Former Guardians first-round pick accelerating big league timeline with strong spring

The Cleveland Guardians have no shortage of young prospects in their minor league system who boast intriguing potential. 

While the top of that list is made up of MLB-ready prospects like Chase DeLauter, Juan Brito and George Valera, there’s a number of younger players in Cleveland’s system who are beginning to work their way closer to becoming a part of the big league picture. 

The top player from that group is first baseman Ralphy Velazquez, who made it to Double-A last season and has carried that momentum into this season via a great start to spring training.

Ralphy Velazquez has gotten off to a great start for the Guardians this spring

Velazquez showed exactly how good he can be last Saturday when he entered the Guardians’ 7-5 loss to the White Sox and slugged two doubles in his two at-bats.

He smoked his first double 106.9 miles per hour into the gap in left-center before coming up an inning later and shooting a double down the third base line. 

He’s already shown plate discipline beyond his years (it’s hard to believe he’s just 20 years old), and is now hitting .500 (5-for-10) this spring.

“He’s a complete hitter,” Vogt said of Velazquez earlier this spring. “He’s kind of shown us all of it in the first week of games. He also plays a really good first base and he’s been very athletic over there. I met him in 2023, and he’s grown up a lot. That credit goes to him and our player development staff.”

Velazquez was initially viewed as a catcher when the Guardians drafted him in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft, but Cleveland transitioned him to a full-time first baseman in 2024. 

And while that position change may help him in the long-term since it’ll prevent him from having to deal with the wear and tear that can come from catching, it’s made his short-term path to the Guardians’ roster a little tougher. 

Kyle Manzardo and Rhys Hoskins figure to get most of the time at first base this season, while David Fry and CJ Kayfus are also depth options at first. 

But Velazquez’s strong showing this spring has done nothing but help, with The Athletic’s Zack Mesiel reporting earlier this week that there’s some within the Guardians’ organization that believe Velazquez could make his big league debut at some point in 2026. 

But before he can do that, he’s going to need to see some time in Triple-A. Velazquez only played in 28 games during his stint at Double-A last season, but hit .303 with five home runs in that time. 

The Guardians have been in a desperate search for any kind of pop from their offense, and Velazquez has spent the past eight months showing that he can provide it, which has helped him develop some serious fans inside Cleveland’s organization. 

He may not be on the Guardians’ Opening Day roster, but it’s looking more and more likely that we’ll see Velazquez with the Guardians at some point this summer.