Cleveland Sports Forum

Q Do any of the high school picks from this year's draft strike you as quick movers or breakout candidates to jump up this list for next year?
A Doughty is the most advanced right now from a control/command/pitchability standpoint and the effusive praise Cleveland had for him makes me think he could be a relatively quick mover. I could see both Doughty and Joey Oakie getting into the top 10 in the system in short order. They aren't far from is as it is.

Thanks for the chat ! Lot of positive responses !

This response explained a lot. FO thinks that Halpin would go before Webb.


Q Will Petey Halpin ever reach big league value? What is the case for and against Petey? Seems like he might be a late bloomer with strength gains.
A He probably has big league value right now. He's a great runner and great defender in center field, so he could fill a defensive replacement or pinch running role right away. The case against him is that his bat is extremely light and might prevent him from ever being a first-division regular.

the answer about Enright was a little less certain, but he's a much harder thrower than Webb. Long-term Webb may not be a rotation solution but I'm looking short-term and don't find enough reliable arms for 2025. The return of Williams would be a very big step forward.

Thanks for all the great info!

Guardians Reliever Prospect Works Hard To Keep Climbing Through The Minors

December 7, 2024

By Andres Chavez

The competition for spots on the Cleveland Guardians bullpen is fierce.

It is, without question, the best bullpen in baseball.

The best news is that the factory keeps on producing talented hurlers who could be the relievers of tomorrow for the Guards.

One of their most gifted arms is Right-Hander Matt Jachec.

Jachec, who had an interesting 2024 filled with strikeouts, is already training with 2025 in mind.

He pitched for Single-A Lynchburg and High-A Lake County this season, and hopes to be in the high minors at some point next year.

“Cleveland #Guardians 23yr old RHP relief prospect Matt Jachec with a 102.8 mph pull down with a 4oz ball training at @X2_Baseball in North Carolina. Jachec had a tremendous 2024 season striking out 104 batters posting a 2.72 FIP over 72.0 innings of work between (Low-A) Lynchburg and (High-A) Lake County,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1865233006031409622

FIP, or Fielding Independent Pitching, is often a better way to evaluate run prevention skills because it focuses on things that pitchers can control such as walks, strikeouts and home runs.

ERA often calculates runs that a pitchers doesn’t deserve because of bad defense or field conditions, among other things.

Due to his incredible ability to miss bats, Jachec returned a 2.19 FIP in Single-A and a 3.22 mark in High-A.

His ERA finishes? 3.82 and 4.91, respectively.

The best thing about his yeah are definitely the 104 strikeouts over 72 frames.

He has very solid velocity and improving secondaries.

In a couple of years, he could be a factor in the Guardians bullpen if he keeps this up.

He is definitely one to keep an eye on.

4-Seam Fastball. 93 mph ; Circle Change. 77 mph ; Slider. 85 mph ; Curveball. 77 mph ; Sinker. 92 mph.

Pitch Velocity

4-Seam Fastball 93 mph
Circle Change 77 mph
Slider 85 mph
Curveball 77 mph
Sinker 92 mph

Pitch Break

4-Seam Fastball 72
Circle Change 69
Slider 69
Curveball 75
Sinker 99

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Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
·
17m
Final tally of the MLB Rule 5 Draft for the Guardians.

MLB phase:

- lose INF Christian Cairo to the Braves

Triple- A phase:

- Add INF Will Wilson from the Giants
- lose OF Luis Durango Jr. to the Yankees

If no one wanted Ryan Webb, I guess they agree with the Guardians that he's not a significant prospect, but I'm happy to have him on hand as a potential depth starter.

Cairo is a surprise anyone would pick up but he plays all over the field is a good defender and has "great baseball genes" although he doesn't hit much.

Wilson who we picked up is a former No. 1 draft pick who's so regressed as to be available in the AAA phase but serves to replace Cairo and some of the other IFs who've already left as minor league free agents: Bracho and Delgado [the latter of whom I think could make a little major league noise]

Durango has not been able to get as far as AA in a number of seasons.
They also lost two pitchers even farther down in the draft:
Steve Hajjar and Randy Labaut. No tears shed.

Gabriel Arias (RF, La Guaira): combined 2-for-11, 1 R, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 5 K - Arias, the only Guardian to play in the Caribbean last week, played all three of his regular season games last week in right field. Said week was highlighted by a two-hit, three-RBI effort on Saturday that provided a welcome change of pace from a pair of 0-fers on Thursday and Sunday. Outside of his trio of Tiburones games, Gabriel scored a run and drove in another on a pair of doubles (in four at-bats/plate appearances) in Tuesday’s All-Star Game against Japan Breeze (no connection with the Asian Breeze traveling team that Trevor Bauer once pitched for), who used the game as part of their preparations for the Caribbean Series in February. Fun Fact: Japan Breeze is owned and managed by former Indians outfielder and NPB Hall of Famer Alex Ramirez.

2024 Cleveland Guardians Comeback Prospect of the Year
Justin Lada
Dec 17




This category of ‘award’ (I really need more creative names for these ‘awards’ on both a larger and individual level) is usually a prospect that once had more of a ‘standing’ in the system. But it also could be a prospect that may not ever ever had much visibility in the system, at least on my radar or the prospect/Guardians prospect community.

So this is another subjective award (which these all are) looking at some performances in the Guardians system in 2024 that were a step up from where a prospect was in the past. My only rule in these ‘awards’ are that the player has to have more minor league playing time during the year than they did in the majors, if they were called up.

INF/OF Angel Martinez:

2023 line: .251/.321/.394, 20 K%/8 BB%, 92 wRC+

2024 line: .274/.356/.456, 16.1 K%/10 BB%, 111 wRC+

Martinez had some prospect standing when Cleveland signed him for $500,000 in its 2018 international singing class, somewhat due to being fundamentally sound and being the son of one time Cleveland player, Sandy Martinez. He got himself onto the radar quickly in 2022 with 13 homers and 12 steals while playing all over the infield across two levels (High-A/Double-A) with a 17.5 K%, 12 BB%, line of .278/.378/.471 and a 135 wRC+.

In 2023 though, Martinez’s swing led to some batted ball issues, struggling to pull the ball and getting to Triple-A and hitting more ground balls. Not that Martinez is a power hitter, but the batted ball issues led to lower averages for someone with a higher contact profile. Martinez made some adjustments to open up in his stance in 2024 and got back on track. He had a great spring training, learning to play the outfield as much as the infield. A hamate issue looked like it was going to keep him out for an extended period of time, but he returned to have a solid season and even wound up in the majors with Cleveland mostly playing center field. Martinez’s long term outlook still looks to be that of a backup in the majors, and his chase rate there showed some areas in his game where he struggles (chase) that will need to be resolved if he wants to be a more stable offensive player. On the defensive side, outfield and second base seem to be his primary top positions as Cleveland really didn’t trust him at any infield spot when he was called up. But still, the floor here is back up.

LHP Doug Nikhazy:

2023: 102 IP, 26 K%, 15.4 BB%, 4.94 ERA/4.69 FIP

2024: 123.2 IP, 25.4 K%, 10.8 BB%, 2.91 ERA/4.13 FIP

When Cleveland drafted Nikhazy in 2021, I was pretty high on the match between Nikhazy and the Guardians pitching factory. Perhaps there wasn’t as much juice left to squeeze from then to now, as his control really became a problem upon getting into the pros. This year, Cleveland finally got Nikhazy to change his arm slot from a more traditional wide 3/4 angle than his high, over the top delivery. Along with that, his pitch mix had to change. He emphasized his slider and cutter more, as well as his change, and had to reduce reliance on his signature curve. His velocity was still 89-92 and would hit 94, so that piece hasn’t return to his college numbers, but his walk rate dropped without reducing strikeouts. His performance at least has him back on the cusp of a 40 man spot heading into the Rule 5 deadline later this month.

1B/OF Jhonkensy Noel:

2023: .220/.303/.420, 27 HR, 24.8 K%/8.4 BB%, 77 wRC+

2024: .295/.359/.578, 18 HR, 21.1 K%/6.7 BB%, 139 wRC+ (284 PA at Triple-A)

Noel didn’t have any issues with power counting stats in 2023, but a .240 BABIP really dragged him down across the board in other areas. A 43.5% groundball rate had something to do with that as well as his ongoing issues with chase rate. A 42% chase rate in 2023 only came down to 40% in 2024, but he was able to recover some of his fly ball tendencies. Going from where he was in 2023 to what he did in 2024 makes him an obvious kind of fit for this category. However, it’s hard to see him reaching a consistent output in the majors unless he can get his chase rate down to a manageable figure. Otherwise he has the ceiling of a Chris Carter type long term, which can be good in some years but doesn’t carry a lot of long term value. He did show better progress in the outfield. While he still is unreliable in his range, he has some athleticism to make plays on the balls he can get to and obviously has a huge arm.
2024 Cleveland Guardians Comeback Prospect of the Year
1B/OF Jhonkensy Noel

As much as I struggle to see Noel’s profile ever reaching that of a regular impact player despite the game changing power, it was not a strong year for this group. 2022 had Bo Naylor and last year had Ryan Webb, who also had a chance to make the 40 man roster in a few weeks. Noel is already on the 40 man roster and had some impact moments at the big league level.

Despite his chase rate cutting into his ability to consistently impact the lineup in a way he should be able to or the Guardians need him to, he still has the chance to change the game more than Martinez does, who looks like more like a super utility guy at the best, but one the Guardians don’t trust at short. Nikhazy’s walk rate is still concerning and looks like a fifth starter/reliever. A relief option for him might chance this pick if he ends up seeing a velocity increase and relying on a shorter variety of secondaries (and leveraging his emotions a little in a shorter role). But until any of that happens, Noel’s well-timed resurgence (as he was on his final option year in 2024) is a pick of a light grouping in 2024.

Guardians minor league affiliate wins top award for 2024

Published: Dec. 16, 2024, 3:12 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Lake County Captains are the 2024 Minor League Team of the Year according to Baseball America. Cleveland’s High-A affiliate won the Midwest League championship in September and finished with a 77-53 record under manager Omir Santos.

The championship marked the second in club history and first since 2010. It was the 29th affiliate title for Cleveland’s farm system since 1963.

Captains general manager Jen Yorko said in a press release that the club is honored to receive the recognition.

“Watching the team secure the first half championship and compete with such heart and athleticism to win the 2024 Midwest League championship has been an incredible experience,” Yorko said. “We are deeply grateful for our partnership with the Cleveland Guardians and thrilled to share this news with all of our fans!”

Under Santos, the Captains led all of Minor League Baseball with an 86.8% stolen base rate while leading the Midwest League in runs (632), RBI (584), walks (588), on-base percentage (.342), and OPS (.713). The club also set a franchise record with 201 doubles.

On the mound, Captains pitchers led the league with a 3.55 ERA and allowed the fewest runs (507) and earned runs (445) while posting the league’s lowest WHIP (1.23).

Yorko was named High-A General Manager of the Year by Minor League Baseballl, and three Guardians prospects finished the season ranked among Baseball America’s top 100, including Travis Bazzana, Angel Genao and Ralphy Velazquez.

Cooper Ingle, Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson and Genao were named to BA’s Second Team Minor League All-Star squad.

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6bRjmnarDVs

Great breakdown of the top players in the Guardians farm system by Baseball America guys.

Guardians Have 2 Young Players Preparing For Potential New Roles In MLB


December 20, 2024

By Andres Chavez

The Cleveland Guardians are playing the waiting game at the moment.

They know their patience will be rewarded at some point.

Right now, the market at several key positions seems stalled.

After a few high-profile signings, there will be plenty of talented free agents available in January and maybe in February.

As the off-season gets deeper and closer to spring training, some of these players’ demands and asking prices will go down as we saw last season.

That would be the Guardians chance to pounce, as they still need a starter, a second baseman and a right fielder.

President of baseball operations Chris Antonetti is working with the peace of mind that having potential in-house alternatives at these positions gives him.

Right now, the top candidates to open the year at second after the Andrés Giménez trade are from the house: Juan Brito and Angel Martinez.

Brito played mostly second base in Triple-A last year but also accumulated some reps at other infield positions and even the outfield.

He is preparing for a competition for a new role: the Guardians starting second baseman.

“Cleveland #Guardians 23yr old switch-hitting (INF/OF) prospect Juan Brito putting in work at second base this morning with Jhonkensy “Big Christmas ” Noel at first base out at the organizations Dominican Academy,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1870113943307354358

You can see Noel, who has been mostly an outfielder but can also play first base in a pinch, getting reps in the cold corner just in case the organization traded Josh Naylor and needs him as a backup there.

Basically, the Guardians want and value versatility: Martinez has gotten reps at center field in addition to second, and now Noel is practicing as a first baseman, too.

Noel is one of the candidates to work as a right fielder, too.

At the end of the day, offense will likely determine all these roles.

Those who can contribute with the bat will have more of a chance to play.

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Analyst Thinks Recent Trade Could Accelerate Top Prospect Debut


December 18, 2024

By Andres Chavez

Before the off-season, the Cleveland Guardians infield plan was supposed to be having Andrés Giménez at second base and Brayan Rocchio at shortstop until Travis Bazzana, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 MLB Draft, was ready for MLB.

At that time, the most likely scenario involved slotting Bazzana at second and sliding Giménez over to short.

Giménez was traded just a few days ago, though, and the team will likely have a spring training competition for the keystone between the likes of Juan Brito, Angel Martinez, Daniel Schneemann, and possibly a veteran or two.

The Giménez trade, according to analyst Bruce Drennan, could accelerate Bazzana’s estimated time of arrival (ETA).

“Bruce Drennan thinks the Andres Gimenez trade means we’ll see Travis Bazzana VERY soon. “We might see him after the All-Star break. I would not be astonished if this kid was as good as everyone says,” Drennan posted on X.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1869383348558438863

Bazzana had a 126 wRC+ in 27 High-A games.

His potential is much better than that, though.

He has things to work on: he hit .238 with a 25.4 percent strikeout rate at High-A.

Double-A and Triple-A pitchers will be much tougher, with better stuff and control/command.

If he dominates Double-A for a few weeks, he could put himself in the conversation for a call up.

The most likely scenario, however, is that the Guardians give him a full year in the high minors.

If that’s the case and he has a good season, then all bets are off for 2026.

A 2025 debut is certainly not impossible, though.

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2024 Cleveland Guardians Breakout Prospect of the Year

The trend of position player breakouts continues in 2024 for Cleveland's farm system...
Justin Lada
Dec 20






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Things have gone in a very different direction the last two years for the Cleveland Guardians farm system than has been the pattern previously. We’re now at two year in a row where the top of the system is mostly led by position players. In 2022, the group was headlined by Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams. A year later, it was it was Juan Brito as the breakout prospect and he carried that into a strong 2024 that might have him on the verge of taking the second base job in Cleveland.

In 2024, yet again this is a group I think was filled with position players that had the best and most notable years as that really put themselves on the radar heading into 2025. My track record for this award has been pretty good. In 2021, I did have Will Brennan, and 2022 was Bibee, and last year was Brito. Those were maybe some more clear cut calls, even though Brennan hasn’t worked out. I think this group might be a little tougher but I think the true breakout was pretty identifiable here.

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INF Angel Genao

2024 line: 498 PA, .330/.379/.499, 38 2B, 10 HR, 25 SB, 150 wRC+, 15.5 K%/7.7 BB%

Though Genao was only 20, it was his first taste at High-A and it feels like he’s been around for a little bit - and he has. He played parts of three seasons at Single-A, This year, Genao put it all together and got to High-A and made the jump almost seamlessly. There was really no major adjustment period for Genao offensively. I was expecting a hyper aggressive approach in the box and the walk rate could stand to be a little better, but he does do a good job working the count and getting into good counts, or battling when he’s down. Genao also grew into his body this year, putting in the work off the field and it showed up on the field with more pop. He showed strong exit velos to the opposite field from both sides of the plate. He does tend to drive the ball the other way at times, if he starts to catch the ball out front a little more and get the ball in the air, he should have above average power. Defensively, he showed a big arm at shortstop and the potential to stay there as long as he doesn’t outgrow he position and continues to improve.

LHP Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson”

2024 line: 24 GS, 118.2 IP, 174 SO (37.6 K%), 37 BB (8%), 1.90 ERA, 2.69 FIP

Tugboat came into his 2024 debut with a reputation as a strike thrower and competitor in college with a husky build and quite the demeanor. All that was true all year long, jumping onto radar’s with a 15 strikeout game in his fourth start of the season and remained consistent in both performance and attitude all year.

Wilkinson succeeded due to his strike throwing ability but also his very low release angle to the plate which makes his fastball hard for hitters to pick up, which he needs as he only throws 87-89 and his 90-91 a few times in 2024. He pairs that with a changeup and slider that are both good offerings and he can throw all three for strikes. His command, deception and pitchability were good enough to dominate Low-A and High-A. It’s been a great story for a 10th round pick out of a JUCO to have this kind of success and his body type also lends him to being more of a cult hero too. The question will remain if that fastball velocity will work in Double-A and above or if he will need more.

1B/LF CJ Kayfus

2024 line: 481 PA, .291/.393/.511, 26 2B, 17 HR, 157 wRC+, 24.3 K%/12.3 BB%

Kayfus had a good hit tool in college at Miami and had good Cape success, so he was a great fit for a Cleveland pick. Most felt his power was a little light at first base, but in his first taste of High-A in 2024, he put up power numbers at a better rate than he had in college. He kept that going in his promotion at Double-A Akron initially, but faced a few injuries that might have had a hand in slowing him down and cooled him off. His strikeout rate rose a little at Double-A and the power dipped some. While Kayfus has maybe average or fringe average raw power for a corner bat, his swing allows him to pull fly balls and he seems comfortable with taking that approach. Kayfus also saw time in left field, which he played in high school and college some, though he looks more like a first baseman (a good defender there, at that) that can play some left, rather than an actual full time left fielder for now. But his stock definitely rose in 2024.

C Cooper Ingle

2024 line: 408 PA, .305/.419/.478, 24 2B, 11 HR, 160 wRC+, 13.7 K%/15.9 BB%

Another very obvious Guardians pick in 2023, Ingle was good in his brief pro debut last year and unleashed full time in 2024, he took off even further. Ingle parlayed his good strike zone awareness into strong walk rates while keeping his strikeouts in the teens. It’s likely he’s probably going to see dips in those as he moves up (more Ks and less BBs) when he sees better pitching, but they should be in good ranges. The question will be what he does with the strikes he gets. For his offensive production, Ingle has moderate exit velo data. Like Kayfus, he’s tapped into the pulled fly ball mentality, though he doesn’t hit the ball in the air as much as Kayfus. The contact and zone awareness gives him a good base to work with and turned into production in 2024. Defensively, Ingle is a good receiver and blocker, but has room to improve in his throwing. He did battle some shoulder soreness at times in 2024, so perhaps a 100% healthy shoulder helps him make some strides there, as he has a quick transfer, he just needs stronger and more accurate throws to go along with his quick transfer.

2024 Cleveland Guardians Breakout Prospect of the Year

INF Angel Genao

In my opinion, this was an easy pick. I didn’t see anyone in person or on video that had a more impressive all around season on the position player side than Genao, and someone who has started to live up to their projection on field, as least as far as a prospect. There were those who were earlier on Genao’s upside than I was. But now he has the clear production to back that up as he has filled out his body a little more and has really put in the off the field effort. Genao also plays the game with great enthusiasm and is continuing to improve his english and there are still gains he can make offensively, such as hitting the ball out front more and using his surprising raw power to the pull side more from both sides of the plate. There’s a chance his footwork and body push him to third, perhaps second, though he has the arm for the left side of the infield. He’s also a very free and fluid runner. He has more tools than any infielder in this system I’ve seen since Francisco Lindor. That doesn’t mean a comparison, but there’s enough of a hit tool, speed, defense and raw power that other infield prospects since Lindor haven’t had a combination of.