MLB Draft insider shines light on Guardians' intriguing plan in latest mock

The MLB draft is incredibly unique compared to the other major sport drafts in baseball. While MLB has done a good job making the draft more of an event in recent years (it’s not broadcast online out of some MLB Network studio like in years prior), it still doesn’t have the immediate impact that comes with other drafts. 

In the NFL or NBA, players go from being drafted to starring on their teams within a matter of months. That’s not the case in MLB, as most players spend a year or two in the minors before making their big league debut (unless they play for the Angels). 

That delay means that there’s a bit more nuance when it comes to draft predictions. While a team may have a clear hole at one position on their big league roster, they may not draft with that hole in mind if they already have some minor leaguers coming up in that position. 

Last year the Guardians seemed to draft with both the present and future in mind when they selected Texas A&M outfielder Jace LaViolette given how rough their outfield pipeline looked at the time. 

While that looks better this year thanks to the absence of Chase DeLauter and the presence of LaViolette, it seems like could still go down the outfield route in this year’s draft. 

Earlier this week, MLB.com’s Jim Callis published his newest mock draft, which gave some much-needed insight into Cleveland’s draft mindset. Not only did he have the Guardians taking TCU outfielder Sawyer Strosnider with the No. 19 pick, but he also wrote that Cleveland is interested in Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese and high school two-way player Jared Grindlinger. 

The Guardians have a lot of ways they could go in this year’s draft 

Callis’ mock closes out a busy week on the draft front, as CBS Sports’ Mike Axisa just put out a mock that had Cleveland picking Texas A&M second baseman Chris Hacopian while FanSided’s Chris Landers had them taking Louisville outfielder Zion Rose. 

Callis’ mock selection of Strosnider fits into that same theme given he has two years of college ball under his belt and seems to be one of the best power bats in the draft. 

He generated some buzz as a draft prospect out of high school in 2024 but went undrafted due to his strong commitment to TCU, and that looked like a great decision last season when he had a 1.070 OPS with 10+ home runs, doubles, triples and stolen bases. 

His batting average took a bit of a hit this season, but he still had a .415 on-base percentage with 13 home runs. 

But Callis’ inclusion of Reese and Grindlinger as potential Guardians targets is just as, if not more intriguing, than him having them pick Strosnider. 

Reese (who Callis had the Marlins drafting at No. 14) hit 52 home runs across 165 college games with Houston and Mississippi State but has some serious defensive question marks at third base. Most evaluators seem to agree that his MLB future would be at first base or left field. 

While that position change would likely come with some growing pains, he may not need as much time in the minors thanks to the amount of college ball he has under his belt. 

The last player included was Grindlinger, an outfielder and left-handed pitcher from Huntington Beach High School in California (Callis had the Nationals taking him with the No. 11 pick in the draft). 

Grindlinger seems to have a bit more potential as a pitcher than hitter, but it doesn’t seem far-fetched to think that he could begin his minor league career as a two-way player. 

The Guardians haven’t shied away from picking high schoolers in the first round before (they took Ralphy Velazquez out Huntington Beach High School in 2023), and Grindlinger is about as fascinating of a high school prospect as you can get. 

Regardless of who the Guardians pick, all of the early tea leaves make it seem like they’re once again thinking about offense with their first pick.

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