s where I still have questions. Cleveland really only seems to trust him as a DH. I think I would knock the hit tool, and speed down with platoon issues and seeing his sprint speeds.
Post graduate grades - Hit: 55 - Power: 50 - Speed: 30 - Defense: 40 - Arm: Overall 50 - Risk: Moderate
Jhonkensy Noel
Final ranking: #22 Overall (40 OVR - Risk: High)
2024 report: “40 - Low-OBP, power hitting corner bat with high upside but a limited value floor.”
2024 grades: Hit: 30 - Power: 55 - Speed: 40 - Defense: 45 - Arm: 40 - Overall: 40 - Risk: High
What we learned: Noel was on fire out of the gate, hitting .254/.304/.587 with six homers and a 147 wRC+. On the surface, that’s obviously pretty good. Behind that was 71.7% (below the 76.8% league average) and a chase rate 47.8% (well above the 28.6% league average). So no shock that after the 147 mark from June-July, Noel hit just .198/.279/.431 from August 1-end of the season. The chase rate came down to 42% in that stretch, but still well above league average, while the contact rate dipped to 66%. For the year, Noel finished with a 68% contact rate, and a chase rate of 44%. The only two qualified players from 2024 with rates like that were Colorado’s Ezequiel Tovar (69% - 44.8%) and Boston’s Cedanne Rafeala (69.6% - 46.3%), both coming in under 100 wRC+ at 95 and 79, respectively. O’Neil Cruz had a 67.3% contact rate but just a 32% chase rate was as close as I could find for a qualified hitter with over 100 wRC+. Julio Rodriguez had a miserable start to the season and finished with a 116 and a contact rate of 71% and a chase rate of 36%. The last two are star level players and all four of these players I mentioned have speed and are plus defenders at their positions. So what we learned is that Noel can punish pitches in the zone, and has a in-zone contact rate in-line with league average (82.4% - compared to the 85.2% league average). But struggles with chase and contact when he does. He’s faster than I thought he would be (70th percentile sprint speed) but still a negative in the outfield (-2 OAA).
Post grad evaluation: The issues with chase and contact are about what I expected. There was talk about improved pitch selection, but I didn’t see that. Approaches are hard to change. Noel’s swing rate is about 7% above league average. It’s not so high that a big reduction would change his profile. And he has to hit the ball to have an impact. So he’s going to have to swing the bat. There’s just very little reason to throw Noel strikes. He’s proved he is a mistake hitting slugger with game changing power but didn’t have the plate discipline to force pitchers into the zone often enough. If he did, Noel could be a superstar on par with a Yordan Alvarez. The bat speed, raw power and ability to find the barrel are as high as this organization has had since Albert Belle or Jim Thome, or perhaps Travis Hafner. But staying in-zone is hard for Noel and without major improvements there, his outcomes are unlikely to change. He won’t draw walks or hit for enough average, and he’s not adding value defensively in the outfield outside of his arm, which was in the 76th percentile last year. He is faster than I assumed, so that’s about the only change I would make. I do believe Noel is a capable defender at first base and if Cleveland had him play there, the defensive grade is a little better, but he’s not getting any action there currently.
Post-graduate grades: Hit: 30 - Power: 55 - Speed: 45 - Defense: 40 - Arm: 55 - Overall: 40 - Risk: High
Brayan Rocchio
Final ranking: #5 Overall (50 OVR - Risk: Moderate)
2024 Report: “50 - High contact, good swing decision SS with strong defensive skills.”
2024 grades: Hit: 50 - Power: 40 - Speed: 55 - Defense: 55 - Arm: 50 - Overall: 50 - Risk: Moderate
What we learned: No surprise that Rocchio graded out at 5 OAA (outs above average) in the 89th percentile and could draw a walk (10% - 73rd percentile). A poor launch angle (9.4
degrees) led to a groundball rate of 47.7%. Combined with a slower sprint speed and well below average exit velos, it’s easy to see why Rocchio carried a .245 BABIP. In the minors, he had stints where he carried some shockingly low BABIPs, buy also some higher ones. Batted ball quality was not a strength for Rocchio in 2024 despite a league average contact rate. You’d like to see someone without great contact quality maybe have a better contact rate, because more balls in play might lead to some more BABIP luck just by sheer volume. Despite his strong walk rate, Rocchio only have roughly league average chase rates and ended up in the 40th percentile there, making it feel more like passivity than pitch selection. His sprint speed being in the 35th percentile was a surprise given his success on the bases in the minors.
Post grad evaluation: Contact quality and swing decisions have to drive hit tool grades for me. Contact for the sake of contact isn’t enough. I thought Rocchio would make enough contact and draw enough walks to be a league average bat in terms of batting average and OBP, while certainly offering below average power. But poor batted ball quality plagued him in the minors, too. In addition to maybe being lower on the hit tool now, the sprint speed was concerning in 2024. No real changes to the glove other than consistency, but that was always an issue for him in the minors. Still an above average glove with the notable hiccups, which seemed to come at very inopportune times in 2024. He’ll need to add strength to impact the ball more and hopefully that could aid him on the bases as well. It’s also important to note that development continues at the big league level too and Rocchio could make improvements in year two, so these grades are specific to 2024.
Post-graduation grades; Hit: 45 - Power: 30 - Speed: 45 - Defense: 55 - Arm: 50 - Overall: 45 - Risk: Moderate
Cade Smith
Final ranking: #34 Overall (40 OVR - Risk: Moderate)
2024 Report: “40 - Middle relief, possible setup man future”
2024 grades: Fastball: 55 - Sweeper: 45 - Split: 50 - Control: 40 - Overall: 40 - Risk: Moderate
What we learned: Cade Smith went from barely making the opening day roster to being one of the best relievers in baseball. The most surprising thing was that Smith was able to halve his walk rate from Triple-A in 2023 (10.4% down to 5.9%), which was surprising because he’d never had a walk rate below 10% in the minors for any extended stretch. It’s unusual to see such a drastic cut there getting to the majors, but development does continue at the major leagues. The extension in his delivery (7.4) really helped his fastball play even better at its velo (95-98). His
splitter, which was newer in 2023, became his second best pitch, while his sweeper continued to be his third best pitch. Smith didn’t get many chases out of the zone (35th percentile) but he didn’t need them,throwing first pitch strikes at a league average rate (63%) for the first time in his career (49.6% in Triple-A in 2023). Hitters made contact against Smith in the zone at 8% below league average, which also helps when you’re not getting chases.
Post-grad evaluation: The extension on the delivery took what was already an above average heater velo wise to a plus pitch, maybe even double play. 95-98 at 7.4 of extension can make pitches feel like 99-100. The real jump was his confidence in his splitter and the command of his fastball overall. He did throw his fastball almost 70% of the time, so you’d like to see him have more usage of the splitter to keep hitters off the fastball, but with his velo, extension and command, it’s understandable why. The sweeper could use some work as well - below average in horizontal break. But the control and fastball grade clearly took major steps forward here.
Post-graduation grades: Fastball: 60 - Sweeper: 45 - Split: 50 - Control: 50 - Overall: 50 - Risk: Moderate
INF/OF Daniel Schneemann
Final ranking: None
2024 Report: N/A
2024 grades: N/A
What we learned: Schneeman had a strong 2023 in Triple-A, contributing in the power and speed department and showing his versatility. That got him on the radar in spring training in 2024 with an invite to camp despite not being on the 40 man roster at the time. He got off to a strong start in Triple-A in 2024 and eventually got the call and stayed up all year. He got off to a strong start seeing time all over the field. The reputation that Schneemann came with was utility, improving exit velocities and some ability to draw a walk. He had an .805 OPS before the All-Star break and and .555 after the All-Star break. But his role as a utility largely held up, adding defensive value in the outfield, and third base, while below average defensively at short.
Post grad evaluation: No shock that defensively, Schneemann saw action all over the field and appeared to be best in right and third, while being average at second and below average at shortstop. He had reverse splits against LHP (.992 OPS, .609 vs RHP) but was better against RHP in the minors, so I expect that to be fluky. Schneeman did work to improve his bat speed and hit the ball harder. Generally, he doesn’t chase out of the zone but makes below league average contact. He seems like a 26th man who can play different positions and offer some pop, a walk and speed, which is valuable in that role.
Post-graduation grades; Hit: 40 - Power: 40 - Speed: 50 - Defense: 50 - Arm: 55 - Overall: 40 - Risk: Moderate
Angel Martinez
Final ranking: #5 Overall (45 OVR - Risk: Moderate)
2024 Report: “45 - High contact switch hitter with a more utility profile that could be a fringe-average regular if he can handle second or center defensively”
2024 grades: Hit: 45 - Power: 40 - Speed: 55 - Defense: 50 - Arm: 50 - Overall: 45 - Risk: Moderate
What we learned: Martinez got some run in center when the Guardians needed a spark and he gave them some. He proved to be mostly playable in center and left, though maybe not an extended look. His strong contact rates continued and he showed the ability to take a walk. As he got more exposure, his chase rate expanded more. We really saw some strong fly ball numbers (40.7%) and pull rates (41.3%) that could be encouraging for his batted ball profile going forward. Perhaps we will see some better power for Angel despite lower average EVs. He might need some more time in Triple-A (less than 100 PAs) and the majors to adjust his approach, which isn’t as bad as Noel’s to maximize his profile.
Post grad evaluation: The batted ball data is somewhat encouraging that I think we could see maybe fringe-average power. His sprint speeds didn’t paint a picture of a great runner on the base, but those can sometimes be a little misleading. Defensively, it would appear second base is going to be his best home on the diamond, but more time in the outfield could get him to average there and he’s not unplayable. That might stick him more as a tweener/utility guy, but at 23, and few Triple-A reps, I think there’s still some growth to be had here where I’m not out on him as a starter.
Post-graduation grades; Hit: 45 - Power: 45 - Speed: 55 - Defense: 50 - Arm: 50 - Overall: 45 - Risk: Moderate
2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #1 2B Travis Bazzana
Age (2025 season)
Acquired
2024 Level
Rule 5
Height
Weight
Bats
Throws
22
2024 Draft (Round 1)
High-A
2027
6’0
199
Left
Right
Travis Bazzana 2024 Stats
PA
AVG/OBP/SLG
2B
HR
SB
K%/BB%
122
.238/.369/.296
14
3
5/5
25.4%/13.9%
Travis Bazzana 2025 Scouting Grades
Hit
Power
Speed
Field
Arm
Overall
Risk
ETA
60
55
60
45
45
60
Moderate
2025
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.
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 Austrailian 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.
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.
2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #2 INF Angel Genao
Age (2025 season)
Acquired
Rule 5
2024 Level
Height
Weight
Bats
Throws
21
International FA (2021)
2025
High-A
5’9
150
Both
Right
Angel Genao 2024 Stats
PA
AVG/OBP/SLG
2B
HR
SB
K%/BB%
496
.330/.379/.499
38
10
25/30
15.5%/7.7%
Angel Genao 2025 Scouting Grades
Hit
Power
Speed
Field
Arm
Overall
Risk
ETA
55
45
60
55
60
55
High
2027
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.
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: #3 OF Jaison Chourio
Age (2025 Season)
Acquired
2024 Level
Rule 5
Height
Weight
Bats
Throws
20
International FA (2023)
Single-A
2026
6’1
162
Both
Right
Jaison Chourio 2024 Stats
PA
AVG/OBP/SLG
2B
HR
SB
K%/BB%
432
.269/.414/.398
24
5
44/55
16%/19.9%
Jaison Chourio 2024 Scouting Grades
Hit
Power
Speed
Field
Arm
Overall
Risk
ETA
55
45
60
50
55
50
Moderate
2028
First Impression
Savvy, balanced type player. Mature feel for the game despite his age. Exciting amount of room for growth potential. Does everything well and looks the part.
What Makes Chourio Fun
Chourio is both the typical Cleveland position player prospect of the last decade (balanced, savvy, and few weaknesses across the board) but actually does offer a little more ceiling than just the low-floor, balanced type of prospect. I don’t like banking on all-contact hit tools because contact for the sake of contact doesn’t make a good hitter, it just means you don’t strike out. Hitting prospects need to be able to make impact contact. But there’s some reasons so far to believe in Chourio as an offensive player. There’s a real ability to make contact and control the zone and at bat vs. pitchers at a young age that should only get better with reps. Chourio has good body control in his swing with a moderate leg left. He can make in-swing adjustments with his posture and hands to find the barrel. I don’t think he’s Steven Kwan in terms of contact and zone control, but there could be some level of Michael Brantley level of bat control here. Very similar too, how he could grow into that kind of power. Chourio presently has more speed than Brantley and looks like he could stick in centerfield, but has the arm that should profile all over the outfield. Chourio has also started to grow into his body more and put on some good strength, which is exciting. He already has strong exit velocities for his previous size and age, so anymore growth there really elevates the profile.
What Could Hold Chourio Back
I probably held back my grade on Chourio’s hit tool for a few reasons. The walk rate at Low-A won’t hold as he goes up because Low-A pitching is just that bad. He was very, very passive (think even slightly less than Carlos Santana) and that won’t work as an approach as he faces better pitching (though his contact rate should even that out and it’s better he’s not chasing, as Low-A pitching is that bad). Additionally, Chourio’s swing is fairly flat and produces a lot of groundballs right now. Though he’s growing into his body and has promising exit velocities, his swing is very geared to grounders and lacks ability to pull. Power probably won’t be his game without some changes. There’s a chance Chourio ends up in a corner spot too and the bat will have to do more work, though he might end up a special defender in a corner with a good arm. It’s worth watching how his speed is impacted as he fills out his body as well. He’s currently weaker as a right handed hitter right now and could end up as a strong side platoon hitter if that doesn’t get corrected.
Key Metric
49% GB, 36.4% swing % - As mentioned, Chourio’s swing generates a lot of grounders. He does pull more (43%) than other areas, he still is letting the ball travel or going the other way a lot (37.2%). The swing rate is lower than Carlos Santana, as also mentioned and that will likely need to slightly increase as he moves up.
Intangibles
You might have heard of another Chouio, Jackson? The Brewers wunderkind, young outfielder is Jaison’s older brother and was one of baseball’s top prospects coming into 2024. The younger brother theory here is always interesting (younger brothers of talented baseball players sometimes are better - Seagers, Maddux’s, etc), but not always. Still, the bloodlines are exciting here and Cleveland gives Chourio a lot of praise for his work ethic in terms of baseball and attacking learning English.
Future
Chourio was expected to join High-A Lake County for the final stretch of the regular season and playoff run before breaking his wrist diving for a fly ball in Lynchburg. So he’ll be 100% in spring and should spearhead the Lake County outfield in 2025 with a chance to push himself to Akron by year’s end as there aren’t really many OF prospects in his way with what should be a priority prospect if he pushes them to move him. If he can reach Akron in 2025, Chourio could find himself on the doorstop sometime in 2026 or 2027. I conservatively projected 2028 based on how Cleveland typically operates, but if he takes another leap in 2025 in terms of power or hitting in general, that could accelerate. He projects now as a potentially solid, center fielder with top of the order type skills. His platoon splits though are worth watching.
Role/Risk
50/Moderate - Top of the order centerfielder with on base skills, speed, defense and maybe surprising pop - potential for a platoon issue or more to left field
2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #4 OF Chase DeLauter
Age (2025 Season)
Acquired
2024 Level
Rule 5
Height
Weight
Bats
Throws
23
2022 Draft (Round 1)
Triple-A
2025
6’3
235
Left
Left
Chase DeLatuer 2024 Stats
PA
AVG/OBP/SLG
2B
HR
SB
K%/BB%
164
.261/.341/.500
10
8
1/2
13.4%/11.6%
Chase DeLauter 2025 Scouting Grades
Hit
Power
Speed
Field
Arm
Overall
Risk
ETA
50
55
50
50
55
50
High
2025
First Impression
Physically, DeLauter looks the part. Tall, well built with a strong base, strong arms. Physical looking corner type outfielder. Capable of carrying good raw power numbers associated with corner outfield field type and other tools to come along with this typical profile.
What Makes DeLauter Fun
When he's on the field, DeLauter has all the traits that you want in a corner outfield bat that could potentially hit in the middle of an order. He has the type of skill set and profile Cleveland typically has not had in recent years. That is a right fielder or with actual hitting and power potential. DeLauer is capable of carrying high exit velocities combined with a really strong eye at the plate. Does not chase out of the zone and has shown the ability to make good swing decisions so far. Makes a very significant amount of contact - a lot of it at very good exit velocities. Swing is generally geared to get the ball in the air to his pull side, taking advantage of his raw power. Has potential speed to make some impact on the bases but likely won't come at high totals. Should profile well as a solid defender and a corner and has an above average arm that can profile for right field.
What Could Hold DeLauter Back
We are already seeing what could hold DeLauter back from reaching potential star type upside. First and foremost, his health going back to college continues to be a challenge. He’s already had multiple foot injuries to the same foot and one on the other including, turf toe and fractures. He also had a hamstring issue at the end of 2024 though that healed and he ended up serving as a DH in the Arizona Fall League for a second straight season while he worked out in the outfield at the Guardians Arizona complex. In addition to health issues, DeLauter has concerns about his swing. His lower half and hips are activated much earlier and clear ahead of the rest of his upper body in a way that looks very unorthodox than typical hitters. He essentially uses his back leg in a scissor kick motion to clear his hips rather than rotate off of it. The scissor kick is used by multiple hitters across the sport. Some prominent names include Jose Altuve, Mike Trout, Christian Yelich and JD Martinez. I think this generally leaves him vulnerable to good offspeed stuff at the major league level. DeLauter is a good rough athlete and had some speed to be a contributor on the bases, but injuries are likely going to impact that. That also has an impact where it will limit him to a corner profile. He does have a potential where he might be a platoon type hitter with his issues with lefties which also limits his impact.
Key Metric
26.4%/87.2% - DeLauter, though a limited Triple-A sample, really was good at staying in the zone with his at bats, limiting to a 26.4% chase rate. Not surprisingly, he had a contact rate of 91.8%, and 87.2% overall in 2024. Contact and good swing decisions have always been a big part of DeLauter’s game.
Intangibles
DeLauter talks about how he’s self taught with his swing, and despite his injuries, has fought hard to be impactful when he’s on the field. He was good enough and worked hard enough to convince the big league staff to keep him in major league camp during spring training even though he wasn’t ever an official invitee and had no shot of making the major league team.
Future
Though a lot of people are quick to point out his unusual swing, it is somewhat efficient and he's always been able to make good swing decisions and make lots of contact and draw walks. His swing has never impacted his production at the minor league level. Though there's no substitution for Major League quality pitching, sometimes you have to trust the data that shows performance. There's always a chance he'll need tweaks at the major league level to make it work, especially against good breaking stuff, which could be a concern. I think ultimately it will be his health that determines his full impact as a major leader. There's a high probability that he will have platoon split issues and could wind up being platooned against left-handed pitching. But otherwise even on the strong side of the platoon, it feels like there's a good chance he can make an offensive impact while playing a solid right field with a good arm, provided he can stay on the field.
Role/Risk
50/High - Average everyday regular or semi-regular with platoon and durability concerns
2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #5 RHP Braylon Doughty
Age (2025 Season)
Acquired
2024 Level
Rule 5
Height
Weight
Throws
19
Draft (2023, Round 1A)
High School
2028
6’1
190
Right
Akron RubberDucks centerfielder Chase DeLauter (22) connects with a pitch during the first inning of an opening-day baseball game at Canal Park, Friday, April 5, 2024, in Akron, Ohio.