Cleveland Sports Forum

Joe Lampe (DH, Saguaros): 2-for-4, 2 R, 3B, HR, 2 RBIs - Lampe was far and away the MVP for the Saguaros on Sunday afternoon with the only extra-base hits of the game, including his first AFL triple and homerun for seven total bases. His triple in the third tied the game at one and then a hit behind Lampe scored an additional run to take the lead. The go-ahead homerun in the 3-2 win came in clutch time, the bottom of the eighth. Not only were his extra-base hits impressive, but in all four of his plate appearances, Lampe made significant contact - all four times the ball was put in play, it was done so at 100 mph or more. His hardest-hit ball of the day was actually a groundout at 107.3 mph off the bat.

Alfonsin Rosario (RF, Saguaros): 0-for-4, GIDP - It was a quiet day for Rosario at 0-for-4 with a pair of punchouts. Rosario was added late to the AFL roster and has had struggles at 1-for-11 (.091 batting average) thus far.

Juan Benjamin (1B, Saguaros): 0-for-3 - Benjamin was hitless as well but only received three plate appearances from the eight-hole. He is 5-for-26 in ten games played in the AFL.

Jaison Chourio (CF, Zulia): 1-for-5, R, 2B - A key double by Chourio in the top of the seventh helped put the Zulia squad back in front when he later came around to score with one out in the inning. That was the highlight of the day for Chourio that also featured three strikeouts. [Wonder how far down this kid will plunge on all the Top Prospect lists?]

Gabriel Arias (DH, Tiburones): 1-for-5, SB - Arias’ at-bat in the bottom of the first resulted in a single for the team’s third consecutive hit without an out in the inning, but it would be the only time the Guardians middle infielder reached in the game for the Tiburones squad. He stole a base later in that first inning, but a trifecta of strikeouts spoiled the rest of his day as the designated hitter.

This podcast includes an interview with Daniel Espino and commentary on Guardians' pitching development success.
I couldn't get it to open correctly and I'm a subscriber. Maybe you can

If it is a Baseball America podcast I probably could not open but I did see it on X or twitter.

Maybe this belongs in winter baseball; but you can just overlook the Arias stuff

GUARDIANS PROSPECTS

Angel Genao (SS, Aguilas - Monday): 0-4, 1 K, 1 CS - The only Guardian to play on Monday posted a statline that…wasn’t exactly worthy of a standalone column.

Angel Genao (SS, Aguilas - Tuesday): 4-5, 3 R, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 1 E - Genao’s Tuesday night was a different story, however, as he was one of the stars of a festival of offense that made Monday’s eleven combined runs feel like a pitchers’ duel. After this game, Angel’s Dominican slash line now stands at .389/.476/.500!

Jhonkensy Noel (1B, Toros): 1-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K - Noel opened his Dominican season home run account with a game-tying solo shot to left center in the bottom of the fourth. Which was only his second hit of the LIDOM campaign.

Jaison Chourio (CF, Zulia): 0-3, 1 BB - While his four-game run-scoring streak came to an end on Tuesday, Chourio extended his on-base streak to a fifth contest with a second-inning walk.

Gabriel Arias (SS, La Guaira): 0-4, 1 K - Arias went hitless for the first time this winter on Tuesday night, ending a season-opening nine-game hit streak.d

I note that relief pitcher Steven Perez, like OF Antunez, both of whom are eligible for Rule 5 have been resigned to minor league contracts and invited to spring training. But we could still lose them in the draft.

Forget where I saw it, but I read that Amed Rosario in his two games in Arizona has had the two fastest OF throws in the Arizona fall league. That plus his power should lift him in our prospect rankings.

from BA:

Cleveland Guardians 2025 MLB Draft Report Card [They stopped giving letter grades a few years ago]

Best Pure Hitter: Cleveland’s top two hitters, OF Jace LaViolette (1) and SS Dean Curley (2), might not have the best pure contact skills in this class, but both should be well-rounded offensive players in part because of their consistently impressive swing decisions and offensive approaches. If you’re looking at pure contact skills in this class, both Luke Hill (4) and Riley Nelson (5) have strong cases. Hill is a career .315 hitter in college who walked at a 13.3% clip compared to a 14.0% strikeout rate. After putting up video game numbers with Yavapai (Ariz.) JC, Nelson was one of the best performers in the SEC this spring with Vanderbilt. He hit .366 in conference play with a 15.2% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate.

Best Power Hitter: Cleveland secured two of the better power bats in the class between LaViolette (1) and Oklahoma State OF Nolan Schubart (3). LaViolette has 70-grade raw power from a 6-foot-6, 230-pound frame and became the Texas A&M record holder with 68 career home runs. Schubart is capable of hitting some of the most impressive home runs you’ll see and also boasts 70-grade juice from an imposing 6-foot-5, 235-pound frame. Schubart homered at least 17 times in each of his three seasons and finished with 59 total.

Fastest Runner: Cleveland views both LaViolette (1) and Arizona OF Aaron Walton (2S) as plus runners. Both players are fast enough to stick in center field as good defenders, and they should also contribute on the bases. Walton was a consistent basestealer throughout college and finished his career with 36 bags in 41 tries (87.8%). LaViolette was less active, but not by much, as he went 32-for-39 (82%) in his career and had an 18-steal season as a freshman in 2023. Hill (4) is not a burner, but he is a savvy baserunner who will steal more bases than his speed might suggest.

Best Defensive Player: Walton (2S) has experience in center field, and the Guardians believe he can be quite good at the position. The team also drafted a couple of strong defenders at up-the-middle positions later in the draft. TCU SS Anthony Silva (14) has impressive defensive actions at shortstop with above-average arm strength, and Tennessee C Cannon Peebles (14) has a strong arm behind the plate to go with great reviews for his receiving ability.

Best Fastball: Oregon State LHP Nelson Keljo (6) has a fastball that has been up to 99 mph. The pitch is probably the most impressive in this class from a velocity perspective, but it also has great riding life and averaged more than 20 inches of induced vertical break this spring. Ole Miss RHP Will McCausland (7) won’t light up a radar gun, but he gets tremendous results with an invisible fastball in the low 90s that generated a 38% miss rate this spring—more than any other pitch type. He has above-average extension and an elite vertical approach angle. RHP Luke Fernandez (16) and RHP Zane Petty (18) both have fastballs that get into the upper 90s.

Best Secondary Pitch: RHP Will Hynes (2S) has tremendous capacity to spin the baseball and has a slider that gets plenty of plus projections with spin rates in the 2,900 rpm range. The pitch has the potential to become a lethal sweeper or a hard-biting breaking ball with both and movement as he gets bigger, stronger and adds more velocity across his arsenal. On the college side, Oklahoma State powerLHP Harrison Bodendorf (10) has a plus changeup in the low 80s. He used it to generate a 49% miss rate this spring and throws it against both lefties and righties, who collectively slashed just .149/.194/.190 against it.

Best Pro Debut: The Guardians saw more debuts than has been typical for them in recent years, perhaps in part because they drafted a college-heavy class. Schubart (3), Hill (4) and Nelson (5) each produced an OPS north of .850, but Hill led the trio at .969. He slashed .347/.459/.510 with one home run, one triple, three doubles, seven stolen bases and as many walks as strikeouts with a Low-A Lynchburg team that won the Carolina League championship.

Best Athlete: LaViolette (1) has the rare size, speed and power combination that makes him an unusually gifted athlete even among professionals. Walton (2S) had multiple Division I offers to play football in college and shouldn’t be slept on in this category either, as he shows a solid blend of speed and strength.

Most Intriguing Background: Bodendorf (10) is a Temecula, Calif., native who didn’t have much college interest coming out of high school. He was a preferred walk-on at Hawaii, where he pitched for two years before transferring to Oklahoma State and immediately becoming a key piece of the Cowboys’ rotation and leading the team with 92.2 innings and 102 strikeouts. Nelson (5) also had an interesting college path. He was born in Toronto, grew up in Texas and played baseball at multiple junior colleges—Western Texas JC and then Yavapai (Ariz.) JC—before joining Vanderbilt in 2025 when he didn’t flinch at the competition jump and was one of the most impressive performers in the SEC.

Closest To The Majors: LaViolette (1) has shown an ability to be an impact, middle-of-the-order hitter in three seasons in the SEC and has the sort of power and physicality that would play in the majors right now. As long as he continues tapping into that power and getting on base at a healthy clip in pro ball, he could move quickly.

Best 11+ Round Pick (Or UDFA): The Guardians are excited about the defensive chops of Peebles (17) and also think he could have some underrated bat speed and offensive upside. Iowa RHP Aaron Savary (13) is a low-slot pitcher who can create a number of different shapes to keep hitters off-balance and has some physical projection remaining. RHP Derek Munoz (19) was one of just two high school players Cleveland signed in this draft class. He was relatively unheralded coming out of South Florida, but has been up to 95 mph in the bridge league with a three-pitch mix, a 6-foot-2, 196-pound frame and a clean and repeatable delivery.

So with LaViolette, Schubert and Walton the farm system collects a trio of impressive OF prospects. Can they for a change develop them into major leaguers or do we have more Brad Zimmer-like career paths upcoming?

Espino scheduled for his weekly inning today. Rosario also in the Saguaro lineup, batting cleanup, and Lampe is leading off

Guardians’ Prospects Most Likely To Make Impact in 2026

Which farmhands will get the call to a Cleveland penthouse?

by Brian Hemminger
Oct 29, 2025, 8:00 AM CDT

We are all hankering for some Guardians baseball, so let’s rank the ten prospects most likely to make their debut and help the 2026 Cleveland Guardians team.

10 will be least likely of the bunch to debut and help, and 1 will be most likely. Chase DeLauter has technically yet to make his MLB debut in the regular season but for the purposes of this exercise, we will consider him as having had his debut

Honorable Mention: Angel Genao, SH SS - Genao had an uneven 2025, but is still a promising young shortstop on a team desperately in need of a franchise shortstop. Should Rocchio struggle and Genao take a leap, it is possible for the (by that point) 22-year old to debut late in the year.

10. Jacob Cozart, LHH C - Cozart had a really good second half and gets rave reviews as a defensive catcher. Should Bo falter and Ingle’s defense not progress, Cozart debuting in his age 23 season could become a possibility.

9. Ralphy Velazquez, 1B/OF/DH - Ralphy had a very slow start and an incredibly torrid finish, ending with a 135 wRC+ in his two stops in the minors. Would the Guardians really call him up as a 21 year-old? If he puts up his stats from mid-June-September last year again - 166 wRC+, 16.9/10.1 K/BB - he will force the issue. And he looks viable in the outfield and good at first on defense.

8. Franco Aleman, RHP - Aleman struck out 14 guys per 9 in Columbus last year but walked a ton and gave up a bunch of bombs. With some tweaks, that kind of swing-and-miss stuff will always play. And he’s still only 25.

7. Daniel Espino, RHP - I suspect Espino, if he can remain healthy, will spend a good portion of the year in the bullpen. Let me be clear: if Espino is healthy, the 24 year-old will pitch for Cleveland in 2026. Let’s just hope he can stay healthy.

6. Kahlil Watson, CF - I have Watson lower on this list because I am unsure if the team will keep him or trade him this offseason. If he stays, he will definitely debut in 2026. He has the potential to be a good defensive centerfielder with a major league average bat - something never before seen in Cleveland (ok, since Grady Sizemore).

5. Khal Stephen, RHP - The soon to be 23-years-old pitcher acquired in the Bieber trade will absolutely get starts in Cleveland if he can stay healthy. And he’ll be there to stay.

4. Austin Peterson, RHP - At 26 years old with clear major league back of the rotation potential, if not traded, Peterson will make his debut at some point in 2026, whether as a reliever, spot starter or injury replacement.

3. Cooper Ingle, C - No doubt in my mind that Ingle’s advanced hitting approach will get him to the majors in 2026. Whether as a September addition to the roster or to supplant Bo Naylor or to replace an injured catcher - it’s just a matter of time.

2. Travis Bazzana, LHH 2B - I know he had injuries and some uneven production. Folks, Bazzana, if healthy, will debut in 2026. And it’ll be a day to mark on your calendar and make sure that you can go to the game.

1.Juan Brito, SH 2B/RF/1B - Brito had an injury plagued 2025 but he has even splits as a hitter in the minors, pulls fly balls and has good plate discipline. If he is healthy in Spring, he should have a good shot to make the Opening Day Roster.

There’s your list! Tell me who I missed! Tell me who I misranked!

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Daniel Espino (SP, Surprise): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, BB, 2 Ks - Espino continues to look sharp as he elevates his workload in the Arizona Fall League. This was the first time that he has spanned multiple innings this fall and he preserved his shutout streak to nearly five straight innings. Espino’s velocity stayed consistent at 96-98 mph and topped out at 98.7 in the contest. Overall, he threw 39 pitches (23 strikes) and leaned heavily on the fastball at 59% of his pitches thrown.

Zane Morehouse (RP, Surprise): S (1), 0.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 0 Ks - Morehouse was called upon with the tying run 90 feet from home and the go-ahead run on base but was able to record the final out with just two pitches to record the save.

Joe Lampe (RF, Surprise): 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, SB - The move to the top of the order for Lampe has proven fruitful once again with an RBI single in the sixth to give his squad the lead and he later came around to score as the eighth and eventual game-winning run.

Alfonsin Rosario (DH, Surprise): 0-for-4 - The late addition stateside has struggled, but the organization continues to have faith in Rosario to turn it around by continuing to keep him in prominent positions in the lineup.

Gabriel Arias (DH, Tiburones): 3-for-4, R, 2B - Despite the loss, Arias was on it in a 3-for-4 effort that included a double. He was the only player with multiple hits in the game and his six extra-base hits is tied for fourth in all the LVBP.

Jaison Chourio (CF, Zulia): 0-for-5 - Nothing going for Chourio from the leadoff spot in a blowout loss.

Angel Genao (SS, Aguilas): 1-for-5, SB, E6T, E6F - A pair of errors put a damper on Genao’s day, one of which came around to score.

Jhonkensy Noel (1B, Toros): 1-for-2, R, 2 BBs, 2 DPs - Noel reached base three times in total thanks to a pair of walks and scored in the fourth with the help of a pair of wild pitches.

Chourio continues to underperform.
Meanwhile Espino is looking worthy of a boost up into the prospect top 10 for the Guardians again.
He's currently listed No. 30 of 30

Guardians Prospects

Trenton Denholm (SP, Surprise): 3IP, 5H, 4K - Yes, Denholm was on the mound for an AFL game that ended in a 0-0 tie. They don’t play extras in the AFL, so somewhere there are ties in baseball. Denholm threw five knuckleballs in this one. That’s the most he’s thrown in a game so far. He’s not a knuckleball pitchers, at least not yet, but more of a pitcher who throws a knuckleball. He has a cutter, changeup, sinker, curveballs and a four-seam fastball but he’s killed spin very well (292 RPM) on his knuckler so far which is good. But he’s not getting whiffs or called strikes yet. So there is still some development to be had here.

Rorik Maltrud (RP, Surprise): IP - Maltrud needed just six pitches to get three outs. No whiffs or called strikes, but he was done quickly and only averaged 90 on his fastball.

Alfonsin Rosario (RF, Surprise): 1-3, BB - Rosario hits a 375 foot fly ball at 99.3 MPH, however it went for a fly out. Rosario’s single in this one was so soft that it didn’t register on Statcast. But, he did earn a walk and is holding his own in the AFL so far.

Juan Benjamin (1B, Surprise): 0-2, BB - Surprising to see Benjamin at first base, though he’s played there before. He’s not having much of a AFL campaign however.

Joe Lampe (PR-DH, Surprise): 0-0 -Lampe pinch ran and didn’t have a plate appearance in this one.

Gabriel Arias (SS, Tiburones): 1-5, 2 RBI, K - Arias is off to a solid start in the Venezuelan winter league with an. 845 OPS, although that doesn’t mean much for what it could change in the regular season.

Guardians loaded 2025 draft given high marks by Baseball America
The kids are looking good.
By
Henry Palattella
|
10 hours ago




Measuring the final value of an MLB draft is a game of patience. While players in the NFL and NBA can make an impact right after getting draft, the journey for MLB draft picks is more of a slow burn due to the need to rise through the minor league ranks.

But just because it takes some time for MLB draft picks to make an impact in the bigs doesn’t mean that you aren’t able to evaluate the draft picks’ individual progress.

Baseball America did that exact task for the Guardians as a part of their draft report card series, and their evaluations should put a smile on every Guardians’ fans face.

The highest marks were given to Cleveland’s first round draft pick Jace LaViolette, who the Guardians took out of Texas A&M with the No. 27 pick in the draft.


LaViolette entered the 2025 collegiate baseball season as a potential No. 1 pick, but his stock took a bit of a hit after an inconsistent season.

Baseball America’s Carlos Collazo ranked him as the best power hitter and runner in Cleveland’s draft class, writing “LaViolette has shown an ability to be an impact, middle-of-the-order hitter in three seasons in the SEC and has the sort of power and physicality that would play in the majors right now. As long as he continues tapping into that power and getting on base at a healthy clip in pro ball, he could move quickly.”


The prospect who got the most praise after him was Nolan Schubart, who the Guardians selected in the third round out of Oklahoma State. Schubart appeared in 15 games with Low-A Lynchburg after being drafted, and he hit 59 home runs across three seasons with the Cowboys in college.

On the pitching side, Will Hynes received high-marks for his slider, which is a great sign considering how the Guardians got him. The Guardians picked Hynes with the Competitive Balance Round B draft pick they got in return for trading Josh Naylor to the Diamondbacks.

Time will tell if he’s going to stick as a starter, but his junk is already receiving high marks.

Another pick who seems to be on the rise is Aaron Walton, who the Guardians took with the No. 66 pick out of Arizona. They gave him $1.1 million at signing and also sent him to Lynchburg, where he hit .238 with one home run in 16 games.


He stole 36 bases and is ranked as a top-tier outfielder, and it looks like he could develop into the classic contact-speed outfielder that every winning team needs.

The Guardians have a roster filled with homegrown talent, and the 2025 draft looks like it could prove to be another breeding ground for players who could headline the Guardians’ next core.