3 Guardians minor leaguers who are off to strong starts in Triple-A

While Travis Bazzana's long-awaited debut debut will likely be the biggest prospect promotion the Guardians make this season, they still have some other top prospects who are off to hot starts in Triple-A.

But there are also some more unheralded minor leaguers who are quietly starting to heat up.

Even if they may not get the same hype as some of their more highly regarded teammates, their starts are still impressive. Here are three of them.

The Guardians are getting some big contirbutions in the minor leagues

RHP Franco Aleman

The Guardians' bullpen struggles this season have been well-documented, and Aleman is an intriguing minor league option who could help.

He'll turn 26 in June, so barring an incredible and unexpected jump, he will likely never be a lock down bullpen ace. But he has the stuff to become a rock solid piece in a good bullpen thanks to a fastball that can reach triple-digits.

After a disastrous 2025 season (7.85 in 36 2/3 innings), he's turned things around this year. Aleman's tossed eight scoreless innings so far this year to go along with 13 strikeouts. Although the makings of a true weapon may not be there, he is making a strong case to become a key cog in the Guardians bullpen plan. 

OF Nolan Jones

Jones could be hitting .500 with 10 homers in Triple-A and still wouldn't get a ton of buzz thanks to how last season went for him.

While Jones is a former top prospect, last season was an abject disaster that burned all the goodwill he generated during his first stint in Cleveland.

However, he has gotten off to a great start in Columbus. Through his first 23 games he leads the team with 20 RBI to go along with five home runs and an on-base percentage of .400.

HIs opportunities with the Guardians' big league club may be limited thanks to solid starts from Angel Martínezand Daniel Schneeman, but Jones has played well enough to insert himself into the roster conversation should Cleveland ever need an injury replacement.

Who knows, maybe Jones will be able to recapture some of the form that he found in 2023 with the Rockies.

SS Milan Tolentino

A former fourth-round pick in the truncated 2020 draft, Tolentino has yet to find his footing in the Guardians' system.

When he first joined the organization he was viewed as a plus-defender at short with good speed but limited power. That theme played out across his first four seasons in the minors when he hit around .250 with an OPS around .700.

He never hit double-digit home runs but averaged around 15 steals a season.

But that changed last season when he reached Triple-A for the first time in his career and completely changed his approach.

Even though his average fell down to .216 and he struck out more than he ever had in his career, he finished the year with 21 homers.

Fast forward to this season and he's already racked up six home runs and five steals while batting .271.

There really isn't a spot for him on the Guardians' current roster thanks to Brayan Rocchio's early success and Bazzana's call-up, but he could force the organization into a hard decision when Gabriel Arias gets healthy. 

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