@ZackMeisel
Up: George Valera, Jhonkensy Noel, Zak Kent
Down: Will Wilson
Valera batting 7th at DH.
Re: Minor Matters
13863Correct. And he followed up with a fairly unimpressive short season after his recovery. I doubt they protect him, but I'd be happy to see him look so good in September that feel compelled to.
Re: Minor Matters
13864John Means (SP, Columbus): 4.0 IP, 2 H, R, 0 ER, 2 BBs, 4 Ks, HBP, E1T - The run on Means’ ledger was unearned, but came on the throwing error from the pitcher himself. There was traffic, but velocities and spin rates were up on all pitches and he did not give up much loud contact after three homeruns in his most recent rehab appearance.
HIGHLIGHTS
Jaison Chourio (DH, Lake County): 4-for-6, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBIs - A mammoth three-run homerun put an exclamation point on a game where everything went right for the Captains. In total, Chourio had 4-of-19 hits for Lake County, his second four-hit performance this month alone. 13 of Chourio’s 24 RBIs on the season came in the month of August.
Khalil Watson (LF, Columbus): 3-for-5, 3 R, 2B, SB - Watson extended his on-base streak to nine games in a row with a 3-for-5 effort that featured a double as well as a stolen base. He was able to put himself into scoring position himself and scored a team-high three times in the loss.
Jose Devers (SS, Lake County): 3-for-6, 2 R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBIs, DP - The second year in Lake County paid off for Devers in his 35th double, a total that breaks the organization’s record for most in a single season. The right-handed hitting middle infielder also was a homerun away from hitting for the cycle and his six total bases is the most for Devers since July 2 at Dayton.
Ryan Cesarini (RF, Lake County): 3-for-5, 3 R, SB, OF assist, DP - Cesarini did not have an extra-base hit, but his constant presence on base paid off for three runs scored and the 22-year-old continued his hot streak since joining the Lake County roster on August 4th. He is now 24-of-78 (.308) with eight extra-base hits for the Captains.
Logan McGuire (RP, Lynchburg): W (8-4), 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 4 Ks - McGuire absolutely shut down an opposing offense that had just put up a pair of runs to take the lead in the fifth. He retired all nine batters he faced and got a strikeout on the most recent number one overall pick, Eli Willits to start the seventh. McGuire has not allowed a baserunner is his last seven innings pitched (all versus Fredericksburg).
Anthony Silva (SS, Lynchburg): 2-for-4, 2 RBIs, DP - Silva drove in the first run of the game on his single in the sixth and then the go-ahead run scored in the eighth via an RBI single as well. It is the first professional multi-hit game and the first game with multiple RBIs for the TCU product.
Johnathan Rodriguez (RF, Columbus): 3-for-5, R, 2B, E9F - Rodriguez has now reached base in eight straight games and recorded an extra-base hit for the third consecutive contest.
Dayan Frias (1B, Columbus): 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBIs - For the first time in his 31 games as a Clipper, Frias left the yard with a 405-foot homerun hit at 105 mph off the bat. It was his first multi-hit game since August 2 as well.
Alfonsin Rosario (DH, Akron): 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI - The RubberDucks had six hits in the series finale, but five of them went for extra bases, including two from Rosario. He has not put together consistent performances yet, but the 21-year-old has four homeruns in 22 games in Double-A thus far.
Cameron Barstad (C, Akron): 2-for-4, 2B - A .254 month of August for the 24-year-old backstop is by far a season-high and he capped it off with a multi-hit game.
Rafe Schlesinger (SP, Lake County): W (1-1), 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BBs, 7 Ks, WP - The 22-year-old left-hander recorded his first win in Lake County behind a new career-long 5.2 innings pitched. Schlesinger did a good job of working around contact with the help of seven strikeouts and this was his first High-A game with no free passes - a key element to getting deep into games.
Maick Collado (1B, Lake County): 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 DPs - Collado provided support from the bottom half of the order and tallied three singles in the victory. Collado had a great bounce back month of August by batting .293 for the month (22-for-75).
Nick Mitchell (CF, Lake County): 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, 2 BBs, SB - Mitchell has a hit in each of his last nine games and reached base four times thanks to two hits and two walks. The lead-off man started the game with a single and drove in a run in the second with a double.
Jacob Zibin (SP, Lynchburg): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BBs, 4 Ks, E1F - A two-run homerun in the fifth spoiled what was otherwise shutout baseball from the 20-year-old, but he tied a career-high by completing five innings on the bump.
Cam Schuelke (RP, Lynchburg): S (2), 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K, Timer Violation - The former Mississippi State University alum locked down his second save of 2025 after he faced the game’s tying run in the ninth and worked around a one-out walk.
Cannon Peebles (C, Lynchburg): 2-for-4, R, SB - The 2025 17th round selection now has a hit in each of his first four games of his professional career.
HIGHLIGHTS
Jaison Chourio (DH, Lake County): 4-for-6, R, 2B, HR, 3 RBIs - A mammoth three-run homerun put an exclamation point on a game where everything went right for the Captains. In total, Chourio had 4-of-19 hits for Lake County, his second four-hit performance this month alone. 13 of Chourio’s 24 RBIs on the season came in the month of August.
Khalil Watson (LF, Columbus): 3-for-5, 3 R, 2B, SB - Watson extended his on-base streak to nine games in a row with a 3-for-5 effort that featured a double as well as a stolen base. He was able to put himself into scoring position himself and scored a team-high three times in the loss.
Jose Devers (SS, Lake County): 3-for-6, 2 R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBIs, DP - The second year in Lake County paid off for Devers in his 35th double, a total that breaks the organization’s record for most in a single season. The right-handed hitting middle infielder also was a homerun away from hitting for the cycle and his six total bases is the most for Devers since July 2 at Dayton.
Ryan Cesarini (RF, Lake County): 3-for-5, 3 R, SB, OF assist, DP - Cesarini did not have an extra-base hit, but his constant presence on base paid off for three runs scored and the 22-year-old continued his hot streak since joining the Lake County roster on August 4th. He is now 24-of-78 (.308) with eight extra-base hits for the Captains.
Logan McGuire (RP, Lynchburg): W (8-4), 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 4 Ks - McGuire absolutely shut down an opposing offense that had just put up a pair of runs to take the lead in the fifth. He retired all nine batters he faced and got a strikeout on the most recent number one overall pick, Eli Willits to start the seventh. McGuire has not allowed a baserunner is his last seven innings pitched (all versus Fredericksburg).
Anthony Silva (SS, Lynchburg): 2-for-4, 2 RBIs, DP - Silva drove in the first run of the game on his single in the sixth and then the go-ahead run scored in the eighth via an RBI single as well. It is the first professional multi-hit game and the first game with multiple RBIs for the TCU product.
Johnathan Rodriguez (RF, Columbus): 3-for-5, R, 2B, E9F - Rodriguez has now reached base in eight straight games and recorded an extra-base hit for the third consecutive contest.
Dayan Frias (1B, Columbus): 2-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBIs - For the first time in his 31 games as a Clipper, Frias left the yard with a 405-foot homerun hit at 105 mph off the bat. It was his first multi-hit game since August 2 as well.
Alfonsin Rosario (DH, Akron): 2-for-4, R, 2B, HR, RBI - The RubberDucks had six hits in the series finale, but five of them went for extra bases, including two from Rosario. He has not put together consistent performances yet, but the 21-year-old has four homeruns in 22 games in Double-A thus far.
Cameron Barstad (C, Akron): 2-for-4, 2B - A .254 month of August for the 24-year-old backstop is by far a season-high and he capped it off with a multi-hit game.
Rafe Schlesinger (SP, Lake County): W (1-1), 5.2 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 0 BBs, 7 Ks, WP - The 22-year-old left-hander recorded his first win in Lake County behind a new career-long 5.2 innings pitched. Schlesinger did a good job of working around contact with the help of seven strikeouts and this was his first High-A game with no free passes - a key element to getting deep into games.
Maick Collado (1B, Lake County): 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 DPs - Collado provided support from the bottom half of the order and tallied three singles in the victory. Collado had a great bounce back month of August by batting .293 for the month (22-for-75).
Nick Mitchell (CF, Lake County): 2-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, 2 BBs, SB - Mitchell has a hit in each of his last nine games and reached base four times thanks to two hits and two walks. The lead-off man started the game with a single and drove in a run in the second with a double.
Jacob Zibin (SP, Lynchburg): 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 BBs, 4 Ks, E1F - A two-run homerun in the fifth spoiled what was otherwise shutout baseball from the 20-year-old, but he tied a career-high by completing five innings on the bump.
Cam Schuelke (RP, Lynchburg): S (2), 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, BB, K, Timer Violation - The former Mississippi State University alum locked down his second save of 2025 after he faced the game’s tying run in the ninth and worked around a one-out walk.
Cannon Peebles (C, Lynchburg): 2-for-4, R, SB - The 2025 17th round selection now has a hit in each of his first four games of his professional career.
Re: Minor Matters
13865With the Clippers short two OFs promoted to Cleveland, I expect Joe Lampe to get another shut in Columbus. Esteban Gonzalez seems the most logical bump up from Lake County to Akron. I'd consider newly drafted Nate Schubert to get a shot at High A after a stellar couple weeks in Lynchburg.
Re: Minor Matters
13866Joey Oakie ends the season in spectacular fashion.
Recall that last week his performance was 5 no hit innings with 11 strikeouts but 4 walks.
Yesterday he arguably outdid that: 4 2/3 1 hit innings with 11 strikeouts again and only 1 walk.
He made the "Helium Prospect of the Day" at BA which noted his exceptional fastball and slider.
Oakie and Doughty with fine conclusions to their debut seasons [excepting Doughty's shoulder inflammation] should be ranked our top 2 pitching prospects with exciting 2026 and beyond ahead of them.,
Recall that last week his performance was 5 no hit innings with 11 strikeouts but 4 walks.
Yesterday he arguably outdid that: 4 2/3 1 hit innings with 11 strikeouts again and only 1 walk.
He made the "Helium Prospect of the Day" at BA which noted his exceptional fastball and slider.
Oakie and Doughty with fine conclusions to their debut seasons [excepting Doughty's shoulder inflammation] should be ranked our top 2 pitching prospects with exciting 2026 and beyond ahead of them.,
Re: Minor Matters
13867Scouting notebook: Joey Oakie is a rising star for Cleveland, plus more prospect notes
Ankeny Centennial pitcher Joey Oakie, warms up his arm at practice, Wednesday, April 19, 2023.
Oakie2 Jpg
By Keith Law
Sept. 4, 2025Updated 1:58 pm EDT
21
Right-hander Joey Oakie was the Cleveland Guardians’ third-round pick in 2024 out of Ankeny Centennial High School in Iowa. An Iowa commit, he signed for an over-slot bonus of $2 million to go pro. He started this year in the Arizona Complex League, with a couple of rough outings when their season began in early May, but he’s improved significantly as the season has gone on, especially since an August promotion to Low-A Lynchburg. His outing on Wednesday night at Delmarva was his second straight with 11 strikeouts, giving him a composite line over two starts of 9 2/3 innings, 22 strikeouts, five walks and just one hit allowed.
I was at that start and Oakie topped out at 99, which a team source told me he’s been hitting for several starts now. He worked at 94-98 throughout his outing, going almost exclusively fastball/slider with just a pair of changeups. The fastball is a four-seamer with life through the zone, while the slider was 84-88 and flashed plus when he finished it out front. He’s confident in the breaking ball, throwing it in or out of the zone, backdooring it to lefties, going down and away or just away as a chase pitch to righties.
Oakie started out the game using close to a three-quarters arm slot, but in the fourth inning his arm started to drift downward and by the fifth, he was clearly lower, getting more on the side of the slider and losing a little command. There’s always some effort in throwing this hard, but he doesn’t show it much in the delivery, even with a long path for his arm from separation to release.
He has 45 (on the 20-80 traditional scouting scale) control or so, as he’s getting away with some stuff because hitters can’t hit either of his two pitches — quite literally, as he gave up his first hit to the second-to-last batter he faced in this outing. About the only bad thing I could say about Oakie is that one inning he forgot how many outs there were and tried to walk off the field after out No. 2. He’s electric and it’s a starter look already, assuming he builds up some stamina with age and experience.
Ankeny Centennial pitcher Joey Oakie, warms up his arm at practice, Wednesday, April 19, 2023.
Oakie2 Jpg
By Keith Law
Sept. 4, 2025Updated 1:58 pm EDT
21
Right-hander Joey Oakie was the Cleveland Guardians’ third-round pick in 2024 out of Ankeny Centennial High School in Iowa. An Iowa commit, he signed for an over-slot bonus of $2 million to go pro. He started this year in the Arizona Complex League, with a couple of rough outings when their season began in early May, but he’s improved significantly as the season has gone on, especially since an August promotion to Low-A Lynchburg. His outing on Wednesday night at Delmarva was his second straight with 11 strikeouts, giving him a composite line over two starts of 9 2/3 innings, 22 strikeouts, five walks and just one hit allowed.
I was at that start and Oakie topped out at 99, which a team source told me he’s been hitting for several starts now. He worked at 94-98 throughout his outing, going almost exclusively fastball/slider with just a pair of changeups. The fastball is a four-seamer with life through the zone, while the slider was 84-88 and flashed plus when he finished it out front. He’s confident in the breaking ball, throwing it in or out of the zone, backdooring it to lefties, going down and away or just away as a chase pitch to righties.
Oakie started out the game using close to a three-quarters arm slot, but in the fourth inning his arm started to drift downward and by the fifth, he was clearly lower, getting more on the side of the slider and losing a little command. There’s always some effort in throwing this hard, but he doesn’t show it much in the delivery, even with a long path for his arm from separation to release.
He has 45 (on the 20-80 traditional scouting scale) control or so, as he’s getting away with some stuff because hitters can’t hit either of his two pitches — quite literally, as he gave up his first hit to the second-to-last batter he faced in this outing. About the only bad thing I could say about Oakie is that one inning he forgot how many outs there were and tried to walk off the field after out No. 2. He’s electric and it’s a starter look already, assuming he builds up some stamina with age and experience.
Re: Minor Matters
13868Sounds great. Doughty too had an excellent finish, of a different sort with I think 1 walk total in his last 3 or 4 starts. The 3rd of last year's high school pitchers signed for big bucks, Chase Mobley, hasn't found his form yet.
This group reminds of a batch of kid pitchers we drafted at the top of the draft, it must be 20 years ago by now, and none wound up making a splash. Names I recall are Dan Denham, 1st round; JC Martin, 2nd I think, who got a bit of time in with Washington, Travis Foley, a couple more. Let's hope for more success from this batch.
This group reminds of a batch of kid pitchers we drafted at the top of the draft, it must be 20 years ago by now, and none wound up making a splash. Names I recall are Dan Denham, 1st round; JC Martin, 2nd I think, who got a bit of time in with Washington, Travis Foley, a couple more. Let's hope for more success from this batch.
Re: Minor Matters
13869BASEBALL AMERICA LISTS BOUNCEBACK PROSPECTS FOR EACH TEAM FOR 2026
Cleveland Guardians
Jaison Chourio, OF
After a breakout 2024 season that included winning Cleveland’s Minor League Player of the Year, Chourio entered 2025 with newfound expectations. He rocketed up the Guardians’ Top 30 Prospects and was even in the conversation for the org’s overall No. 1 prospect. Even in spring training, scouts were impressed after Chourio arrived looking much stronger. The 20-year-old switch-hitting center fielder never got on track this year and slashed .233/.376/.284 through 76 games for High-A Lake County. Chourio missed three weeks with a shoulder strain early in the season, so perhaps that’s partly to blame for the surprising lack of slug. His under-the-hood data paints a slightly more encouraging picture. But Chourio will need to find a way to elevate and impact more pitches in 2026 to better accentuate his exceptional zone control and solid bat-to-ball skills. (MC)
Cleveland Guardians
Jaison Chourio, OF
After a breakout 2024 season that included winning Cleveland’s Minor League Player of the Year, Chourio entered 2025 with newfound expectations. He rocketed up the Guardians’ Top 30 Prospects and was even in the conversation for the org’s overall No. 1 prospect. Even in spring training, scouts were impressed after Chourio arrived looking much stronger. The 20-year-old switch-hitting center fielder never got on track this year and slashed .233/.376/.284 through 76 games for High-A Lake County. Chourio missed three weeks with a shoulder strain early in the season, so perhaps that’s partly to blame for the surprising lack of slug. His under-the-hood data paints a slightly more encouraging picture. But Chourio will need to find a way to elevate and impact more pitches in 2026 to better accentuate his exceptional zone control and solid bat-to-ball skills. (MC)