Cleveland Sports Forum

Clemmey kid lives right down the road from me.

not so predictable after all: a power high school bat, poor fielder, who is years from the majors, more likely to compete with Josh than with Bo Naylor for a position

hard throwing high school pitcher with command and control issues: Cleveland undboutedlly assumes they can cure those

and then almost ready for big time reliever in the supplemental second round, drafted much higher than his prospect rating, with Cleveland favored great K/BB ratio

23. Cleveland Guardians: Ralphy Velazquez, C, Huntington Beach (Calif.) High
Keith Law
Jul 10, 2023
No. 35 on Law’s Big Board

Velazquez is a bat-first catcher who worked on his conditioning in the winter to move himself way up draft boards, showing up in February with a more compact build on his 6-foot2 frame, looking like a strong catcher whose power could make him an above-average regular. He’s a solid hitter for contact who already has above-average power, although he has to work on staying back on the ball for that to play regularly. Behind the plate, he’s a work in progress, but adequate enough to think that with work and time he can be an average defender.

Scouting Report: Velazquez showed well early this spring after working on his conditioning and his catching in the offseason, giving him a chance to go somewhere between the late first round and early second, especially in a draft without much catching. He’s a strong kid whose body looks compact for its listed size of 6-foot-2, and when he stays back he can show plus power, although his over-wide setup often leads to him drifting over his front side. He is a high school catcher, however, and unlike Mitchell, he has some work to do to get himself to an average defender. He’s committed to Arizona State.

Another take:



Guardians selected Huntington Beach HS (Huntington Beach, California) C/1B Ralphy Velazquez with the 23rd pick of the 2023 MLB Draft.
The hard-hitting 18-year-old is a product of Huntington Beach High School in California — the same school that produced Nick Pratto and Hank Conger. He projects as a middle-of-the-order hitter that has shown the ability to drive the ball to all fields with authority. He has a strong arm and a high intellect, though there are concerns if he’s going to be able to stick behind the plate long-term. With Bo Naylor in the way at the big league level, the Guardians could decide to move him to a corner infield spot, as he has the athleticism to handle it.

grades from Bleacher Report

First Round (No. 23 Overall): Ralphy Velazquez, C, Huntington Beach High School (CA)

Velazquez put together a terrific senior season while facing high-level competition and leading Huntington Beach High School to the National High School Invitational title. He has a strong 6'2", 235-pound frame and some of the best raw power in the 2023 class, giving him a middle-of-the-order profile at the next level. He will be given every opportunity to stick behind the plate where he possesses a strong arm and good receiving skills, but his offensive game will play fine if he ultimately has to shift to first base.

Grade: B+

The Guardians are great at finding value later in the draft on the pitching side of things, so I love them rolling the dice on the huge power potential that Velazquez possesses. Even if he doesn't stick behind the plate, the bat will play anywhere.

Second Round (No. 58 Overall): Alex Clemmey, LHP, Bishop Hendricken High School (RI)

With a projectable 6'6", 205-pound frame, a high-octane fastball that has been up to 99 mph and a hard-biting curveball, Clemmey has some of the best raw stuff in the 2023 class. However, there are serious questions about his ability to throw enough strikes to make the most of that power arsenal. He has inconsistent mechanics and a high-effort delivery, so even if he does dial in his command there is significant reliever risk in his long-term profile as well. He doesn't turn 18 years old until later this month, and the Vanderbilt commit might benefit as much as anyone from honoring his college commitment.

Grade: A+

This is the perfect landing spot for Clemmey. The Guardians have as good a chance as anyone of smoothing out his mechanics and maximizing his elite stuff.

Balance Round B (No. 62 Overall): Andrew Walters, RHP, Miami

Walters has been one of college baseball's best closers the past two seasons. The 6'4", 222-pound right-hander racked up 26 saves in 52 appearances with an eye-popping 134-to-13 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 77.1 innings out of the Miami bullpen during that span. He is essentially a one-pitch pitcher, but it's a good one as his fastball touches 99 mph and is extremely difficult to pick up a deceptive delivery. The development of his slider will determine his future role.

Grade: B-

It's a little bit of a reach, but who better than Cleveland to try to turn him into the next bullpen ace alongside Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak? This should also save them some money to put toward an above-slot deal for Clemmey.

All I can think about is cautioning Ralphy to not shoot his eye out with a BB gun!

Ralphy joins Petey [Halpin] as our lttle boy name prospects.

this comment is from MLB.com

23) Guardians: Ralphy Velazquez, C/1B, Huntington Beach (Calif.) HS
A number of high school bats were mentioned here, and Velazquez has a chance to be a really good one. A left-handed hitter who stood out at USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational this spring, Velazquez routinely finds the barrel and has plenty of raw power and strength to tap into. There’s some question about whether he can stick behind the plate, but even if he has to move to first, his bat should profile well there.

There does seem to be a consensus of opinion on his strengths and weaknesses. It has been a long time since CLE top pick was a power first hitter without strong defensive skills. Many moons ago they took Danny Peoples, I;m pretty sure he was a college guy; High School power bat? Not sure if I remember one--- Benson was known for power, speed and defense; Frazier was supposed to be multifaceted too.

deleted; this was a duplicate of the Keith Law assessment

Round 3 C j Kayfus college OF

School: Miami Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Florida (S)
Age At Draft: 21.7
BA Grade:40/High
Tools:Hit: 55. Power: 40. Run: 45. Field: 45. Arm: 50.

Kayfus was an odd profile out of a high school as an undersized first baseman who lacked physicality and the power necessary to profile at a position on the bottom of the defensive spectrum. While he’s now a bit taller and around 20 pounds heavier, Kayfus is largely the same sort of prospect at Miami, though he has three seasons of solid offensive production to bolster his reputation as a solid pure hitter. At 6-foot, 192 pounds, Kayfus is a contact hitter with solid bat-to-ball skills and a savvy batting eye. He made contact at a strong 81% clip in 2023 and paired a 15.2% strikeout rate with a 15.9% walk rate, and does a nice job using the entire field. He makes solid contact, but does not have the sort of raw power or elevated impact in games that bodes well for profiling at first base in pro ball. That was also the case for Kayfus during the 2022 summer with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League. Because of his hit-over-power offensive profile, there’s a chance teams sign him and try and see how he looks defensively in a corner outfield position, where the offensive bar will be a bit lower. He’s a fine defender at first, and has limited exposure in the outfield corners, but has the speed and athleticism to potentially be a fringy outfield defender with more experience.

Round 4 Cooper Ingle college catcher

School: Clemson Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21.4
BA Grade:40/High
Tools:Hit: 50. Power: 30. Run: 40. Field: 50. Arm: 45.

Ingle played just 10 games with Clemson during his 2021 freshman season, before exploding onto the scene in 2022, when he hit .351/.449/.526 with more walks than strikeouts, as well as eight homers and 13 doubles as a catcher and outfielder. That production didn’t fully translate to a summer in the Cape Cod League with Chatham, but Ingle continued to show strong on-base skills and walked more than he struck out once again with a .401 OBP despite a .252 average. During the 2023 season, Ingle slashed .324/.414/.456 with six home runs, a 12.9% walk rate and 9.6% strikeout rate. As could be gleaned from his track record, Ingle has a solid eye and doesn’t chase out of the zone too frequently or swing-and-miss overall, with an 89% contact rate and 19% chase rate in 2023. At 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, Ingle doesn’t have much power and doesn’t project to grow into significantly more in the future. Behind the plate, Ingle sets a low target with a one-knee setup and has solid receiving skills with fringe-average pure arm strength but a quick release that helps him get rid of the ball quickly. He has a solid backup catching profile.

Round 5 Chirstian Knapczyk or something like that college SS

School: Clemson Source: 4YR

Age At Draft: 21.6
BA Grade:45/High
Tools:Hit: 55. Power: 20. Run: 60. Field: 55. Arm: 45.

Knapczyk has steadily improved his offensive production since getting to Louisville, while showing standout bat-to-ball skills each season. During his 2023 draft year, the 5-foot-9, 165-pound shortstop hit .331/.455/.408 with just one home run, but 19 stolen bases, a 9% strikeout rate and 9.9% walk rate. There’s a bit of a Nick Madrigal-esque profile with Knapczyk, as an undersized and light-hitting middle infielder who is a shortstop now and might slide over to second base in pro ball. He has homered just three times in his college career, and in 2023 posted an 83 mph average exit velocity and 99.4 mph 90th percentile mark. He’s got bottom-of-the-scale power without the physical projection to dream of more coming, and should instead find success as a hitter by grinding out at-bats, taking walks and spraying the ball to all fields with plus contact skills. He made contact at an 89% rate this spring, though he does add a bit more swing-and-miss vs. secondary pitches. Knapczyk is a plus runner with impressive defensive actions and hands up the middle, but his fringe-average throwing arm might play better at second base—though sticking at shortstop would likely help his overall profile and could allow him to have value as a super-utility infield type.

Round 6 Tommy hawke college OF

School: Wake Forest Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21
BA Grade:40/High
Tools:Hit: 55. Power: 30. Run: 70. Field: 55. Arm: 45.

Hawke is a small center fielder with a 5-foot-8, 185-pound frame and limited power, but he’s been a dynamic table setter for a high-octane Wake Forest lineup in 2023. He slashed .354/.466/.520 with seven home runs, 19 doubles and a 15.5% strikeout rate and 16.2% walk rate through 62 games. He makes plenty of contact and rarely misses a fastball, with a 91% contact rate against the pitch, including a 91% contact rate against fastballs at 92 mph or harder. On top of his pure contact skills, Hawke does a nice job staying within the zone and will take a walk when necessary, as his impressive career walk rate suggests. He lacks impact, though, and given his frame isn’t likely to improve much in that regard in the future. Despite playing at a homer-friendly park, Hawke has just nine career home runs in two seasons with a 90th percentile exit velocity in 2023 just under 100 mph. He should be able to stick in center field as a double-plus runner who covers a ton of ground, and that defensive profile should alleviate some of the pressure to hit for impact. He has a fringy but accurate arm. The list of everyday big leaguers with Hawke’s measurables isn’t a long one, but his speed, contact and batting eye could make him one of the outliers.

Round 7 Alex Mooney college if

School: Duke Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 21
BA Grade:45/High
Tools:Hit: 50. Power: 35. Run: 55. Field: 50. Arm: 50.

Mooney was a high-energy prep shortstop who ranked as the No. 65 prospect in the 2021 draft class, but wound up making it to campus as the third-highest ranked player to do so. Mooney had sky-high expectations as a true freshman, but stumbled out of the gate as a freshman as Duke’s everyday shortstop before a solid stint in the Cape Cod League. Mooney took a step forward offensively in 2023, lowering his strikeout rate, hitting for more average and hitting for a bit more power. Through 60 games, the 6-foot-1, 195-pound shortstop hit .320/.438/.512 with eight home runs, 19 doubles, a 13.8% strikeout rate and 11.7% walk rate. Mooney has solid tools across the board but nothing that will jump off the page. He’s a line drive, contact hitter first who has shown some feel for the barrel at times, but managed just an 82.7 mph average exit velocity in 2023, with a 99.5 mph 90th percentile mark. Most of his home runs this spring went to the pull side and he still has a tendency to swing-and-miss vs. secondaries, though he did perform well against fastballs overall and 92-plus mph velocity, with a .364/.480/.615 slash line. Mooney is a solid runner and good athlete who has a chance to stick at shortstop, but could play a number of positions. He’s a great baserunner who has gone 33-for-38 (86.7%) in stolen base attempts in his career.

Round 8 RHP college Jonah Advincula

School: Washington State Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted
Age At Draft: 22.5
Advincula was a standout performer for three seasons at Division III Redlands (Calif.) and continued hitting at a high level with Washington State in 2023 as a senior. The 6-foot-1, 197-pound outfielder hit .350/.455/.565 with five home runs and 20 doubles, while striking out at just a 7.8% rate compared to an 11.5% walk rate. While Advincula has well below-average power, he makes a ton of contact. He made contact at an excellent 89% rate in 2023 and that jumped to 94% on pitches inside the strike zone. He is a plus runner who gets out of the box well and should be able to stick in center field. At the next level he might have to become a more selective hitter, as he is currently fairly aggressive without being punished by it thanks to his speed and contact ability.