Cleveland Sports Forum

My best Rip Van Winkle impression, I woke up two years later only to learn that the minor leagues adopted the Hawk-Eye pitch tracking system. Personally, I like it.

See previous page.......

After watching the Columbus - Syracuse game tonight, there were 12 challenges. The pitchers, batters, and catchers got it right. You can't fault bad umpiring. In over half the cases, the tracking system showed that the balls were within 1/2" from being a right call or a wrong call. 1/2" !!! WoW.

On another note, the Clips led throughout most of the game only to see the game get tied in the 7th inning on two Met solo homers. The Clips regained the lead on Noel's 2-run blast in the top of the 8th inning

Johnathan Rodriguez was on base 3 times in this game. Two hard hit balls. One a single, the other a double to go along with an intentional, unintentional walk. I really would like to see Rodriguez promoted and Laureano sent to Columbus. With the starting pitching in trouble, the Guards will need more offensive production from the right side of the plate, an area where the offense could use a lot of help. I think Rodriguez has served his time in the minors and winter ball to earn the promotion. Can't be any worse than Laureano.

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Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 4/26/24

ARTHUR KINNEY

APR 27

SCOREBOARD


Triple-A - Columbus Clippers 7, Syracuse Mets 5
Double-A - Akron RubberDucks 6, Altoona Curve 2
High-A - Lake County Captains 7, West Michigan Whitecaps 1
Single-A - Lynchburg Hillcats 3, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 2


REHAB

Sam Hentges (Columbus, RP): H (1), 0.2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 1 K - Hentges reached his pitch count before completing a full frame but topped out at 95 on the radar gun, putting him back to nearly 100% in the velo department.

HIGHLIGHTS

Johnathan Rodriguez (Columbus, DH): 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB - J-Rod reached thrice on Friday to extend his season-opening on-base streak to 23 games. That is a seriously impressive level of consistency.

[ Chris Sale brought back recent memories of Cleveland’s struggles vs. left-handed pitching, allowing only two hits and one walk while striking out six in seven innings of one-run baseball. The lefty mashers David Fry and Ramon Laureano 8-50 , 21k, 6 W, 0 HR, 2 RBI were not up to the task last night, which certainly happens. I would assume the leash on Laureano as a platoon player vs. LHP is probably not longer than the end of May, but it’s disappointing he hasn’t been able to continue his 120 wRC+ against LHP in his career into 2024 so far (obligatory small sample size caveat) ]

Jose Tena (Columbus, SS): 3-5, 1 R, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 1 SB - There’s breaking out of a five-game on-base drought and there’s BURSTING out of one, and the latter in what Tena did on Friday night. Hopefully, this five-base effort is the start of a breakout and not an isolated stellar evening.

Christian Cairo (Akron, 2B): 2-3, 3 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SB - Cairo remained hot on Friday night with this multi-extra base hit performance that saw him amass a season-high six total bases. The multi-base effort was his fifth in his last seven games played. During that stretch, Christian is slashing .440/.481/.760/

Alex Mooney (Lake County, SS) 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 K - Mooney didn’t do much offensively following the top of the first, but what he did in the opening half-frame was enough as his fifth homer of the season gave the Eastlake nine an early 3-0 lead. That quintet of round-rippers not only easily leads the Captains, but puts him within one of Dayton (Reds) 3B Cam Collier for the Midwest League lead.

Carter Spivey (Lake County, SP): W (1-0), 6 IP, 5 H, 1 R (earned), 6 K, 1 HR allowed - unsurprisingly, Spivey’s longest outing so far of his rookie season was by far his best. While it’s only one start, it is hopefully a preview of coming attractions from the offseason undrafted free agent signing.

Jackson Humphries (Lynchburg, SP): 3 IP, 1 H, 4 K - Humphries has allowed only a hit and walk while striking out eight in 4,2 shutout frames over his last two outings, putting his season debut (the less said about that, the better) squarely in his rearview mirror.

Yorman Gomez (Lynchburg, RP): W (2-1), 5 IP, 3 H, 2 R (both unearned), 1 BB, 1 BK, 7 K - Despite a pair of unearned runs (bringing his season total to five out of ten total runs allowed), Gomez had another solid outing, especially in the K:BB ratio department, where his season number now stands at 21:4.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Jhonkensy Noel (Columbus, RF): 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - Noel sent a ball 422 feet over the left field fence at nearly 110 MPH (109.6) in the top of the eighth to give the Clippers the lead for good (and immediately improving their win probability from 44.6% to an even 85%).

Kyle Manzardo (Columbus, 1B): 0-3, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 3 K, 1 SF - Even on a hitless night, Manzardo increased his season RBI total to 16 via a sacrifice fly and a bases-loaded walk.

Daniel Schneemann (Columbus, 3B): 1-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 K, 1 SB - Schneemann did a little of everything in yet another impressive offensive performance.

Aaron Bracho (Akron, DH): 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 RBI - Bracho’s 13 RBI may seem like a lot for a guy hitting .213, but he has made the most of the hits he has gotten. Five extra-base hits (1 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR) out of ten total hits mean that his ISO (.255) outpaces his raw average.

Aaron Davenport (Akron, SP): W (2-0), 3 H, 2 R (both earned), 3 BB, 1 BK, 3 K - After allowing 13 hits over 10.1 combined frames in his last two starts, Davenport improved significantly last night en route to his second individual victory in four 2024 starts.

Nate Furman (Lake County, 3B): 1-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP - Furman led off the game with a single that extended his hit streak into double digits.

C.J. Kayfus (Lake County, 1B): 1-2, 2 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 SF - Kayfus reached thrice on Friday to continue an impressive start to his High-A career.

Guy Lipscomb (Lake County, RF): 1-2, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, 1 SB, 1 CS - Lipscomb also saw the basepaths three times yesterday and stole his fifth base of the 2024 campaign on one of those trips.

Jorge Burgos (Lake County, LF): 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 K - Burgos’ two-run shot in the top of the seventh set the eventual final score and removed what little doing might have remained regarding the outcome.

Jay Driver (Lake County, RP): 2 IP, 2 H, 1 WP, 2 K - Driver has still only allowed one run so far this season (7.2 innings).

Jose Pastrano (Lynchburg, DH): 1-4, 2 RBI, 1 K - Pastrano’s two-run single in the bottom of the second gave the Hillcats an early lead and provided the bulk of the Lynchburg scoring.

Juan Benjamin (Lynchburg, 2B): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB - Three innings later, Benjamin gave the Hillcats back the lead, this time for good, on a single of his own.

Christian Knapczyk (Lynchburg, 3B): 0-1, 1 R, 3 BB, 1 SB - Knapczyk led the Hillcats in times on the basepaths last night without recording a hit.

Esteban Gonzalez (Lynchburg, LF): 1-4, 1 R, 3 K, 1 SB - Gonzalez got back into the Carolina League top ten (T-8th) with his eighth stolen base of the season.

Steven Perez (Lynchburg, RP): S (1), 1 IP, 1 H, 1 K - Perez successfully converted his first non-complex save opportunity on Friday night in Lynchburg.


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IF Alex Mooney is quit the slugger in his first month in High A. His power ranking below was pretty low so this is a major step forward, apparen
His pre-draft writeup:
School: Duke Source: 4YR

Commit/Drafted: Never Drafted 7th round, $1,000,000 bonus
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.

Minor League Recap - Four Games and Four Wins for Cleveland Affiliates

Minor League Recap for Saturday, April 27th, 2024

By Nicole_W22 Apr 27, 2024, 1:24pm EDT 0 Comments / 0 New


Columbus Clippers - AAA

COL 7 - SYR 5


The Columbus Clippers beat the Syracuse Mets (NYM) on Friday night with a death by a thousand cuts offense, only putting up a crooked number in the 8th inning. RHP Hunter Stanley went 3.1 innings giving up 4 hits, 3 runs, and 2 walks with 3 strikeouts. LHP John Doxakis went 1.2 innings giving up only 1 walk on 3 strikeouts. LHP Sam Hentges made another rehab appearance with the Clippers getting a hold in 0.2 innings pitched giving up only 1 hit and 1 walk with 1 strikeout. RHP Mason Hickman went 1.1 innings giving up 3 hits and 2 home runs with 2 strikeouts, securing his first win of the season. RHP Franco Aleman and RHP Peter Strzelecki both would pitch 1 inning of shutout baseball with a strikeout each.

Columbus offense put up 7 runs on 9 hits. Jonathan Rodriguez (2) and Jose Tena (3) both had multi-hit nights. Rodriguez has been having a strong start to the season currently batting .298 with a .958 OPS. Kyle Manzardo went 0-for-3 with 1 walk and 2 RBIs bringing his batting average to .296 with an OPS of .934.


Akron RubberDucks - AA

AKR 6 - ALT 2


Akron continued the Friday night celebrations for Cleveland affiliates. RHP Aaron Davenport would throw 5 innings for the duckies giving up only 2 runs on 3 hits, 3 walks, but getting 3 strikeouts against the Altoona Curve (PIT). The Akron bullpen only needed 2 pitchers to finish out the game. LHP Erik Sabrowski went 2 innings, giving up 2 hits with 4 strikeouts maintaining his 0.00 ERA. RHP Tyler Thornton would also throw 2 innings of scoreless baseball, giving 1 hit with 3 strikeouts.

The Akron offense would continue to ride on the hot streak of Alexfri Planez who has 6 RBI on 6 hits over the last 3 games.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783992611146981868

Christian Cairo hit a beautiful home run in the top of the 4th bringing his batting average to .389 with a 1.115 OPS in 36 at bats.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783995723559604537

Aaron Bracho had his first triple of the season in 1 of his 2 hits on the night.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1783998738916159864


Lake County Captains - High A

LC 7 - WM 1


The Lake County Captains took down the West Michigan Whitecaps (DET) in a definitive win. RHP Carter Spivey threw a solid 6 innings, giving up 5 hits and only 1 run - a home run while getting 6 strikeouts. The Lake County bullpen also had a quiet night RHP Juan Zapata picked away at his 10.50 ERA pitching 1 inning with no hits, no runs, 1 walk, and 2 strikeouts. RHP Jay Driver (1.17 ERA) gave up 2 hits, no runs, and no walks in 2 innings with 2 strikeouts.

The Captains lead off hitter Nate Furman would continue his impressive start, extending his hitting streak to 10 games.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1784012256805613999

Alex Mooney hit a 3 run homerun bringing his batting average to .302 with a .962 OPS

https://twitter.com/i/status/1784014300744495447

Jorge Burgos would cap off the scoring for the game with a 2-run home run in the top of the 9th.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1784051370439442706


Lynchburg Hillcats - Low A

MB 2 - LYN 3


The Lynchburg Hillcats completed the affiliate sweep in a 3-2 victory over the Myrtle Beach Pelicans (CHC). LHP Jackson Humphries pitched 3 innings, giving up 1 hit and no runs with 4 strikeouts. RHP Yorman Gomez secured the win, improving his record to 2-1. Gomez pitched a strong 5 innings, giving up only 2 runs on 3 hits, 1 walk, and recording 7 strikeouts. LHP Steven Perez finished the night with his first save. In 1 inning, Perez gave up only 1 hit and recorded 1 strikeout.

Ralphy Velazquez continues to make strong arguments for a High-A promotion in the very near future. He went 1-4 on the night with a double. Ralphy is currently battinga a .323 with a .970 OPS. Juan Benjamin (1) and Jose Pastrano (2) brought in the team’s runs on the night, both with 2-out RBIs. Esteban Gonzalez also recorded a hit, bringing the team’s total to 4 hits on the night.

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The Captains won their fourth game in a row, 8-1 over host West Michigan on April 27.

Lake County even its record at 9-9. It has given up a combined five runs during the streak.

Starter Trenton Denholm went six innings, gave up one run — a home run — struck out eight and walked one. Josh Wolf, Alaska Abney and Magnus Ellerts each pitched a scoreless inning in relief.

The Captains had 17 hits, including a three-run home run by C.J. Kayfus, his third of the season. He also had a run-scoring single, giving him 14 RBI this season.

Alex Mooney was 5-for-5 with three doubles, three runs scored and an RBI. Nate Furman had two hits, extending his hitting streak to 11.

The series is set to conclude at 2 p.m., April 28, at West Michigan.

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One way to halt Rodriquez's on base streak....RAIN !!
Clips rained out today.

Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 4/7/22)

JUSTIN LADA

APR 28

SCOREBOARD


Triple-A: Columbus Clippers vs. Syracuse Mets (Rained Out - Double Header 4/28)
Double-A: Akron RubberDucks 5, Altoona Curve 4
High-A: Lake County Captains 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 1
Single-A: Lynchburg Hillcats 3, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 2



Highlights



Aaron Bracho (2B, Akron): 3-5, 2B, RBI - Bracho’s had a few good games in this series at Altoona and his numbers have moved up quite a bit early in the year. But good to see him actually be able to collect some hits without them needing to be homers.

Andrew Walters (RP, Akron): 2IP, H, HBP, 3K - Walters keeps getting put in the highlights section as a reliever because he’s missed bats at an insane rate. 22 strikeouts in 10 innings. He’s nearly unhittable. Cleveland is trying to mimic what usage he would have in the majors, by having him come in earlier in the game when he easily could be “closing” and having him go two innings. So far, he’s responded to every situation incredibly. The only thing he hasn’t done is pitch in back to back games. But keep on eye on this strategy by Cleveland.

Alex Mooney (SS, Lake County): 5-5, 3 2B, RBI - Hard to believe Mooney is hitting hotter than he has been this week, but a 5-5 today is impressive. 3-5 with three doubles alone would have been impressive on its own.

CJ Kayfus (1B, Lake County): 3-5, HR, 4 RBI - Kafus is also off to a roaring hot start here in 2024 and already has three homers. Not bad for a college bat that most people said didn’t hav much pop.

Trenton Denholm (SP, Lake County): 6IP, 4H, ER, BB, 8K - Denholm has pitched well in his second go-around at High-A and may soon be ready to see what he can do at Double-A.

Angel Genao (2B, Lynchburg): 2-4 HR, 2 RBI - Genao continues to look like he knows how to hit pitching at this level after 2 1/4 years there.

Notable Performances

Kody Huff (C, Akron): 1-4, 2B, RBI, BB - Huff has really held it together offensively this year despite skipping High-A this year and not known for his bat.

Ryan Webb (SP, Akron): 5IP, 7H, 3ER, 3BB, 5K - Webb wasn’t really his best early on but he stayed in and settled down and ended up pitching fairly well. Not a bad thing to see him fight back on a day where he wasn’t all that great early.

Joe Naranjo (1B, Akron): 1-2, 2B, BB, K - It’s been a tough second go of Double-A so far for Naranjo but a double and a walk is a good day at the yard.

Petey Halpin (CF, Akron): 1-4, RBI, BB - Halpin has slowed down after his hot start but got the big hit here.

Jake Fox (CF, Lake County): 3-5 - Only three singles but Fox need to keep collecting hits after the slow start.

Nate Furman (2B, Lake County): 2-5 - Speaking of collecting hits, Furman now has a 12 game hit streak with two more in the win.

Rafael Ramirez Jr. (SS, Lynchburg): 2-3, BB - The first couple of weeks were tough for Ramirez, but he’s been hitting the ball with better regularity since.

Jaison Chourio (CF, Lynchburg): 1-,3 BB - Chourio hasn’t had many hits during the series but he’s doing a great job not expanding his zone and taking walks. Not that walks at this level translate to the next level but it’s better than him chasing this stuff.



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Alex Mooney smokes three doubles in five-hit game as all Guardians affiliates win

Cleveland Guardians minor league recap for Sunday, April 28, 2024

By Brian Hemminger@BrianHemminger Apr 28, 2024, 10:00am EDT



Akron RubberDucks 5, Altoona Curve 4
RubberDucks improve to 12-8



Aaron Bracho led the way offensively for Akron, going 3-for-5 with a double and a run batted in as the lone RubberDuck with a multi-hit game.

Joe Naranjo also had a good day at the plate, going 1-for-2 with a double, a walk and a sacrifice fly.

Other standouts included Kody Huff and Petey Halpin, who both singled and walked wile Milan Tolentino walked twice. Christian Cairo was hit by a pitch and had two sacrifice flies, knocking in two runs

Starting pitcher Ryan Webb allowed three runs on seven hits in five innings pitched, striking out five and walking three. Andrew Walters dominated in two innings of scoreless relief, striking out three and allowing one hit.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1784346127640236162

Jack Leftwich closed out the game with a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out one.


Lake County Captains 8, West Michigan Whitecaps 1
Captains improve to 10-9


Lake County was in complete control of this game, scoring eight runs on 17 hits in a one-sided affair.

No one impressed more than Alex Mooney, who was perfect at the plate, going 5-for-5 with three doubles, a stolen base and three runs scored, raising his OPS to 1.100 in the process.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1784347287071740073

A whopping five other Captains had multi-hit games. CJ Kayfus went 3-for-5 with a double and a home run, raising his OPS to 1.053.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1784306566557991009

Maick Collado also kept his OPS over the century mark, going 2-for-4 with a walk.

Nate Furman, Jake Fox and Angel Zarate all went 2-for-5, with Zarate doubling and stealing a base as well.

Trenton Denholm dominated, striking out eight and walking one in six innings, giving up one run on four hits to earn the win.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1784332975515013340

The bullpen of Alaska Abney, Joshua Wolf and Magnus Ellerts combined for three innings of scoreless relief to close out the victory.


Lynchburg Hillcats 3, Myrtle Beach Pelicans 2
Hillcats improve to 11-9


Lynchburg got an excellent start from Alonzo Richardson, then its offense did the rest of the work.

Richardson tossed 5 2⁄3 scoreless innings, striking out six and walking two while giving up three hits.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1784405212746162608

Jack Jasiak finished off the game, allowing two runs on three hits in 3 1⁄3 innings with four strikeouts.

Rafael Ramirez Jr. went 2-for-2 with a pair of walks and a double, going perfect at the plate in four appearances.

Angel Genao went 2-for-4 with a home run.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1784408799496880603

Jaison Chourio went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base and Manuel Mejias went 1-for-3 with a walk.


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Cleveland Guardians prospects: Let's not forget about Johnathan Rodríguez

The Cleveland Guardians need a power outfield bat, and Jonathan Rodríguez - currently in Triple-A - can certainly provide it. When will he eventually be called up to Cleveland?

By Steve DiMatteo | 9:55 AM EDT

Even as the Cleveland Guardians have propelled themselves to a 19-8 start, the siren call of Kyle Manzardo in Triple-A has not been quieted.

The fact is, the bottom half of Cleveland's lineup could use some shaking up soon, and it's only a matter of time before the Guardians start looking into the minor leagues for some additional roster depth and more offensive production.

Obviously, Manzardo has been the name constantly tossed out there, and for good reason. But outfielder Johnathan Rodríguez certainly deserves our attention as well. The 24-year-old is firing on all cylinders with the Columbus Clippers, slashing .298/.410/.548 with five home runs, six doubles, and 17 RBI through his first 100 plate appearances this season.

You read that correctly: Rodríguez is an outfielder mashing in Triple-A. Aside from left fielder Steven Kwan, the Guardians are still searching for any sort of decent consistency out of the outfield, so Rodríguez makes for a very enticing prospect to get up to Cleveland as soon as possible.

A Look at Johnathan Rodríguez's Scouting Report

Rodríguez has always been labeled as a high-risk, high-reward player with a long swing and tremendous power potential. But that's oversimplifying Rodríguez, who has proven he can also hit for a very respectable average and maintain his power while also keeping his strikeouts to a manageable rate. And with his success in Columbus in 2023 as well - he hit 11 home runs and 12 doubles in just 175 at-bats - there's pretty much nothing left for him to prove in Triple-A.

Throughout his time in the minors, Rodríguez has shown to need time to adjust to each new level, but the power is always there, and once he does get acclimated, he starts to mash. Guardians fans will have to be patient with Rodríguez once he does finally get called up, but he should be able to give Cleveland's outfield a generous power boost immediately.

Though every prospect is an unproven commodity, the thing that makes Cleveland's runway this season so exciting is that the team does have a number of major-league-ready bats that could certainly bolster the bottom of the order by year's end. Rodríguez will be one of them.

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Repeating what Joe posted:
Great week for Mooney continued, with his 5 hits including 3 doubles;
C. J. Keyfus also hit his 3rd double and 3rd homer
Andrew Walters (RP, Akron): 2IP, H, HBP, 3K - 22 strikeouts in 10 innings. Very short minor league career likely for the 2023 draft pick.

Rodriguez on base streak to start the season ends at 25 games on an 0-4 day

Columbus dropped the opener 5-4. All the runs were off X Curry in 5 innings.
Manzardo with his 6th homer and a walk.

And lost the nightcap 8-6. This time Manzardo singled in 4th trips.
Scheemann doubled and homered and singled.
Brito 0-4 is now hitting 189.
Noel's 4th homer
Tena 2 singles

Akron with a 6-5 victory; biggest news here is DeLauter's absence from the lineup over the weekend. Not on the IL. What's up with him?
Slick-fielding Yordy Valdes went 3-3 Now hitting 340. OPS 798/ 2nd round pick 2019 has never reached 250 in his Class A seasons.
2018 Round 1.5 pick Lenny Torres with his 4th save. ERA is 0.00. Pitches rather rarely. 8 innings total; 9 strikeouts; 7 walks

Captains 9-4 winners. Kayfus with a 2 run double. Hitting 360 OPS 1041 takes over the team lead over Mooney who went hittless and is at 1040.
CF Advincula singled; hitting 292. Another 2023 draft pick doing well
2B/OF Jake Fox has been rated a pretty good prospect but having a lousy April hitting 150.

Lynchburg has good hitting prospects, few good pitching prospects. Lost 12-8.
Chourio single and double [his 20 walks lead the league] his ONBasePct is 3rd.
Velazqez single and walk; Durango 2 singles and his 7th steal;
Esteban Gonzalez an OF, walked twice, singled once and stole his 9th, 10th, 11th and 12th bases of the season. Leading the league.
3 among the league top 10 in Slugging: Velazquez 5; Genoa 6; Chourio 8th
in OPS Chourio is 5th; Velazquez 7th; Genoa 10th

No. 1 on the Hot Prospect List:


1. Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B, D-backs

Team: Double-A Amarillo (Texas)
Age: 20

Why He’s Here: .542/.593/.958 (13-for-24) 5 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 2 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: This week is a perfect illustration of what enticed the Guardians to pick De Los Santos in last December’s Rule 5 draft. He was always going to be a tough player to keep on the roster, which is why Arizona was willing to take the risk of leaving him unprotected. But now that he’s back with the D-backs, De Los Santos is again showing the massive power potential that could make him a future everyday first baseman. De Los Santos is making a pretty strong argument to move up to Triple-A. He spent the tail end of 2022 and all of 2023 with Amarillo, and now that he’s hitting .395/.449/.716. He can convincingly argue that there’s just not much left for him to learn at Double-A. (JC)

WE COULDN'T HAVE SACRFICIED LAUREANO?

Top 10 update after one month [as ranked by MLB.com]

1/ DeLauter hitting 197 with one homer in AA; and remains out of the lineup for a second week due to undisclosed injury
2/ Manzardo 299 6 homers 14 walks in AAA
3/ Espino out for another season after another surgery
4/ Verlazquez 304 4 homers in Low A 919 OPS after a slow week
5/ Chourio 276 but 20 walks leads the league 8 steals 958 OPS 2 homers
6/ Brito in AAA 189 338 on base pct with 18 walks 2 homers
7/ Valera on the very slow recovery DL
8/ Clemmey LHP in Lynchburg 12/60 ERA after another stinker tonight [5 runs in 2 1/3) 21 walks in 12 2/3
9/ Angel Martinez on the 60 day DL
10/ Joey Cantillo on the 60 day DL

In sum: 3 guys look good; 3 not very good; 4 injured

of the rest of the top 30, standouts are
11/ Genoa in Lynchburg 320 881 OPS 3 homers 3 steals
20/ IF Alex Mooney 339 1040 OPS 5 homers 5 doubles for Lake County High A

Guardians spring training sensation nursing sore left foot at Class AA Akron

HOUSTON -- Chase DeLauter, who took spring training by storm for the Guardians, is having his left foot examined after missing several games at Class AA Akron.

DeLauter has not played with the RubberDucks since April 25. The Guardians do not believe the injury is serious, but he was not in Akron’s lineup Tuesday night. The Guardians said there was a chance he could play Wednesday.
The Guardians drafted DeLauter with their first-round pick in 2022 out of James Madison. DeLauter missed most of his final year at James Madison because of a broken left foot.


After the Guardians drafted him, he needed additional surgery to repair a broken toe on the same foot.

DeLauter, 22, didn’t get his professional career started until last year. He played a total of 57 games, hitting .286 for the Arizona Complex team, .366 at Class A Lake County and .364 at Akron.

He continued to shine in the Arizona Fall League. He hit .299 (26 for 87) with five homers and league-leading 27 RBI.

It was more of the same in spring training. DeLauter, who spent most of the spring in big league camp even though he was never officially invited, hit .520 (13 for 25) with four homers and 10 RBI in Grapefruit League.

He’s currently hitting .197 (12 for 61) with one homer and three RBI.