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Guardians

Bubble wrap him now: The Guardians must get Chase DeLauter across the spring training finish line

Updated: Mar. 18, 2026, 11:35 a.m.|Published: Mar. 18, 2026, 11:34 a.m.

By Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — There’s a specific kind of anxiety that comes with watching a prospect you’ve waited years for finally arrive — and then praying, during every single plate appearance, that nothing goes wrong. That tension is palpable on the latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, as beat reporters Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes discuss the simultaneously electrifying and nerve-wracking spring of Guardians outfielder Chase DeLauter.

The numbers have been staggering. Coming into this week, DeLauter is batting .393 this spring with a 1.076 OPS. His double in Cleveland’s 8-6 comeback win over the Reds left the bat at 115.3 miles per hour — the hardest-hit ball by any Guardians player in spring training this year.

He stood in for José Ramírez in the three-hole on Tuesday. He’s been making plays in right field. He has been, by every conceivable measure, exactly the player Cleveland drafted and developed him to become.

And yet — the anxiety remains.

“Every time he comes to the plate or catches a fly ball, you’re just kind of waiting for something ... the other shoe to drop. Hopefully this is a good sign. He’s played really well and he can just make it to opening day and then we’ll go from there.”

The held breath. The waiting for the other shoe to drop. It’s not cynicism — it’s context. Because the backdrop surrounding DeLauter’s outstanding spring has been shadowed by injury. George Valera, the other young outfielder who entered camp with Opening Day aspirations, is already done — a calf muscle injury hampering his spring and almost certainly his chance to open the season on the active roster. Valera’s absence is a cautionary tale playing out in real time, and it hangs over every DeLauter at-bat like a storm cloud.

Into that emotional landscape, Noga offered the most relatable two-word prescription a Guardians fan could hear.

“Put him in bubble wrap for the next week,” Noga said. “Make sure he gets on the plane to Seattle next week. And as long as nothing happens between now and then, we’re looking at the starting right fielder and a guy who’s pretty much going to be a linchpin for this lineup.”

Bubble wrap. That’s where Cleveland is right now. Not debating whether DeLauter can be a star — that part seems settled. The conversation has shifted entirely to survival mode. Just get to the plane. Just make it to Seattle. Just stay healthy for six more days, and the kid with the .393 Cactus League average and 1.076 OPS gets the moment he’s been building toward his entire professional life.

It’s worth understanding what DeLauter represents for this lineup. José Ramírez is still easing back carefully from a shoulder injury. Hunter Gaddis is navigating a right forearm issue that could send him to the injured list to open the year. Valera is on the shelf for now. The Guardians are threading a needle, managing multiple fragile situations simultaneously — and DeLauter is the one piece they most desperately cannot afford to lose.

The stakes were underscored further when the conversation turned to the Spring Breakout showcase game, in which DeLauter is expected to participate. Noga didn’t hide his frustration with the concept when it applies to a player this close to the show.

“You definitely don’t want to expose either of those guys (DeLauter and Travis Bazzana) to any sort of injuries, getting extra playing time or anything like that in spring training when both are so close to contributing and being such a big part of what the major league team is ready to do this year.”

It’s a legitimate concern. When a player is hitting 115-mph rockets and posting elite OPS numbers and sliding into the three-hole as though he was born there, asking him to play in an additional showcase game starts to feel less like an opportunity and more like an unnecessary gamble with something precious. Noga even drew a parallel to the NBA’s rookie showcase, where transcendent talents like Victor Wembanyama were made to play in games beneath their current level — a comparison that lands.

But here’s what all this anxiety ultimately signals: Chase DeLauter has been that good. The Guardians don’t hold their breath over players they’re lukewarm about. They hold their breath over the ones who matter — the ones who change things. And right now, DeLauter matters enormously.

Get on the plane, Chase. Cleveland is waiting.

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Guardians

The pitcher who ‘gets it’: Why Kolby Allard is a Guardians underrated asset

Updated: Mar. 18, 2026, 11:37 a.m.|Published: Mar. 18, 2026, 11:37 a.m.

By Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In a baseball landscape drunk on radar gun readings and spin rate metrics, the latest episode of the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast makes a passionate, convincing case for the kind of pitcher that analytics can’t fully capture. His name is Kolby Allard, and according to veteran Guardians beat reporters Joe Noga and Paul Hoynes, he might just be one of the most quietly valuable arms in the entire Cleveland organization.

That’s a bold claim for a guy who’s almost certainly going to start the 2026 season in Triple-A Columbus. But that’s exactly the point Noga and Hoynes hammered home after Allard turned in a sharp three-inning, five-strikeout performance against the Reds in Goodyear — a performance that said everything about who he is and what he brings to the table.

Let’s be clear about what Kolby Allard is not. He is not a flamethrower. He is not a guy whose metrics jump off the page. In an era when bullpens are stocked with high-90s heaters and wipeout sliders, Allard is something almost anachronistic — a pitcher in the truest sense of the word. He challenges hitters. He works the edges. He throws strikes, attacks the zone, and trusts his craft. And in Goodyear last night, that was more than enough.

“He’s a guy that gets it,” Hoynes said. “There’s a lot of guys in the big leagues that don’t get it. They play the game one way. This is a guy that’s been through the mill, so to speak. He’s adaptable, he’ll change roles. He knows what he has to do to be a long guy, to be a short guy, to be a starter.”

“Gets it.” Two words. But in professional baseball, those two words separate careers from cup-of-coffee stints. Hoynes has covered this game long enough to recognize the difference between a talent and a player — and in his assessment, Allard is the latter in the fullest sense.

“He didn’t have a lot of success early on and he had to learn and come back and now you get the best version of him, I think.”

That’s not just a baseball story. That’s a story about perseverance, self-awareness, and the willingness to evolve. A lot of players with Allard’s pedigree never survive the fall from first-round phenom to organizational arm. They flame out or drift into journeyman irrelevance. Allard did something harder — he adapted.

And that adaptation, Noga argued, requires a specific brand of mental toughness that doesn’t always get its due.

“You talk about mental fortitude, I guess there’s also the mental fortitude of just being able to be adaptable and accept whatever role,” Noga said. “If they tell you right up front there’s not a spot for you right now either in the rotation or in the bullpen, but we know that you’re going to help us at some point during the season.”

That’s the part that gets overlooked. The mental fortitude to hear “there’s no spot for you right now” and respond with professionalism rather than resentment? That is genuinely rare. And manager Stephen Vogt clearly recognizes it.

According to Noga, the way Vogt talks about Allard signals that Cleveland’s front office sees him not as an afterthought but as a chess piece — a reliable, versatile arm they fully expect to call upon when the long 162-game grind starts wearing rosters thin.

Because here’s the thing about a full season: the pitcher who can eat innings, flip between roles without complaint, and get hitters out without elite stuff is gold. When September arrives, Kolby Allard is going to resurface. Don’t count him out. Noga and Hoynes certainly aren’t.

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Guardians

Guardians prospects roster: Who made the MLB Spring Breakout game vs. the Angels

Updated: Mar. 18, 2026, 6:06 p.m.|Published: Mar. 18, 2026, 4:31 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Last year’s first-round pick Jace LaViolette and left-hander Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson are among the players who made the Guardians’ roster for Thursday’s third annual Spring Breakout game against the Angels at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

The Spring Breakout format highlights the game’s top young players over a four-day period during spring training in Arizona and Florida. The Guardians game against the Angels starts at 2 p.m. ET.

The Guardians used their No. 1 pick in 2025 to select LaViolette out of Texas A&M. LaViolette, who set a career record with 57 homers for the Aggies, did not play for Cleveland last year because of two surgeries on his left hand.

The Guardians’ 27-man roster includes right-hander Yorman Gomez, shortstop Angel Genao and outfielder Kahlil Watson, who are all on the 40-man roster. They have all been sent to minor league camp, but manager Stephen Vogt was particularly pleased with the work of Genao and Watson.

Gomez, added to the 40-man roster in November, will start against the Angels. He went 12-2 with a 2.96 ERA in 27 games, including 15 starts, last season for Class A Lake County and Double-A Akron.

The 23-year-old Gomez struck out 139 and walked 48 in 121 1/3 innings. This spring he made two appearances, allowing four earned runs in 3 1/3 innings for 10.80 ERA.

Second baseman Travis Bazzana and outfielder Chase DeLauter, Cleveland’s No. 1 and No. 2 prospects according to MLB.com, will not play in the game. The Guardians told Bazzana he will not be on the opening-day roster but is still training with the Guardians. DeLauter could be the starting right fielder when the Guardians open the regular season March 26 in Seattle.

Six players who were invited to big-league camp on minor league deals made the roster, including catchers Cooper Ingle and Jacob Cozart, infielder Milan Tolentino, first baseman Ralphy Velazquez and outfielders Alfonsin Rosario and Wuilfredo Antunez. Outfielder Jaison Chourio didn’t get invited to big league camp but was a frequent participant from the depth camp.

Genao and Velazquez were the No. 3 and No. 4 ranked prospects in the Guardians’ system according to MLB.com. Ingle was No. 6.

The highest ranked pitchers on the roster are right-handers Braylon Doughty (No. 8) and Joey Oakie (No. 10). Daniel Espino, Cleveland’s No.1 pick in 2019, was not put on the roster as he continues to rebound after nearly three years of inactivity because of injuries.

Lefty Parker Messick started last year’s Spring Breakout game for Cleveland. Messick, competing for a spot in the big-league rotation, will start against Kansas City on Thursday.

Erlin Cerda, manager of the Class A Hill City Howlers, will manage the Guardians’ prospects.

Name Position B/T

Doughty, Braylon RHP
Ellerts, Magnus RHP
Flores, Luis LHP
Gómez, Yorman RHP
Hartle, Josh LHP
Jachec, Matt RHP
Jasiak, Jack RHP
Oakie, Joey RHP
Wilkinson, Matt LHP
Cozart, Jacob C L/R
Ingle, Cooper C L/R
Curley, Dean INF R/R
Devers, Jose INF L/R
Fernández, Dauri INF S/R
Genao, Angel INF S/R
Rodríguez, Gabriel INF L/R
Schubart, Nolan INF L/R
Tolentino, Milán INF L/R
Velazquez, Ralphy INF L/R
Antúnez, Wuilfredo OF L/R
Arias, Robert OF L/L
Caceres, Juneiker OF L/L
Chourio, Jaison OF S/R
LaViolette, Jace OF L/L
Mitchell, Nick OF L/R
Rosario, Alfonsin OF R/R
Watson, Kahlil OF L/R

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Angel Martinez Is Leading Spring Training In Key Stat

March 18, 2026

By Justin Hussong

Angel Martinez struggled mightily at the plate last year in his debut season for the Cleveland Guardians, but he has hit well in Spring Training and could be ready to take a big step forward in 2026. He hit just .224 with a .628 OPS and will likely cede his center field duties to Steven Kwan this year, but he is also the only righty in this suddenly crowded outfield and can be a legitimate weapon if he can up his OPS over .700.

However, in Spring, his OPS is over 1.000 and he is showing things fans never saw in 2025. He not only looks much improved from when he was one of the worst everyday hitters in baseball last year, but he now looks like one of the best hitters in Spring Training as evidenced by a recent stat.

Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes recently touched on this in his latest article and pointed out that Martinez’s nine extra-base hits are tied with Shea Langeliers and Max Muncy of the Athletics for the most in the Cactus League. It’s an incredible step forward after collecting just 36 extra base hits in 446 at-bats last season.

“Angel Martinez is tied for the Cactus League lead with nine extra base hits. He shares the lead with Shea Langeliers and Max Muncy of the A’s,” Hoynes wrote.

If Martinez wasn’t hitting like this in Spring, it would have been easy to see a path where he saw his playing time drastically reduced in 2026. Chase DeLauter, CJ Kayfus, and George Valera are breathing down his neck and are going to see a lot of playing time this season, with veterans like Nolan Jones (who might not make the team) and Daniel Schneemann seeing the biggest hit to their at-bats.

Another thing Martinez has going for him is that he is the only member of this crowded outfield who bats from the right side of the plate. This lineup, in general, is desperate for somebody to emerge from the right side this year, and Martinez being that guy would be a pleasant surprise.

It’s easy to forget that Martinez only just turned 24 and that the version of him fans saw last year could be the worst version of him. Hopefully, this offensive production can carry over past Opening Day and the team has another young star on its hands.

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Guardians Prospect Is Drawing Comparisons To Jose Ramirez

March 18, 2026

By Justin Hussong

Cleveland Guardians fans have been blessed to have front-row seats to future Hall of Famer Jose Ramirez’s entire career, which began when he was called up in 2013 and will hopefully run all the way until the end of his new contract extension, which has him tied to the organization through 2032. He continues to carry this offense on his back year after year while remaining in great health and being the consummate teammate and leader that this fan base can be proud of.

The only thing that Ramirez could do to make things better would be to clone himself so the team could have more than one of him. According to some, perhaps that notion isn’t so crazy.

Cleveland.com’s Terry Pluto recently spent a week in Goodyear, Arizona to observe the Guardians in Spring Training, and he came away impressed with Class-A infielder Dauri Hernandez.

He was so impressed that he even made some comparisons to Jose Ramirez.

“Dauri Fernandez. He is a class A infielder and he played in rookie ball. I saw him in a few innings and so he looks kind of interesting. And then I looked up his stats. I mean we’re talking rookie ball now. They were really good. He moves real well. I mean one guy was telling me, you know, it’s kind of a little bit like when Jose [Ramirez] was real young. And of course everybody’s always looking for the next Jose. But there was some of that, that even though he’s a teenager, it looks like he knows how to play. He just seemed to have some poise out there in the field,” Pluto said.

This is high praise for a kid who just turned 19. As wild as it may sound, it’s easy to draw connections between the two.

Fernandez is only 5’9″, just like Ramirez, and has already displayed impressive speed on the bases and patience at the dish that you wouldn’t expect from a 19-year-old. He is also a switch-hitter like Ramirez, which is sadly becoming a dying art.

He has yet to settle into a single position on the infield, but he has displayed a strong arm and could project as a second or third baseman long-term, which is what a lot of people saw in Ramirez at a similar age.

Guardians fans don’t need to start counting the days until Jose Ramirez 2.0 shows up, but it’s encouraging to see someone like this in the system. Ramirez is among the most highly-regarded players in baseball by his peers, and there are much worse guys a prospect could model his game after.

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New Guardians Slugger Is Making His Mark In Spring Training

March 18, 2026

By Andres Chavez

On February 22, the Cleveland Guardians decided to take a leap of faith on someone who has surpassed the 25-homer threshold five times in his career: Rhys Hoskins.

Hoskins is not particularly athletic and is not a good defender, but he does one thing very well: hit for power. He quietly has 186 career home runs and sent 12 balls out of the park last year in 90 games, in a down season.

The circumstances in which he was signed, however, gave the Guardians a chance to secure a premium power hitter for a very small price. He had to prove himself in the Cactus League, though, because it was, after all, a minor league signing.

Hoskins has done that and more. On Tuesday, he hit another homer against the Cincinnati Reds to put his OPS over the .900 mark.

“Hoskins is slugging .586 with a .939 OPS over his 34 plate appearances in the spring,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.

The blast, which left Hoskins’ bat at 109.7 mph, was his third of the spring. He had another plate appearance after the round-tripper, so those numbers changed slightly to a .567 slugging percentage and a .910 OPS. The point stands, though: he’s getting hot in a hurry.

No one in the Guardians has more home runs than Hoskins’ three in Cactus League play, and only superstar Jose Ramirez has driven in more teammates, with nine. The slugging first baseman/designated hitter has eight RBI so far.

The expectation is that Hoskins captures a roster spot and pushes CJ Kayfus to Triple-A, at least to open the year. The former Phillie and Brewer will share first base and designated hitter duties with Kyle Manzardo, complementing him to perfection.

Over the course of his career, Hoskins has been much better against lefties (137 wRC+) than righties (115), but he has no issues facing the latter and doesn’t need to be platooned. The Guardians still haven’t officially determined how they will use him, but they have to officially give him a roster spot first. It’s widely expected to happen in the upcoming days.

Hoskins alone won’t make the Guardians a top-five offense, but he sure can help in a department that has consistently failed in recent years: power.

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