5 prospects in the Cleveland Guardians organization to watch this season

The 2024 season is underway in Cleveland, but for a team like the Cleveland Guardians, the minors are just as important as the majors. The philosophy for the Cleveland Guardians is to build from within and get players ready for the next level. The Guards aren't going out and signing big-name free agents and can often struggle to keep players from within the organization once they are up for a deal.

With that, an emphasis on development becomes key.

Luckily, Cleveland has become rather productive in building teams in this manner. Recently, homegrown talent has been a solid path to Cleveland's roster. The pitching factory has been churning for a long time now, but even offensive production has increased for the organization through the minors. Players like Bo Naylor, Will Brennan, Steven Kwan and Tyler Freeman were all drafted by Cleveland, brought up through the minors and are now impact players on a daily basis.

As for the pitching, like I said: pitching factory. Here's the list of current players either in the rotation or the bullpen that Cleveland has drafted: Shane Bieber, Gavin Williams, Triston McKenzie, Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, Sam Hentges, Nick Sandlin, Eli Morgan, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis and James Karinchak. Some have had more success than others, but the fact of the matter remains that Cleveland's pitching factory is in tremendous shape.

So with all that said, what players should be on the radar of fans through the 2024 campaign? This isn't a list of players who could get the call up this season, but a list of players to keep an eye on for how they progress. The fact of the matter is that these players have the opportunity and talent to make an impact for Cleveland down the road, but there needs to be growth in the near future.

1. Chase DeLauter, OF

The Cleveland Guardians have two strong prospects knocking on the door of the majors with Chase DeLauter and Kyle Manzardo. While both are worthy of this list, only one will be included to make room for others and that's DeLauter. Both are strong contenders for the list, but when it comes to needs in Cleveland, the edge goes to DeLauter.

One name that was a consistent bright spot during spring training for the Guardians was Chase DeLauter. In 13 games during the spring, DeLauter logged 25 at-bats and slashed .520/.600/1.040. The impact he had was enough to raise eyebrows to the point of consideration for an Opening Day call-up. If the slash line wasn't enough, DeLauter added 10 RBI, nine runs scored, and four home runs. Perhaps the most promising aspect was his five walks to just four strikeouts.

When you consider all the contributing factors, it makes sense why Cleveland started the season with DeLauter in the minors. Service time, seeing what others can do, getting him more at-bats, the list goes on. However, if DeLauter makes the early impact in the minors that he made in Goodyear, it won't be long before he's in Cleveland.

Currently in Akron, DeLauter has had some early struggles in the first five games, slashing just .118/.318/.177. Again, high walk numbers are promising, but just two hits isn't going to help his case. Those numbers will need to improve if he wants to move up to Columbus or Cleveland. Luckily, at just 22-years old, there's time for that.

For Cleveland, the duo of Ramon Laureano and Will Brennan are covering right field as of now. Should either waiver or DeLauter catch fire, there's an opportunity in right field with the Guardians for the organization's top prospect. Cleveland invested heavily in DeLauter, using the 16th overall pick on him in the 2022 MLB Draft out of James Madison, so there will be a focus on his development.

3. Joey Cantillo, LHP

In terms of players who could, and should, make an impact in the future at the major-league level for Cleveland, Joey Cantillo tops the list. Joining the Guardians' organization in 2020 as part of the Mike Clevinger trade (joined by the haul of Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, Josh Naylor, Gabriel Arias and Owen Miller), Cantillo could very well be the answer Cleveland needs to their early season starting woes.

At 24 years old, Cantillo is one of the oldest players on this list, but the possibilities he presents is what keeps him on it. With the injury to Shane Bieber and the Guardians getting short outings from their starting pitchers, the door is wide open for Cantillo to step in and contribute in Cleveland. The added bonus? He's a lefty.

Cleveland has had a long stretch of promising young starters hitting the scene: Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale, Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee to name a handful, and there are more. But despite the ongoing success of the pitching factory, few have been lefties. All those names mentioned, and none are lefties. Logan Allen's arrival is one of few and Cantillo's could be the next.

The barrier for Cantillo currently is he hasn't been on the field. He made just three appearances in spring training, with one start, before being sidelined with a hamstring strain for 8-10 weeks. The injury will likely keep him out until late May or early June. Even then, you don't want to throw him straight into the fire of the big leagues for his major-league debut coming off an injury. Despite 18 starts and 20 appearances in Columbus last season, don't expect Cantillo in the near future. However, he could be a key piece to arrive in the summer or down the stretch.

4. Ralphy Velazquez, C/1B

You don't often see prospects like Ralphy Velazquez. Or maybe we just don't hear about them. High expectations have already been set for the 18-year-old out of California, but they come with reason. Turning 19 towards the end of May, Velazquez is already showing why expectations are so high.

The Cleveland Guardians don't seem to often use first-round picks on high school players. Talents like Chase DeLauter, Gavin Williams, etc. are more common targets for Cleveland in the early rounds and have been fruitful in development. However, the Guards broke that trend with Velazquez. A lefty at the plate with the ability to play first and catch, Velazquez is already turning heads as the No. 4 prospect in the organization.

The pro career for Velazquez is quite young. He played in just six games last year in the Arizona Complex League and has four games under his belt with Lynchburg. However, the stats are staggering. In those ten games, he's slashing .333/.383/.744. Those numbers may not jump off the sheet, but what does are his extra-base hits. In ten games, Velazquez has four doubles, four home runs and 13 RBI. Additionally, he's scored 11 times.

We're still a decent amount of time away before Velazquez would be in Cleveland. Even if he breaks out like Jackson Holliday, that's still a couple years away from a debut. Nonetheless, it's intriguing to see what Velazquez is doing. The stats are rare and near impossible to maintain, but the potential is obviously present. If he can continue to progress, especially at a position that climbs the minors quickly, he could be a nice one-two punch with the Naylor brothers at both first and behind the plate.

5. Alex Clemmey, LHP

The last name on this list is essentially a combination of the prospects mentioned before. A young player out of high school, listed high on the prospect list with high draft capital invested and a lefty. Like Velazquez, there is a lot of time before Alex Clemmey makes his debut in Cleveland, but the early intrigue is drawing notice.

In the 2023 MLB Draft, the Cleveland Guardians went full high school with their approach. The aforementioned Velazquez was the first-round selection and Cleveland returned to the well in the second round for Alex Clemmey. Clemmey, a 6'6" left-handed pitcher out of Rhode Island, is the youngest player on this list, not turning 19 until midway through July.

For Velazquez, there wasn't much to go off of, only ten games. For Clemmey, there is one game. That's it. However, he was enough of a promising prospect to enter the season as the club's No. 8 prospect, and No. 2 pitcher. Only the injury-riddled Daniel Espino is higher on the list from the mound. Even fellow left-hander Joey Cantillo is lower. That's what the initial thoughts on Clemmey are, and you can't really blame anyone.

Any left-handed pitcher is going to raise eyebrows. A left-handed pitcher who is 6'6"? Eyebrows go a little higher. A left-handed pitcher who is 6'6" and was a second-round pick out of high school? Okay, definitely something to watch. Now, the first outing wasn't the best for Clemmey with Lynchburg, picking up the loss in the start and was chased from the game after just 3.1 innings while giving up five runs on four hits and four walks. He did strikeout five, for what it's worth.

With Clemmey, this is more of a wait-and-see approach. On paper, he should be a clear top prospect to follow. The first outing wasn't great, but maybe that was nerves. Either way, he's a name to follow, especially in Cleveland's pitching factory.