Guardians’ balanced farm system gets new shoutout in MLB Pipeline’s look at early 2026 draft returns

The evaluation process following an MLB draft is unlike anything else in sport. Because the draft takes place in the middle of the summer and involves players who are usually years away from making a big league impact, there are plenty of players who fly under the radar after being drafted. 

The team at MLB Pipeline did their part to help add some more attention to those players with a new story highlighting each team’s top performer from the 2026 draft. And their selection for the Guardians fit into that theme of players flying under the radar, as they picked Hill City infielder Alejandro Garza. 

He may not be a household name, but he’s clearly done enough to open some eyes across the league. 

Alejandro Garza could be one of the fastest rising prospects in the Guardians system

The Guardians took Garza in the 15th round of this summer’s draft out of Cal Poly, where he recorded a .829 OPS in 181 games. Those skills have carried over to his time in the Guardians’ system, as he finished this season with a .877 OPS in 18 games at Single-A Hill City while racking up 15 RBI and 10 steals. 

He doesn’t boast a ton of power (he only hit 11 homers in college), but he has some great bat-to-ball skills and has had no problem holding his own defensively. He’s the perfect Guardians prospect. 

But it doesn’t just stop with him. Although he’s the only member from the Guardians’ draft class who spent the end of the summer generating some buzz. 

Although first round pick Liam Peterson has yet to make his professional debut (a pretty normal outcome for pitchers), third-round pick Tre Broussard made his debut with three productive games at Single-A. 

But the most intriguing player from that draft class is pitcher Savion Sims, who has yet to make his professional debut after the Guardians picked him in the seventh round. They went extremely overslot to steal him away from his college commitment, and he’s about as long-term of a project as you can have at this point. 

Sims has an electric 100 mile per hour fastball and is still growing into his 6-foot-8 frame, but the early returns may not be pretty as he learns how to pitch. He’s not going to be on any of these lists any time soon, but it’s fun to think about how good he could be in three or four years after the Guardians' pitching magicians have time to sink their teeth into him. 

None of the members of the Guardians' 2026 draft class may not help Cleveland win any time soon, but they're all tangible examples of the team's deep farm system.

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