MLB Pipeline ranks Cleveland Guardians' farm system fourth-best in baseball

It's been known for a while now around baseball that the Cleveland Guardians have one of the best farm systems in the game.

Whether or not that translates to sustained major-league success remains to be seen, but it certainly didn't hurt in 2022, when the Guardians were able to call upon 17 players to make their major-league debut en route to an AL Central title. That mark matched the club record for rookie debuts, set all the way back in 1912 and matched again in 1914.

And to start the 2023 season, MLB Pipeline has pegged Cleveland with the fourth-best organization, behind the Baltimore Orioles, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Arizona Diamondbacks.

Earlier this year, MLB Pipeline also released its updated list of the top 100 prospects in baseball, and Cleveland had seven names on the list, which included righty Daniel Espino (#16), righty Gavin Williams (#42), outfielder George Valera (#51), catcher Bo Naylor (#64), righty Tanner Bibee (#65), infielder Brayan Rocchio (#75), and outfielder Chase DeLauter (#82).

That number of prospects tied them with the Orioles - a team certainly on the rise - and Dodgers, who exist in the fantasy world of having a loaded farm system and an unlimited payroll.

So while prospects are just that - prospects - and nothing is ever guaranteed, it's never a bad thing to see one's team represented all over lists like these. That's how you build long-term success in this game, and the Guardians have firmly put themselves in a position to take advantage.