Cleveland Sports Forum

some hightlights of the last few days:

Monday
Lynchburg
Jake Fox 3 hits; Isaiah Greene 2

Lake County
Angle Martinez homer and single
Gabe Rodriguez homer
Petey Halpin single and double
Jack Leftwich promoted debuts a gem: 6 1/3 1 0 0 2 4

Columbus:
half way through ,Benson with a single and double and avg tops 250 OPS tops 880
Tully 6 2 0 0 3 4

Akron posponed

Sunday
Benson single and double
Brennan two singles
in Akron Gavin Williams is sharp 6 2/3 4 1 0 0 6
Valera triple and walk

Saturday
Rocchio Single Double Homer
Noel 2 homers
AAA Battenfileld 6 9 3 2 1 7
Naylor double up to 333
Friday
Xzavion Curry AAA debut 5 5 2 1 9

Saturday, Lake County
Rodney Boone 7 3 0 0 2 7

Hot Sheet Candidates:

Bo Naylor in the past week: 11 for 23, 4 doubles, homer 7 walks 3 strikeouts 478/600/783
Will Benson in same period: 10 for 25, 3 doubles, 9 walks! 5 strikeouts 400/559/520

Will the Guardians accelerate Bo's promotion? Historically not since they especially like catchers to develop but Lavastida made it onto the 40 man roster and to the majors with limited experience. Bo's only 22

If Benson hit right handed he'd be up by now, but he and Will Brennan are both lefties as are Kwan and Palacios

Cleveland Guardians
Released: RHP Kevin Coulter | RHP Jared Janczak | LHP Ben Krauth | SS Victor Nova | OF Jonathan Engelmann
Traded: For C Sandy Leon from Reds

I remember we had a Krauth fan here.
Nova was the final piece of the Bauer deal along with Logan Allen Sr and Scott Moss, lefties, both gone; Puig gone; and Reyes.

monday games

CLE AAA #1 Tyler Freeman, SS 5 0 0 0 0.261
CLE MAJ #5 Gabriel Arias, SS 2 0 0 0 0.188 BB (6),
CLE HiA #10 Angel Martinez, SS 4 1 2 1 0.273 HR (6),
CLE MAJ #13 Richard Palacios, 2B 1 0 0 0 0.258
CLE MAJ #13 Richard Palacios, 2B 2 0 1 0 0.258
CLE HiA #18 Gabriel Rodriguez, 3B 4 1 1 2 0.265 HR (7),
CLE HiA #22 Petey Halpin, OF 3 2 2 0 0.234 2B (9), BB (24),
CLE MAJ #24 Ernie Clement, 2B 2 0 0 0 0.186
CLE MAJ #27 Steven Kwan, OF 4 0 0 0 0.274
CLE MAJ #27 Steven Kwan, OF 4 0 1 0 0.274
CLE LoA #32 Isaiah Greene, OF 4 0 2 1 0.220 SB (13),
CLE HiA #33 Milan Tolentino, 2B 4 0 1 1 0.308 SB (12),
CLE LoA #38 Yordys Valdes, SS 3 0 1 0 0.262 BB (22),
CLE AAA #39 Will Brennan, OF 4 1 2 0 0.341 2B (25), BB (37), E (2),
CLE LoA #40 Jake Fox, SS 5 0 3 0 0.261

CLE MAJ #30 Konnor Pilkington, LHP 4.0 4 3 1 2 2 4.92
[it would be logical to update the top 40 and that would mean lines for Benson and Bibee and Dion would be reported]

Around the Cleveland Guardians’ farm system: 6 attention-grabbing prospects

GOODYEAR, ARIZONA - MARCH 22: George Valera #76 of the Cleveland Guardians poses during Photo Day at Goodyear Ballpark on March 22, 2022 in Goodyear, Arizona. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel
6h ago
20

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Guardians assistant general manager James Harris owns a 48-acre avocado farm outside San Diego. He hopes, though, that it will become as prosperous as the other farm he oversees.

Several front office members insist this is the healthiest Cleveland’s farm system has been in a long time.

“We have depth — position players, starting pitchers, pretty much any way you slice the pie,” said Rob Cerfolio, the director of player development.

On the pitching side, the organization is stocked with flourishing starting pitchers in A-ball and at Double-A Akron. Logan Allen and Xzavion Curry received promotions to Triple-A Columbus last week. Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams — “He’s been compared to Gerrit Cole in more ways than one,” Cerfolio said about the club’s 2021 first-round pick — got bumps to Akron. Jack Leftwich was boosted to High-A Lake County, and it would stand to reason that Will Dion, nicknamed “Baby Kershaw” because his delivery is a mirror image of Clayton Kershaw’s motion, won’t be far behind, given his 1.84 ERA in 15 starts.

A handful of position player prospects – Oscar Gonzalez, Steven Kwan, Richie Palacios, Bryan Lavastida and Gabriel Arias – have already debuted for the Guardians this season. There’s another wave on the way.

Here’s a closer look at six prospects who have seized attention in 2022.

Nolan Jones, OF

When will Nolan Jones get the call? (Kevin Langley / Cal Sport Media via Associated Press)
Jones was Cleveland’s top-ranked prospect for several years, an athletic, powerful third baseman in the making. He worked closely with former big-league defensive wizard John McDonald, who praised his instincts at the hot corner.

Then the pandemic wiped out the 2020 season, Jones suffered through what he described as a “humbling” 2021 campaign, injuries interfered with his development and he seemingly became an afterthought — to the public, at least. Members of the organization made an effort this winter and spring to remind Jones that no one internally had soured on him, and that he still has the ability that made him a highly touted prospect.

The message was well-received; Jones has excelled at Columbus since returning from a back injury, which followed a recovery from ankle surgery. He has posted a .314/.423/.512 slash line. That includes a 1.021 OPS against lefties. Last season, he logged nearly identical splits against lefties and righties. Before 2020, southpaws had given him fits.

Jones is no longer poised to play third base for Cleveland, though. That position belongs to José Ramírez. So, Jones has spent this season in right field. He made his first appearances in left field over the weekend. Those in the organization also believe he’ll eventually be able to handle first base. Aside from distancing himself from his injuries, there’s not much more for Jones to prove in the minors. At 24, with his pedigree and the way he’s performing — and given how desperately the Guardians could use a gifted outfield bat with Gonzalez sidelined — his call to the majors might not be far away.

Daniel Espino, SP
Espino is on a throwing program at the team’s facility in Arizona as he continues a deliberate recovery from knee and shoulder soreness. Once healthy, the organization’s top-ranked prospect — per MLB Pipeline, FanGraphs, Baseball America and anyone with functioning eyesight who has watched him overpower hitters with a 100 mph fastball and a wipeout slider — could factor into the big-league club’s rotation plans by next summer.

In four starts before he landed on the injured list, Espino struck out an absurd 51.5 percent of the poor, hapless, unassuming batters he faced. That’s 35 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings, including 11 in a row to begin one of his outings. Even more encouraging to the club’s evaluators: He had nearly sliced his walk rate in half compared to last season.

Now, that’s a small sample, and Espino will need to knock off some rust when he returns. His coaches and coordinators want to see him challenge hitters in the strike zone and accumulate more reps. Espino will always pile up strikeouts because of his arsenal, which Cerfolio described as “some of the best stuff on Planet Earth,” but if he can consistently throw strikes, that’ll translate as he climbs from level to level. Granted, as Cerfolio noted, “That’s nitpicking for someone who can do what he can do as a 21-year-old. It’s pretty exciting to think about what he can be.”

Espino, Cleveland’s first-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft out of high school, lost out on a 2020 season. To squeeze in more development, he took up meditation and yoga. The organization is enamored with his maturity and worth ethic. And here’s something you surely were dying to know: When he’s not making radar guns malfunction, Espino also plays piano.

George Valera, OF
Valera has become appointment viewing for many in the organization.

“I think people might want to start paying attention to that same degree,” Cerfolio said.

The front office has held numerous discussions about when the time might arrive to promote Valera to Columbus. At the moment, Jones, Will Brennan, Will Benson and Alex Call occupy the Clippers’ three outfield spots and the designated hitter role. So, for now, Valera is stuck at Akron, where he’s three years younger than the average Double-A player yet boasts a slash line of .284/.389/.514.

MLB Pipeline deems Valera the organization’s second-best prospect, and No. 38 in the game. The Athletic’s Keith Law slotted Valera second in the organization, behind shortstop Brayan Rocchio, before the season. Valera wields tons of power and racks up a ton of walks. His strikeout rate sits at 24.4 percent this season; he’ll want to keep that in check as he advances through the system. He has played all three outfield spots, but has spent the most time in right field.

Bo Naylor, C
Naylor endured a rough 2021 at the plate, with a .189/.280/.332 slash line in 87 games at Double A. Before this season, he worked with hitting coordinators Grant Fink and Josh Tubbs at the Arizona complex in what the organization dubs the “capture cage,” a hitting lab that gives coaches an opportunity to analyze every atom involved in a swing.

Naylor has fostered a new approach with Akron hitting coaches Junior Betances and Mike Mergenthaler, too, one that’s made him more patient and confident at the plate. The results: a sky-high walk rate, more hits and as many total bases as last season in about two-thirds of the games. Oh, and a promotion to Triple A and confirmation that, yes, Naylor can be the Guardians’ future at catcher.

“I wish I could bottle it up and give it to the other guys,” Harris said.

Naylor’s slash line this season between Akron and Columbus: .282/.429/.488. He has also stolen 12 bases and received plaudits for his defensive work.

Naylor’s 2021 walk rate: 10.4 percent
Naylor’s 2022 walk rate: 19.8 percent

Naylor’s 2021 strikeout rate: 31.5 percent
Naylor’s 2022 strikeout rate: 20.5 percent

Those numbers represent fundamental changes that should ultimately aid him in the majors, too. Guardians catchers have struggled mightily at the plate this season, and the position is wholly unsettled for 2023, as Austin Hedges and Sandy León are eligible for free agency and Luke Maile seems like a non-tender candidate.

Naylor taught himself Spanish so he could communicate better with teammates. During the pandemic, he started watching YouTube videos to learn the language and paid to take a course through one of the instructors. He and Triple-A teammate Xzavion Curry were everyday attendees at the organization’s optional Spanish classes during spring training. Peyton Battenfield and Tanner Burns were also regulars.

“We challenged him (at Double A) after skipping all of High A after the COVID year,” Cerfolio said. “We knew there would be some bumps in the road. He used that as fuel.”

Will Brennan, OF
If you don’t know much about Brennan, you aren’t alone. He wasn’t listed on Keith Law’s Cleveland top 20 or in the honorable mentions of his preseason rankings. Brennan is No. 29 on MLB Pipeline’s ranking of the organization’s top 30 prospects.

But, well, he boasts a .375 batting average for Columbus. Yeah, it might be time to take notice.

Consider the damage Brennan has done in 2022 …

Brennan at Akron: .311/.382/.504 slash line in 36 games, 17 walks, 16 strikeouts

Brennan at Columbus: .375/.452/.528 slash line in 34 games, 20 walks, 23 strikeouts

In all, that’s a .344/.418/.516 slash line with 13 stolen bases and nearly as many walks as strikeouts. So, who is this guy? Cleveland selected Brennan in the eighth round of the 2019 draft out of Kansas State. The team’s evaluators fawned over his elite contact skills, similar to another outfielder they drafted a year earlier named Steven Kwan. They encouraged Brennan to deliver more aggressive swings when it made sense to do so (often when ahead in the count), and the approach has paid dividends. Brennan’s seven home runs in 2022 match his total from the two previous seasons combined, and he has already amassed 25 doubles in 70 games this season.

Brennan, 24, has played mostly center field but can handle all three spots.

“He’s a name people should start paying attention to,” Cerfolio said.

Jhonkensy Noel, IF/OF
Noel is built like a mountain and, as of Sunday, he led all of minor-league baseball with 24 home runs.

“He hits balls further than anyone in our organization,” Cerfolio said.

So, how does the club ensure he doesn’t fall into the boom-or-bust type of profile that stunted Bobby Bradley’s major-league tenure? Noel logged a .340/.390/.615 slash line in A-ball last season, results that convinced the front office to add him to the 40-man roster and protect him from selection in a Rule 5 draft that ultimately never took place.

This season, Noel’s strikeout rate has soared (from 21.4 percent to 30 percent) and his on-base percentage has plunged (from .390 to .304). So, a lot of the club’s instruction with him revolves around making contact and proper swing decisions, a similar program it deployed with Gonzalez. It was working for Gonzalez, who trimmed his strikeout rate at Triple A from 24.9 percent in 2021 to 14.3 percent in 2022, which led to a promotion to the majors.

Noel recently received a promotion to Double A — a decision the organization contemplated for several weeks — where he promptly socked five homers in his first five games, including consecutive games with two homers. His natural position is third base, and he still takes reps there and at first, but the team has shifted him to the corner outfield.

Those are definitely top prospects with serious possibilities to make it to the bigs.
After a very slow start Brayan Rocchio has been redhot for Akron and should retain his spot on top 100 prospect lists.
As noted in the article Gavin Williams is moving up very fast while Allen, Bibee and Curry, Tanner Burns, along with Rodney Boone, Will Dion and Jack Leftwich are all having very solid years as starting pitchers.
And finally there's the interesting case of OF Will Benson who just might be making a serious breakthough too

Hot Prospect List; I voted for Naylor as a can't miss; and Benson. Neither appears here but Cleveland dominates the list.

8. Brayan Rocchio, SS, Guardians
Team: Double-A Akron (Eastern)
Age: 21

Why He’s Here: .417/.462/.958 (10-for-24), 5 R, 4 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 SO, 1-for-1 SB

The Scoop: Rocchio’s first few months this season have been underwhelming and included a stint on the IL for a concussion. There’s been gradual improvement, however, as he and the Guardians have worked to adjust his bat path to make more contact. He’s still got a good feel for the strike zone, which bodes well for him getting back on the track that saw him rocket up the rankings last season. This past week was a good start. (JN)

10. Rodney Boone, LHP, Guardians
Team: High-A Lake County (Midwest)
Age: 22

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 7 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 SO

The Scoop: Boone had a dozen consecutive games with 10 or more swinging strikes coming into this start, but the lefthander dominated with called strikes and groundballs this week. He tossed a seven-inning complete game shutout for Lake County on Saturday, a welcome change after Boone allowed nine earned runs over his last two starts. Boone only needed 92 pitches to get through this one, as he topped out at 88 mph and sat 86-87 mph on his fastball. His ability to steal strikes with his fastball and changeup combination was his key to success on Saturday. There are major questions as to whether Boone will ever throw hard enough to find success in the majors. That said, there’s little question around the quality of his changeup and his ability to pitch. (GP)

12. Petey Halpin, OF, Guardians
Team: High-A Lake County (Midwest)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .429/.538/.762 (9-for-21), 7 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBIs, 4 BB, 2 SO

The Scoop: The speedy Halpin enjoyed a nice holiday week as he produced three multi-hit games over his last six including a patriotic 2-for-3 showing on July 4. He showcased some extra-base power as well over the six-game stretch, collecting an extra-base hit in five out of six games. He had three games where he scored two runs and three games where he drove in two or more runs. It was a well-balanced showing for Halpin last week as he did a little bit of everything at the plate. He showcased his speed as his home run was of the inside-the-park variety on a 101 mph line drive. This was a much needed hot week as Halpin has struggled over the first two months as a 19-20-year-old at High-A. (GP)

16. Nolan Jones, OF, Guardians
Team: Triple-A Columbus
Age: 24

Why He’s Here: .400/.516/.760 (10-for-25), 9 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 13 RBIs, 6 BB, 5 SO, 3-for-4 SB

The Scoop: Jones missed the first two months of the season due to offseason ankle surgery and a lower back injury, but he’s been a force since he returned to Columbus’ lineup. Jones homered in back-to-back games, including hitting a grand slam, against Iowa last week and ripped off 10 hits in his first 18 at-bats of the series. He is now batting .314/.423/.512 for the Clippers in 22 games since coming off the IL, a welcome turnaround after he suffered through a miserable season at the level last year. (KG)

Just for the heck of it. Links to the boxes of Akron and Columbus last night.

https://www.milb.com/gameday/curve-vs-r ... ame=673905



https://www.milb.com/gameday/sounds-vs- ... ame=664260

which feature:

Arias single and homer for Columbus;
Rocchio staying hit with double and 2 singles for Akron

Logan Allen with a second rotten start in AAA 4 4 5 5 5 5
and Hunter Gaddis a bad night for Akron 5 7 5 5 2 2

Future game rosters announced; Espino would be a lock, if he were playing! I would nominate Valera as our position player and Williams as our pitcher.

Williams is not chosen.
Yainer Diaz who we traded last year with Maton for Straw makes the team; he recently got boosted to AAA after 316/367/504 AA lineand he's quickly added 4 homers in 50 AB at AAA
Valera is our only representative.

Noel on Futures roster too

Yesterday:

CLE AAA #28 Xzavion Curry, RHP 6.0 5 4 4 2 5 3.83 L (6-4)
CLE AA UNRANKED Bibee, Tanner 5 5 0 0 1 6 2.39

CLE AAA #1 Tyler Freeman, SS 4 0 1 0 0.258 BB (19),
CLE AA #3 Brayan Rocchio, SS 3 1 2 1 0.254 HR (8), SB (9), E (10), stays red hot
CLE AA #4 George Valera, SS 4 0 0 0 0.280
CLE AAA #5 Gabriel Arias, SS 4 0 1 0 0.200
CLE HiA #10 Angel Martinez, SS 6 2 3 1 0.280 HR (7), BB (35), good solid season
CLE AA #11 Jose Tena, SS 4 0 0 0 0.258
CLE AA #16 Bryan Lavastida, C 3 0 0 0 0.208 back from the IL, has switched places with Naylor
CLE HiA #18 Gaie Rodriguez, 3B 2 0 0 0 0.262
CLE AA #20 Jhonkensy Noel, 3B 4 0 0 0 0.222
CLE HiA #22 Petey Halpin, OF 6 1 2 2 0.236 2B (10), BB (25), E (3),
CLE HiA #25 Aaron Bracho, 2B 4 1 2 2 0.154 2B (5), HR (4), BB (11), best day of the season for waning prospect
CLE LoA #32 Isaiah Greene, OF 3 0 0 0 0.223
CLE HiA #33 Milan Tolentino, 2B 6 1 2 1 0.309 2B (19), BB (45),
CLE LoA #37 Luis Durango, OF 4 0 0 0 0.182
CLE LoA #38 Yordys Valdes, SS 4 0 0 0 0.258
CLE AAA #39 Will Brennan, OF 4 0 1 0 0.334

that's for all current major leaguers?

and doesn't include International signings? Like Ramirez?