Cleveland Sports Forum

Minor League Reports
AA-AAA OPS Leaders
C.J. Kayfus (AAA - CLE) 247 PA 1.004 OPS
Jordan Lawlar (AAA - ARI) 233 PA 0.986 OPS
Ryan Ward (AAA - LAD) 294 PA 0.977 OPS
Anthony Seigler (AAA - MIL) 223 PA 0.959 OPS
Max Anderson (AA - DET) 234 PA 0.958 OPS
Chad Stevens (AAA - LAA) 239 PA 0.944 OPS
Cam Devanney (AAA - KC) 223 PA 0.939 OPS
Carson McCusker (AAA - MIN) 210 PA 0.93 OPS
Leonardo Bernal (AA - STL) 196 PA 0.93 OPS
JJ Wetherholt (AA - STL) 207 PA 0.929 OPS
RJ Schreck (AAA - TOR) 198 PA 0.927 OPS
Jett Williams (AA - NYM) 230 PA 0.926 OPS
Brock Wilken (AA - MIL) 274 PA 0.924 OPS

So Kayfus top of list. Why again, on a starved for offense team, are we not calling him up?

And meanwhile stud Jordan Lawlar underneath him, WAS called up by a loaded offensive team the Diamondbacks.

Mark this is probably the reason.


Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
·
23h
One huge issue that keeps the #Guardians from calling up a bat to potentially help the offense is they are currently handcuffed on how they can handle David Fry.

If Fry could play in the field the team could use him as second catcher or a utility spot.

Unless the team makes a trade to free up a spot they would have to either DFA Nolan Jones (who has been one of teams best hitters over last 3-4 weeks) or option Angel Martinez or Jonathan Rodriguez if you want to see a player like Kayfus or DeLauter up.

The one thing going against both those players is they are lefty bats.

Jones currently blocks them vs RHP in right field, Manzardo blocks them vs RHP at DH and Santana blocks Kayfus at first base.

Only option I can see is if they put Jones in CF vs RHP and bench Thomas vs RHP and play DeLauter and Kayfus in RF vs RHP.

Its hard to imagine a spot currently for either unfortunately.

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2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #7 LHP Joey Cantillo

Next Year in Cleveland - Guardians Farm System Coverage
To: me · Tue, Jun 17 at 2:16 PM
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2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #7 LHP Joey Cantillo
Can Cantillo throw enough strikes to stay a starter long term?
Justin Lada
Jun 17



Age (2024 season): 25

Acquired: Trade (2020, SD)

2024 Level: Triple-A/MLB

Height: 6’5

Weight: 225

Throws: Left

2025 Scouting Grades

Fastball: 55

Slider: 45

Curveball: 55

Changeup: 60

Command: 40

Overall: 50

Risk: Moderate

ETA: 2024

First impression

Lanky, classic starting pitchers build. Transformed into a stuff over control from a control over stuff type arm. Injury concerns.
What Makes Cantillo Fun

I think I’ve mentioned before, I love lefties with dynamite changeups and Cantillo has the best in the entire organization now that Eli Morgan is gone. It’s incredibly deceptive in movement with great drop to his armside away from right handers and it has big separation from his fastball (about 15 MPH). Years ago, Cantillo had a big, loopy curveball that had the makings of an above average pitch. He’s slightly increased the velo on it enough now and helped make it tighter in shape, now it’s a strike stealer and gets whiffs. His fastball velocity can get up to 97 but he’ll typically be 90-94. That all plays up a bit because of Cantillo’s extension. He’s in the 99th percentile in baseball in extension thanks to a strong use of his lower half, getting downhill and releasing the ball out front.

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What Could Hold Cantillo Back

So far, Cantillo has had an issue staying healthy since 2021. He’s had shoulder, abdominal and hamstring issues going back to then. Control is the other issue for Cantillo. When Cleveland acquired him in 2020, he was more of a control pitcher, throwing 88-92 and relying on command. Now the stuff has taken a jump and his control has waned. He also needs his fastball velocity needs to be more consistently in the 92-95 range, rather than 90-94, even though he can scrape 96. The extension is good, but the other metrics struggle. His slider is just fringey. Control and health are the last two things that hold Cantillo back from being a rotation stalwart.
Key Metric

9.2% - That was Cantillo’s walk rate in the majors in 2024, his lowest since 2019 in Low-A, when he was a control over stuff arm. That’s an interesting thing to track, because if he can keep his walk rate in that range, then there’s less concern about his control thanks to his stuff. It will still cause him issues, but this is a more competitive range for him and gives reason to have hope on growth.
Intangibles

Cantillo has persevered through injury issues, and was a high risk, high school draft pick that has come a long way in that time. Despite his injuries, Cantillo has developed into a true potential rotation arm now.
Future

Cantillo will spend 2025 as a depth starter once again and should be the first arm recalled in wake of an injury or double-header. He could be good enough to hold a rotation spot down in 2025 or at least get a shot to prove that. He’ll serve as depth, most likely, unless Triston McKenzie doesn’t make the rotation. Then there’s a possible spot for him. He’s ready to at least try to claim one, but it’s better for the Guardians and possibly him for a little more Triple-A refinement and be that depth arm. Health is always a challenge, but he’s just some more consistent control away from a being a solid back end rotation contributor and somewhere in the mid-rotation realm.
Role/Risk

50/Moderate - Mid to back end rotation arm depending on control/health

SAN FRANCISCO -- Dylan DeLucia did not have a standard start to his professional career, but nearly three years after he was selected in the MLB Draft, the 24-year-old is doing his part to make up for lost time.
DeLucia was promoted to Double-A Akron for the first time on June 10. The right-hander was Cleveland’s sixth-round pick in the 2022 Draft, but he did not pitch with an affiliate that year and underwent Tommy John surgery in June ‘23. That delayed his pro debut until June 21, 2024.
All things considered, DeLucia's rise to Akron was quick, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise. He earned Most Outstanding Player honors at the 2022 College World Series with Ole Miss. He entered Wednesday with a career 2.95 ERA in 106 2/3 innings over 26 games (24 starts) between the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, Single-A Lynchburg, High-A Lake County, and Akron.
"There’s been a lot of things to be excited about with Dylan,” said Will Huntington, the Guardians’ assistant director of player development. "... The pedigree in college and just some of the things he showed during his collegiate career, especially the competitor [he was], the constantly showing up in big moments and in big games and rising to the occasion. We saw it in the College World Series. That's something we've seen be true in our organization as well.”
Dylan DeLucia
We saw it last fall; DeLucia threw 4 2/3 scoreless innings vs. High-A Wisconsin in a decisive Game 3 of the 2024 Midwest League Championship Series, to help Lake County win the title. In his Akron debut last Wednesday, he threw six scoreless innings, allowed two hits and struck out five.
DeLucia made 19 appearances (17 starts) with Lake County the past two seasons, so the Guardians felt his promotion to Akron was an "appropriate challenge,” Huntington said.
"We've seen him be a guy who's not afraid to attack hitters, who limits walks, gets some strikeouts,” Huntington said. “So overall, [he’s a] pretty well-rounded, pretty exciting pitcher.”
DeLucia features a four-seam fastball, slider and changeup. His four-seamer has been around 93-95 mph and getting up to 96 mph. This year, some of the keys for DeLucia have included him continuing to show consistency with his delivery, his fastball velocity and secondary execution. And with this being his first full season, getting through the season healthy will obviously be big.
As for what DeLucia needs to do to keep advancing up the farm system? His stint with Akron is a good barometer for that.
“As guys get challenged against better and better hitters, they tend to find out more about themselves and who they are as a pitcher,” Huntington said. "Just getting challenged to that higher level, hopefully is a great learning opportunity and a good moment to kind of work with us to figure out what those next steps are.”

Triple-A Columbus: OF Jhonkensy Noel
Noel was optioned to the Clippers on June 8 to reset offensively after struggling in the Majors the first two months of the season. Through seven games with Columbus, he’s gone 10-for-29 (.345) with four doubles and two home runs.
Josh Hartle

High-A Lake County: LHP Josh Hartle
Hartle, Cleveland's No. 21 prospect, has thrown back-to-back six-inning scoreless starts for the Captains, in which he has allowed just five hits and two walks. The lefty (whom Cleveland acquired from the Pirates on Dec. 10 in the trade for Spencer Horwitz) has a 2.77 ERA in 55 1/3 innings over 12 starts this season.



Single-A Lynchburg: OF Tommy Hawke
Hawke, 22, entered Tuesday with 60 stolen bases, which ranked first in the Minor Leagues. What’s more, Hawke (the Guardians’ sixth-round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft) has only been thrown out five times.
 

If he had waited a day, he could have had even more good things to say about DeLucia.
His second AA start last night was near perfection: 5 no-hit innings, 2 walks 8 strikeouts

Followed by Jack Leftwich, a 2024 spring training star, who has had health setbacks, but back in Akron for his 2nd inning of the season, he struck out all 3 he faced.

At bat for the RDucks: Cooper Ingle singled; Angel Genao doubled and walked; Mooney two singles, two steals.

rusty2 wrote: Tue Jun 17, 2025 2:41 pm Mark this is probably the reason.


Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
·
23h
One huge issue that keeps the #Guardians from calling up a bat to potentially help the offense is they are currently handcuffed on how they can handle David Fry.

If Fry could play in the field the team could use him as second catcher or a utility spot.

Unless the team makes a trade to free up a spot they would have to either DFA Nolan Jones (who has been one of teams best hitters over last 3-4 weeks) or option Angel Martinez or Jonathan Rodriguez if you want to see a player like Kayfus or DeLauter up.

The one thing going against both those players is they are lefty bats.

Jones currently blocks them vs RHP in right field, Manzardo blocks them vs RHP at DH and Santana blocks Kayfus at first base.

Only option I can see is if they put Jones in CF vs RHP and bench Thomas vs RHP and play DeLauter and Kayfus in RF vs RHP.

Its hard to imagine a spot currently for either unfortunately.

rusty - I think they should DFA Fry since no one will grab him. Then send him to Columbus for more at bats.

Vogt loves Fry as a clubhouse leader.

I think a (one) team would pick him up very quickly.

Hard to figure out where Fry fits in the future,