Latest Chase DeLauter ranking proves Guardians fans' expectations may be too high

There’s no denying that Chase DeLauter’s MLB debut last season was historic. While DeLauter only went 1-for-6 last season in his brief big league stint in the postseason, he largely looked like he belonged while also taking a huge step in his MLB journey after having the beginning of his career derailed by injuries. 

That brief debut also has raised the bar for the external expectations around DeLauter, especially since the Guardians got next to no production from their center fielders and right fielders in 2025. 

But just because Northeast Ohio thinks highly of him doesn’t mean that everyone in baseball has the same kind of unadulterated love for him. On Thursday, MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo released the publication’s  new ranking of the Top-10 outfield prospects in baseball, where DeLauter came in as the No. 10 outfield prospect in all of baseball. 

A solid ranking, sure, but it’s still a bit surprising that he wasn’t higher on the rankings considering how much potential he has. 

Chase DeLauter’s ranked at interesting position in MLB Pipeline's ranking of top outfield prospects

While DeLauter made his big league debut in the postseason, he only played in 34 games at Triple-A last season due to a variety of injuries. He hit .278 with five home runs and 21 RBI in those games, but those injuries have become a frustrating storyline throughout his short career. 

Had it not been for a right hamate fracture he suffered in July, DeLauter likely would have made his MLB debut during the regular season. But now the only thing we have to go off is that small Triple-A sample size and an even smaller big league sample size. 

Given that, it shouldn’t be a surprise that Mayo had DeLauter listed in a write-up titled “Most to Prove,” given that injury history. 

There’s still enough there for him to be a promising prospect, but Mayo has him on the fringes of being one of the best outfield prospects in baseball, which pours a bit of cold water on his prospect pedigree. 

It doesn’t help that three other American League Central teams have outfield prospects ranked ahead of him, as Detroit’s Max Clark as the top outfielder on the list, Minnesota’s Walker Jenkins was No. 2 and Chicago’s Braden Montgomery was listed as the No. 7 outfielder on the list.

Clark finished last season as the No. 8 prospect in all of baseball per MLB Pipeline and will likely be ranked even higher after a strong 2025 season across High-A and Double-A.

While DeLauter should make his MLB (regular season) debut for the Guardians at some point in 2026, all three of those prospects also have an estimated big league ETA of 2026. 

Had DeLauter stayed healthy last season, he likely would have made his debut at some point in the season and graduated from his prospect status. 

But we’re still at a point where his fit in the Guardians’ roster picture is based around potential just as much as it is around on-field production. 

DeLauter is still a bonafide Rookie of the Year candidate, but Mayo’s list is another reminder that the smartest thing to do is tamper expectations around the 24-year-old.