Cleveland Sports Forum

MLB.com take on DeLauter:

The Guardians certainly could use some more powerful outfield bats in their system, and they made that their top priority heading into the 2022 MLB Draft.

On Sunday night, the club selected 20-year-old outfielder Chase DeLauter with its first-round pick (16th overall) of the MLB Draft. DeLauter becomes the first player from James Madison University to be selected in the first round.

• Draft Tracker: Complete pick-by-pick coverage

“I think what stands out is his ability to leverage the ball,” Guardians director of amateur scouting Scott Barnsby said. “I think some of the things that stand out to our group are his pitch recognition, his strike zone awareness, and so not only does he have really good bat-to-ball, but he can impact the ball to all fields. … We honestly feel like he’s just scratching the surface.”

The flashiest tool DeLauter boasts is his power. He had 15 homers in 66 games during his three-year tenure with James Madison. DeLauter hit .382 in 16 games in 2020 in his freshman season and returned in his redshirt freshman season in ’21 to slash .386/.508/.723 in 26 games.

Here’s what our experts with MLB Pipeline had to say: “Some might question the length in his swing path, and some scouts point to being overmatched against Florida State to start the season as proof that it won’t work against better pitching, but he had no problem getting to his power with wood on the Cape, and the fact he has more walks than strikeouts in his career points to a solid approach.”

• 2022 Draft Central

The 6-foot-4, 235-pound outfielder has relatively decent speed, which has helped him continue to get time in center field, however MLB Pipeline reported that most see a move to a corner spot in the future. Even though DeLauter was also a pitcher in college (averaging between 90-92 mph with his heater), expect to eventually see him move over to that right-field spot.

“He’s extremely athletic,” Barnsby said. “Feel good about his abilty to play center field, but he also has the arm strength. … He came in as a two-way player as well, so he’s got some carry to his throws. So, obviously you can play him in right field, but he’s athletic enough to move around the outfield.”
DeLauter was off to yet another hot start with James Madison this season, hitting .437 with a 1.404 OPS in 24 games when his season was halted after breaking his foot in April while sliding into second base and underwent surgery on April 12.

“We actually had an opportunity to meet with him at the combine,” Barnsby said. “He told us that he was 95% of the way there, and the other 5% was just mental. We actually had a workout just before the draft … and at that point, he said, ‘Hey, I’m 100%.’ So, yeah, we feel really good about it.”

RHP Justin Campbell selected at No. 37 out of Oklahoma State
The Guardians’ first day of the MLB Draft continued with a Competitive Balance Round A selection of Campbell out of Oklahoma State University. The 6-foot-7-inch, 219-pound hurler had a 3.37 ERA in 35 games (33 starts) in three collegiate seasons, finishing with the seventh-most strikeouts in school history (265).
“It’s a big body,” Barnsby said. “He moves extremely well. The coordination, how he uses his lower half, the timing, the way syncs up his delivery, but what’s also exciting there is he continues to develop physically.”
Campbell was selected in the 18th round of the 2019 MLB Draft by the Astros out of a California high school. He opted to attend Oklahoma State University and served as a two-way player until this season, when he decided to focus on pitching. Campbell has a heater that sits around 92 mph and can touch 97 mph that pairs with a solid changeup and a mid-70s curveball.

Here’s what our experts at MLB Pipeline had to say about Campbell: “Extremely athletic for his size, he provides plenty of strikes and can win on days that he lacks his best stuff. He’s a high-floor starter with a good probability of filling a No. 4 slot in a rotation.”

LHP Parker Messick selected at No. 54 out of Florida State
As long as the Guardians are targeting collegiate players, they decided to add one more before the end of the first night of the Draft. With their second-round pick (54th overall), the Guardians selected lefty hurler Messick out of Florida State University. After having limited experience out of the Seminoles’ bullpen in a pandemic-shortened season in 2020, Messick came back with a vengeance in ’21, earning the Friday night starter role and pitching to a 3.10 ERA with a 12.6 strikeouts per nine innings ratio.
After pitching for Team USA last summer, Messick returned for his ’22 season with the Seminoles and owned a 3.38 ERA with 144 strikeouts in 98 2/3 frames and a 0.973 WHIP. Messick has a four-pitch mix with a heater that averages 91 mph and can reach 95 mph, a low-80s changeup (his best secondary offering, according to MLB Pipeline), a curveball and slider.

“It’s an easy average fastball,” Barnsby said. “He can go back and get 95 [mph] when he wants it. He’s got an advanced feel for a changeup that he neutralizes lefties and righties with two different breaking balls, pounds the strike zone, extremely competitive.

“All of these guys we got, we feel really good not only about the player, about the makeup, but more importantly, we feel really good about the work that was put into it by our area scouts and our entire staff.”

BA on Campbell

The California native burst on the scene as a true freshman for the Cowboys in 2020. With the 2020 season shortened due to Covid, Campbell turned in an impressive sophomore campaign, posting a 2.57 ERA over 84 innings while striking out 102 batters and walking 27. After pitching with USA Baseball’s collegiate national team during the summer, expectations were high for Campbell this spring, pitching on an Oklahoma State team with Omaha potential. Campbell lived up to the hype and then some, topping his numbers from 2021 141 strikeouts in 101.1 innings, with once again a low walk total at just 25.. With his lanky, loose athleticism, Campbell’s delivery will remind some of Orioles Hall of Famer Jim Palmer. Efficient in his motion, the effortless, loose-armed righty releases the ball from a high, three-quarter slot producing life on a 90-93 mph fastball that can touch a 94 or 95 on occasion. The jump out of the hand with his fastball collects its fair share of swing and misses up in the zone and demonstrates late running action when Campbell attacks the outer rail to lefthanded hitters. Complementing Campbell’s fastball is his above average curveball with tight 1-to7 break. Typically in the 75-78 mph range, Campbell’s bender comes at any time in the count, as he can backdoor it as well as bury in the dirt to get the punchout. Campbell will also show the righthanded hitter an 80-82 mph slider, more or less to mess with the opponent to keep them from timing his curve. Topping off Campbell’s repertoire may perhaps be one of the best changeups in this year’s draft. With any plus changeup, Campbell sells it extremely well with fastball arm speed and maintains his slot. The late diving action that occurs prior to a fooled swing is just another element of the pitch that makes it near impossible to square up when executed. His overall command and feel for the craft, mixed in with his high-level competitive nature should move Campbell to the upper minor league levels rather quickly. His ability to adapt and adjust when need be allows him to project as a middle or back of the rotation starter.

No reason to assume really that we have drafted another Brad Zimmer but I think a worry could be that the organization is great at developing pitchers and maybe ditto with infielders but has failed to turn OF prospects into big league stars. Then again every player is different.
Naquin got hurt a lot and maybe has finally become a mediocre major leaguer on a bad team
Zimmer has never adequately adjusted.
Frazier suffered a bad concussion and is apparently a bit weird
Benson may turn out to a decent big leaguer who took a long time to get there.
And of course a lesser prospect, Kwan, has made it to the majors because he seems to be smart and knows how to adjust.
So maybe yet another 5 tool OF will this time become a good one.

More Keith Law:

Cleveland Guardians
Shocking absolutely no one, Cleveland took a player who was young for his level and had strong metrics in James Madison outfielder Chase Delauter (1), who won’t turn 21 until October. Delauter raked on the Cape and was off to a good start this spring, but suffered a concussion and then broke his foot, ending his season in early April. He opens his hips up too early and can cheat to get to fastballs, leaving him vulnerable to soft stuff away. Cleveland is one of the teams most likely to ignore mechanical concerns, and weigh performance and metrics more heavily in its model. Oklahoma State right-hander Justin Campbell (1A) has a fringy fastball at 90-92 mph, but throws a ton of strikes and has a plus changeup, which might be enough to get him by even without big velocity. His curveball is more solid-average and his delivery is deceptive, helping his chances. We’ll have to see how the fastball holds up when he’s throwing every fifth day.

In a small bit of irony, the Guardians took Florida State lefty Parker Messick (2), and I’m sure the two will have an awkward greeting at mini-camp given how bad Messick made Delauter look when they squared off in late February. (I’m kidding about the awkward part.) Messick has a plus changeup and some positive characteristics to his fastball that get more swings and misses than you’d expect from 90-91 mph. He has a ton of deception, throws a sweepy slider to help get lefties out, but has a bad body with no projection. He’s a starter but more likely a back-end one. Outfielder Joe Lampe (3) is a slap-hitting centerfielder from Arizona State who very rarely misses pitches in the zone and projects to stay in center. He puts the ball on the ground quite a bit thanks to the shape of his swing, but there might be more extra-base power there if the Guardians can help him get more loft in his swing.

Nate Furman (4) is a 5-8 draft-eligible sophomore who never strikes out but has no power and is limited to second or third base. His swing is very short and he gets on top of the ball a bit because of the way his hands follow his hips, pulling the bat head upward at the end of his swing. This seems like a reach given his limited upside. Belmont centerfielder Guy Lipscomb Jr. (5) strikes out even less than Furman, and also has very little power. He’s an above-average runner and extremely slight of build, making it hard to project more power going forward. He’s also a draft-eligible sophomore. Right-hander Dylan DeLucia (6) is a 22-year-old junior and should be a money-saver; he can show three fringe-average pitches with good control and is a solid organizational depth starter who might end up a middle reliever at best.

Right-hander Javier Santos (7) has been up to 99 mph with some depth on a breaking ball, while the fastball might be too true and he hasn’t shown a third pitch yet. He’s a 6-foot right-hander without physical projection but is also less developed than most high school draftees because he grew up in the Dominican Republic and has less game experience. Right-hander Jackson Humphries (8) walked more than a man every other inning as a high school pitcher and had injury trouble as an amateur; he’s got average velocity without projection. He’s committed to Campbell. Right-hander Jacob Zibin (10) is Canadian but pitched for a high school in Florida this year, sitting 92-95 mph without much effort while showing a solid-average changeup. It’s not an especially projectable frame. He’s only 17.5, born in January 2005, and Cleveland loves that in a player. Its whole draft feels like how you might choose players if you never saw them in person.

I think this is supposed to be insulting?

Its whole draft feels like how you might choose players if you never saw them in person.

Other than Brad Zimmer in the first round it looks like not one of the position players has any power. If there's one thing Cleveland will regularly lead organized baseball at levels in is the ratio of Walks taken by our hitters to Walks allowed by our pitchers.

if there's one thing I never like in the draft is an infielder who's already a 2nd baseman in college. Nearly all actual big league 2B started at SS or 3B but didn't have quite enough range or arm strength to stay.
it's almost as bad as an amateur 1B with power and no other sills

I hope that someone else in the know likes the draft better than Law [or than me]

Keith Law thinks Cleveland's picks were stupid; Jim Callis rates them the 5th best class

5. Guardians
James Madison outfielder Chase DeLauter (first) had the best combination of tools, plate discipline and performance among college hitters, yet Cleveland was able to snag him at No. 16. The Guardians excel at enhancing refined college arms, and they grabbed three in Oklahoma State right-hander Justin Campbell (supplemental first), Florida State left-hander Parker Messick (second) and Mississippi righty Dylan DeLucia (sixth). DeLucia won Most Outstanding Player honors at the College World Series. They also added several premier contact hitters, starting with high-energy Arizona State outfielder Joe Lampe (third), and a pair of real talent values in high school arms Jackson Humphries (eighth) and Jacob Zibin (10th).

Jim Callis at mlb.com lists 10 candidates from this year's draft to be among the first to the majors; and although Keith Law thinks our draftees are garbage, Callis disagrees; 2 of his 10 are our 2nd and 3rd picks:

Justin Campbell, RHP, Guardians (supplemental first)
A two-way star at Oklahoma State before focusing on pitching this season, Campbell has a 6-foot-7 frame and unusual angle that provide deception. Working with a high-spin fastball that sits at 92 mph and touches 97, not to mention a pair of solid secondary options in his fading changeup and curveball, he ranked seventh in D-I with 141 strikeouts in 101 1/3 innings.


Parker Messick, LHP, Guardians (second)
The Guardians do an excellent job of maximizing the talents of polished college arms, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see two Cleveland picks from that phylum on this list. Messick pounds the zone with four pitches, including a plus changeup with tumble and a low-90s fastball with carry, and he notched 144 strikeouts in 98 2/3 innings at Florida State.

Guardians Prospective
@CleGuardPro
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6h
The Cleveland #Guardians entire 2022 MLB Draft Class all 21 players will be signing on Saturday out at the organizations Goodyear Development Complex.

https://twitter.com/CleGuardPro/status/ ... 2204569601

last summer after they all signed only a few played in Arizona and just a couple of the pitchers. last year they were nearly all college guys who'd had a full season of work. We'll see what happens this time around

2022 Cleveland Guardians draft: Meet 19th-round pick Geo Rivera, Jr.

by Anthony Alandt19 minutes ago Follow @anthonyalandt

Geo Rivera, Jr. is no stranger to the personnel within the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Sure, he hardly spoke to the Guardians before the 2022 MLB Draft; a phone call and a few text messages with the area scout was the extent of the back and forth. But Rivera was excited to be picked up by Cleveland. He’s friends with Lake County Captains’ pitcher Lenny Torres and Guardians ace Triston McKenzie. Rivera’s cousins went to Beacon High School with Torres, and the new draftee and McKenzie participated in winter training at Cressey Sports Performance in Florida.

The Guardians made Rivera their 19th-round draft pick during this year’s draft, making him the 571st selection off the board. A dominant starter for Walters State Community College, Rivera finished his 2022 season with one complete game, 15 relief appearances and five saves through 20 overall outings. He also struck out 89 batters across 58.1 innings and only allowed 15 walks.

This summer, he participated in the MLB Draft League for the Frederick Keys, tossing 13 innings and striking out 12 in that time. While he is committed to Oregon State for 2023, he said that he is expecting to officially sign a contract with the Guardians this weekend and is currently settling in with the organization with the rest of the new draftees.

“I was just really excited, and it was just surreal,” Rivera said of getting drafted. “It was a crazy moment.”



Rivera began his baseball journey at the age of four. He used to watch his older brother, Mark, at the baseball fields in Kiln Creek Park, a small area on the Eastern edge of Virginia near the ocean. Rivera’s father was also a member of a wooden bat league at the time, so Rivera grew up around baseball, fostering his love of the game.

That simple start, hanging on a chain link fence in a little corner of Virginia, eventually led Rivera to Old Dominion as a pitcher, then Walters State, then a small room off the main hallway at a JW Marriott where this year’s draft was held. His family and advisor, Michael Zimmerman of Aces Inc., could peer slightly out of the room to catch glimpses of the live draft as it was unfolding.

Cleveland called Zimmerman, who subsequently told Rivera that the Guardians, a team “lightly on (his) radar” had drafted him. The 6-foot-3, 260-pound right hander who’s self-described go-to pitch is his four-seam fastball was excited to join a loaded Guardians organization known for developing arms.

“It was a great opportunity because I knew how well they develop pitchers in the organization,” Rivera said. “I knew it’d be a really good spot for me.”

Rivera said that his slider, complementing his fastball, is his go-to putaway pitch thus far, allowing him to attack batters with either three – sometimes four – of his pitches at any point in the count. Still, despite an aggressive approach to pitching, he’s allowed just two home runs since he started college. His weakness, though, is that sometimes the game can speed up on him. He said he starts overthinking about, say, the next pitch, which typically ends in leaving a pitch over the plate.

But after a difficult stretch with Old Dominion, Rivera’s numbers drastically improved. He maintained his microscopic ERA and sizable chunk of strikeouts when he moved from WSCC to the MLB Draft League, demonstrating his first true jump in his young career.




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So they signed everyone, I believe, yesterday. They cut a bunch of deals for under slot value to pay 3rd round money to 10th round pick pitcher Jacob Zibin from TNXL Academy in Ocoee, for $1.2M.