Cleveland Sports Forum

BASEBALL AMERICA ANAYLYIS
10 Prospects Who Could See Big Returns By Hitting More Balls In The Air

Let’s take a look at the data for this season and see if we can find players who are producing well but could take an even bigger jump if they got the ball in the air more often.

first on their list:
Jaison Chourio, OF, Guardians
Age: 18. Average launch angle: 8.3°. Zone Miss Rate: 11.4%. 90th Percentile EV: 102.7 mph.

Chourio, the younger brother of Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, recently joined Baseball America’s Top 100 on the strength of strong performances and scouting reviews over the last two seasons in the Arizona Complex League and at Low-A Lynchburg. This season, he’s part of a cavalcade of intriguing Cleveland prospects which also includes infielder Angel Genao, Rafael Ramirez Jr. and Ralphy Velazquez. The switch-hitting Chourio hits the ball hard, almost never misses pitches in the zone, has more walks (25) than strikeouts (18) and has the footspeed to make himself a threat on the bases and in center field. He has just three home runs in 75 career games, however, but could see that figure increase if he can put more of that hard contact in the air.

also highlighted:
Angel Genao, SS, Guardians
Age: 19. Average Launch Angle: 7.4°. Zone Miss Rate: 14.6%. 90th Percentile EV: 102 mph.

In 2022, Genao ranked as the No. 1 prospect in the Arizona Complex League. A year later, he struggled at Low-A Lynchburg while recovering from offseason knee surgery. In 2024, he opened scouts’ eyes in minor league spring training and has gotten off to a whizbang start in a return to the Carolina League. He’s already shown a big-time power rebound, with a 90th percentile exit velocity of 1.5 mph more than he showed during the 2023 season. He’s also raised his launch angle 2 full degrees year over year, from 5.4° last season to 7.4° through the first month of this season. The improvements to his ball flight have come with a little bit less contact but more power, including as many home runs (4) as he hit in 72 games at Lynchburg a season ago. Continuing that trend could mean even bigger gains on his prospect stock.

something happened midseason 2o23 that turned Johnnathan Rodriguez into a power hitter. Launch angle adjustment?
Now JRod has added more frequent walks to his repertoire
Nice to see a player able to adjust his offense as he moves upward through the farm system.

Not one of ours, yet:

Myles Naylor, the younger brother of Guardians' Josh and Bo Naylor, has been flexing with 10 home runs in his first 61 pro games. He's a 19 year old 3B.
He's only hitting 193 as a pro, 165 this year [just 008 points lower than brother Bo] He walks a lot and strikes out a lot.

Day game:

Shutout for 8 innings, the Rubber Ducks scored two in the last of the 9th for a walkoff win'

Aaron Davenport continues with his breakout season; 7 3 1 1 0 6 1.82; surrendered his first homer of the season
Perfect innings with 2 strikeouts each by Lenny Torres [ERA Zero; K/IP 13/11] and Andrew Walters ERA 1.10 K/IP 32/ 16 1/3

Kahlil Watson single and double

the kids in Arizona played a Little League quality game Monday.
Lost 14-10.
Our pitchers walked 14, delivered 6 wild pitches committed a balk
Line of the day: Javier Santos 2/3 innings no hits 1 strikeout 4 runs 6 games 8 wild pitches
In what passes for his career, he has pitched 4 times, actually retired 7 hitters and surrenderd but 1 hit; the total line is: 2 1/3 1 12 12 19 3 46.29 ERA 8.57 WHIP
this kid was actually a 7th round draft choice in 2022
Cost Cleveland $125,000 to sign this talented right hander, Here's his pre-draft scouting report:

A Dominican-born pitcher who moved to Georgia Premier Academy (the same program that produced Cleveland righthander Daniel Espino), Tejada* jumped on the scene last fall with massive arm talent and a fastball he was running up to 97-98 mph. Listed at 6-foot, 180 pounds, Tejada pitches in the mid 90s early in his outings before tapering off to the low 90s later in outings, but the pitch explodes on hitters and can be overpowering when he’s throwing it for strikes. He has also shown a 77-80 mph curveball with 12-to-6 shape, solid depth and big spin rates—2,600-2,700 rpm—but he has shown a tendency to slow his arm on the pitch. Strikes have been a concern with Tejada, as he’s scattered with both his fastball and breaking ball, and he doesn’t show a changeup frequently, either. Because of that, there’s some reliever risk for the Northwest Florida State JC commit, but he has one of the livelier fastballs in the prep class.

* Apparently Javier Tejada is the same guy as Javier Santos. Although he may want to try a new name.

Offensively Yanki Baptiste had another good day with 2 triples and a single; although there's no way to know if the triples were due to OF falling down while pursuing a pop up or actually smashes up the alley. He's 8-20 with a 1428 OPS

Dominican Summer League opener is June 3. OF Robert Arias is our big name in the Dominican/ The 17 year old OF is rated No 6 prospect in the DSL
Has never played a pro game but rated No. 17 prospect by MLB.com. Signed for $1.9M the most Cle has paid an international amateur since the $2.1 M given Gabriel Rodriguez in 2018 {$ well spent)

Scoreboard:

Arizona Complex League: ACL Giants 14, ACL Guardians 10

Highlights:

1B Yanki Baptiste (ACL Guardians): 3-for-5, 2 3Bs, 2 RBIs - The seven total bases for Baptiste was a game-high on both sides and he had a pair of triples to highlight his day. His three-base hit in the top of the second plated two and put the ACL Guardians ahead 6-2 at the time. He has six RBIs on the young 2024 season in Arizona.

SS Yaikel Mijares (ACL Guardians): 1-for-4, R, HR, 2 RBIs, SF - The first homerun of the season for Mijares came in the very first inning of Monday’s game. He would add a sacrifice fly as well for his first two runs batted in on the year as well.

LF Carlos Gutierrez (ACL Guardians): 2-for-5, 2 R, HR, 2 RBIs - It was the first homerun in the professional career for Gutierrez on Monday, a solo homerun to right in the top of the seventh inning. Gutierrez added an RBI single and later scored on a balk.

Notable Performances:

C Victor Izturis (ACL Guardians): 1-for-1, R, BB - Prior to being removed from the game for a defensive replacement, Izturis had reached base in each of his first two plate appearances via a single and a walk.

C Kevin Rivas (ACL Guardians): 1-for-2, R, BB, 2 PBs - Rivas had struggles defensively from behind the plate, but after entering for Izturis in the fourth, he would pick up where he left off in the seven spot in the order by reaching base twice.

DH Fran Alduey (ACL Guardians): 2-for-5, R, GIDP - Multi-hit game for Alduey with singles recorded in the third and fifth innings. He would score in the three-run fifth inning.

2B Jonathan Martinez (ACL Guardians): 1-for-3, R, RBI, BB, HBP, E4F - A little bit of everything for Martinez but in total, he reached base three times with a single, walk and hit by pitch from the leadoff spot in the ACL Guardians order.

3B Alberto Mendez (ACL Guardians): 1-for-5, R, GIDP, SB - After a leadoff single in the second, his work on the basepaths forced a Giants error and led to a run scored.

RF Luis Merejo (ACL Guardians): 1-for-4, R, 2B, HBP - The 17-year-old had a double on his ledger and reached a second time thanks to a hit by pitch and later score.



<


Juan Brito homers for third straight game, Tugboat keeps churning with eight more Ks

Cleveland Guardians minor league recap for Monday, May 13, 2024

By Brian Hemminger@BrianHemminger May 13, 2024, 10:05am EDT


Columbus Clippers 9, Iowa Cubs 6
Clippers fall to 16-22


Juan Brito homered for the third day in a row, blasting his sixth bomb of the season as the middle infielder continues to heat up. Brito hit a three-run moonshot in the fifth inning Sunday.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1789742069541433713

Jose Tena also homered, hitting his third of the season, which also was a three-run blast.

Daniel Schneemann continued his hot streak, going 2-for-5 while Myles Straw went 1-for-4 with a walk. Johnathon Rodriguez went 1-for-3 with a walk, George Valera went 1-fo-3 with a double and a walk and Diego Nunez went 1-for-3 with a walk.

Tyler Beede, who recently passed through waivers, started for Columbus and pitched two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts. A rehabbing Eli Morgan added 1 2⁄3 innings of scoreless relief with three whiffs. Nick Mikolajchak struck out the only batter he faced.

Will Dion came in for long relief and struggled mightily. He allowed six runs on five hits, a walk and two hit batsman while striking out just one in three innings.

Anthony Gose closed out the victory with two innings of scoreless relief, striking out two batters.


Akron RubberDucks 4, Bowie Baysox 5
RubberDucks fall to 21-12


Milan Tolentino hit his first home run of a the season, a two-run shot in the sixth inning that gave Akron a 4-1 lead at the time. He went 2-for-4 in the game.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1789738152271245703

Unfortunately, the bullpen and defense let the team down in a four-run sixth inning.

Christian Cairo went 2-for-5, Aaron Bracho went 2-for-3 with a walk, Micael Ramirez went 1-for-3 with a walk and both Dayan Frias and Yordys Valdes walked twice.

Starting pitcher Rodney Boone lasted just two innings, allowing one run on one hit, but also walking four batters and striking out two.

Jordan Jones added three innings of scoreless relief, but Erik Sabrowski was hammered for four runs (one earned) on four hits in his lone inning of work.

Ross Carver and Andrew Walters both did their jobs, adding a scoreless inning of relief each.


Lake County Captains 0, Dayton Dragons 3
Captains fall to 20-13


Lake County’s scorching offense was finally cooled off Sunday, getting shut out on just three hits.

Justin Boyd had the lone extra base hit, a double, while CJ Kayfus walked twice and Jonah Advincula singled and walked. Kayfus also stole a base.

The lack of offense ruined a strong starting pitching performance from Parker Messick. Messick allowed two runs in 5 2⁄3 innings on three hits with five strikeouts and three walks.

Josh Wolf and Zane Morehouse both chipped in scoreless innings of relief each.


Lynchburg Hillcats 5, Down East Wood Ducks 6
Hillcats fall to 18-15


Death, taxes and Tugboat throwing another gem.

Matthew “Tugboat” Wilkinson again was tremendous on Sunday. He allowed one run (a solo homer) on five hits with eight strikeouts and no walks in five innings of work. It actually raised his season ERA to 1.02 in the process. He only threw 62 pitches.

After Wilkinson, two members of the bullpen proceeded to allow three runs and two runs, respectively, to get a blown save and the loss.

Offensively, Esteban Gonzalez went 2-for-4 with two home runs an da hit by pitch to lead the way for the Hillcats. Both were solo shots, however,

Angel Genao went 2-for-5 with a double, Manuel Mejias went 2-for-5, Jaison Chourio went 1-for-3 with two walks and Ralphy Velazquez walked twice and stole a base.

<

Lake County has few guys rated among our top prospects but a lot of guys who are hitting well, leading to a 20=14 record.

Last night singles hitting Nate Furman hit 4 of them lifting is averge to 302.
Mostly singles hitting Guy Lipscomb having a great May had two hits lifting him to 341 P{S 919
Alex Mooney's 11th double; hitting 327 OPS 951
CJ Keyfus single and 2 walks, hitting 333 OPS 1045
Highest rank prospect Jake Fox went 1-5 and is hitting a lofty 155 OPS 554

It took 11 hits for the Captains to score 3 runs in a daytime 3-2 win on Wednesday.
Lipscomb had 3 more singles and his 9th steal
Mooney single and steal #11
Kayfus a single.
IF Jose Devers younger than all those others with single and double [age 20]
Reliever Zach Jacobs an 18th round pick with 4 shutout innings and a 1.71 ERA 0.71 WHIP 22K 21 IP

Columbus' less than formidable pitching staff allowed 11 runs on Tuesday night
Offensively 2 hits each by
Schneemann auditioning in LF one a double and 2 walks; 313/1041. Hardly the prospect status of Gabriel Arias but could be a David Fry surprise if they give him a chance
Brits one a double. In May among his 11 hits are 4 doubles and 4 homers plus 9 walks. Line is: 244/370/600
Rodriguez both singles and 2 walks as he adds to his OnBase skills For the season 291/398/461
and George Valera's sole hit was a 3 run homer, his 2nd.

while good old Myles Straw went 0 for 5 and is hitting 204. Next stop Akron?

Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 5/14/24

ARTHUR KINNEY

MAY 15


Scoreboard

Triple-A - Louisville Bats 11, Columbus Clippers 4
Double-A - Akron RubberDucks 2, Altoona Curve 1
High-A - Lansing Lugnuts 8, Lake County Captains 5
Single-A - Delmarva Shorebirds at Lynchburg Hillcats - RAINED OUT
ACL - Reds 4, Guardians 2

HIGHLIGHTS

Daniel Schneemann (Columbus, LF): 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 2 BB - With Kyle Manzardo now plying his trade at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario, Schneemann has become the offensive star at Neil and Nationwide, something that continued to prove true in Tuesday’s rain-delayed series opener as he extended his on-base streak to eight games with his third straight two-hit performance. Speaking of Manzardo, hopefully his need for an adjustment period in the Show leads to appropriate expectations regarding immediate performance when Daniel inevitably gets called up to the BIg Club.

Johnathan Rodriguez (Columbus, RF): 2-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 E - While his numbers may not be as gaudy as Schneemann - although last night’s statline certainly was - Rodriguez just keeps producing night in and night out - with last night’s contest was the 13th of his current on-base streak and the 37th game out of 38 played with a trip to the base paths for J-Rod.

Aaron Davenport (Akron, SP): ND, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R (earned), 6 K, 1 HR allowed - Davenport’s entire 2024 season so far has been impressive, but - unsurprisingly for someone adjusting to Double-A - his May had\s been even better than his April. Aaron has allowed one earned run in each of his three starts this month while adding an additional inning of length in each outing. The result has been a 1.50 ERA, 0.72 WHIP, 18:3 K:BB ratio, and .159 opponents’ batting average in 18 May frames.

Lenny Torres Jr. (Akron, RP): 1 IP, perfect, 2 K - Torres, like Davenport, is taking to Double-A quickly after a pair of seasons in High-A. While he has allowed a quintet of runs in his eleven innings as a RubberDuck, all have been unearned. He has also successfully converted all four save opportunities he has been given this season.

Andrew Walters (Akron, RP): W (3-0), 1 IP, perfect, 2 K - Walters has also taken the Eastern League by storm - which is even more impressive in his case as he joined the Mallards of Main Street not from the Lake County Captains but the Miami Hurricanes. A rookie performance like his (1.10 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, .169 opponents’ batting average and - this is NOT a typo - 32:5 K:BB ratio) seems to scream COLUMBUS!!!

Nate Furman (Lake County, 3B): 4-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 CS - Furman’s season-high four hits continued a dominant May during which he is slashing .353/.421/.529 with two homers and seven RBI in 38 plate appearances. A big night like this was only a matter of time for a paragon of consistency like Nate, who has reached safely in 20 of his last 21 games - 18 of those with a hit!

Fran Alduey (ACL, 3B): 2-3, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 SB - Alduey, being in his third season in the ACL, needs a breakout now and, so far, he has one, starting the 2024 desert campaign with a trio of multi-base games giving him an early 1.283 OPS.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

George Valera (Columbus, DH): 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K - Valera continues to heat up after starting the season on the IL with last night’s multi-RBI game being his second in a row

Juan Brito (Columbus, 2B): 2-4, 1 R ,1 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB - Brito has at least one extra-base hit in each game of his current five-game hitting streak. The trio each of doubles and homers are good for a .500 ISO and .875 SLG over that time frame.

Jaime Barria (Columbus, RP): 4 IP, perfect, 4 K - Barria dominated the Bats’ bats (pun intended) to keep the Clip Show in the game with his longest and best outing of the 2024 campaign.

Joe Naranjo (Akron, 1B): 2-4, 1 RBI, 1 K - Naranjo is slashing .353/.450/.441 for the month of May after this two-hit performance that included a game-tying clutch single in the bottom of the ninth.

Kahlil Watson (Akron, LF): 2-4, 1 2B, 1 K - The ‘Ducks’ other two-hit effort of the day ended an uncharacteristic two-game on-base drought for Watson.

Petey Halpin (Akron, CF): 1-4, 1 2B, 1 K - Halpin’s fourth-inning double extended his hit streak into its third week.

Milan Tolentino (Akron, SS): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - It doesn’t get much more notable than a walk-off hit.

Guy Lipscomb (Lake County, RF): 2-5, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K - Lipscomb has reached in all eleven games he has played in May, leading to a .439/.540/.537 slash line for the month.

C.J. Kayfus (Lake County, LF): 1-3, 1 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K - Kayfus is so good that he can reach thrice and actually see his OPS DROP two points (from 1.047 to 1.045) due to the lack of extra-base hits!

Alex Mooney (Lake County, 2B): 1-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 E - Mooney rebounded from a rare hitless day with his eleventh double of the season.

Victor Izturis (ACL, DH): 1-2, 1 BB, 1 K - Izturis is having an Aldueyesque start (1.340 OPS in four games) in his sophomore season in Goodyear.

Yerlin Luis (ACL, CF): 1-3, 1 2B, 1 HBP, 1 K - The A-Guards’ only extra-base hit of the night was Luis’ first one stateside.

Luis Merejo (ACL, RF): 0-2, 1 RBI, 1 HBP, 1 SF - Merejo had the only A-Guard RBI of the night on a fifth-inning sac fly (Alduey scored his first run on a first-inning wild pitch).

Austin Aldeano (ACL, SP): ND, 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R (1 earned), 1 BB, 4 K - Aldeano allowed only one earned run in four frames for the second time in as many official 2024 outings.

Deretd Parra (ACL, RP): 2 IP, 1 HBP, 2 K - A pair of near-perfect frames from Parra, who achieved the rare feat of getting signed to play stateside after being cut from a DSL roster, as the Rangers did to Deretd in February.


<


George Valera goes yard, Aaron Davenport has dominant start and Milan Tolentino walks it off for Akron

Cleveland Guardians minor league recap for Wednesday, May 15, 2024

By Brian Hemminger@BrianHemminger May 15, 2024, 10:30am EDT


Columbus Clippers 4, Louisville Bats 11
Clippers fall to 16-23


The Columbus Clippers scored four runs in the first inning, but then gave up 11 unanswered runs in a frustrating loss Tuesday.

George Valera only had one hit, but it was a big one, a three-run home run, his second of the season.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1790562704949657785

Daniel Schneemann continues to stay hot, going 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and a double, raising his OPS to 1.041.

Johnathan Rodriguez also reached base four times, going 2-for-3 with two walks. Juan Brito went 2-for-4 with a double and a walk.

Jose Tena went 1-for-3 with a walk and a stolen base. Raynel Delgado reached base three times, going 1-for-2 with two walks.

Starting pitcher Wes Parsons gave up two runs (one earned) in 1 2⁄3 innings pitched. He walked five and struck out three.

Doxakis gave up three runs (one earned) in 1 1⁄3 innings of relief. Jaime Barria was the star performer, tossing four perfect innings with four strikeouts.


Akron RubberDucks 2, Altoona Curve 1
RubberDucks improve to 22-12


Trailing 1-0, Akron rallied with two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to walk off against Altoona.

Aaron Bracho and Kody Huff opened the ninth inning with walks. Joe Naranjo then tied the game with an RBI single and Milan Tolentino singled up the middle to walk it off.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1790437709762167197

Khalil Watson went 2-for-4 with a double and Petey Halpin doubled. Naranjo had a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4. Tolentino went 1-for-3 with a walk.

Starting pitcher Aaron Davenport was sensational, allowing one run on three hits in seven strong innins of work with no walks and six strikeouts. His performance lowered his season ERA to 1.88.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1790427271838257356

The bullpen also was sensational as Lenny Torres Jr. continued his scoreless streak to begin the 2024 season with another perfect inning, striking out a pair. Andrew Walters earned the win with a 1-2-3 top of the ninth inning, striking out two.


Lake County Captains 5, Lansing Lugnuts 8
Captains fall to 20-14

Both Lake County and Lansing had big offensive games, but Lansing took advantage of seven walks.

Nate Furman led the way for the Captains, going 4-for-5. C.J. Kayfus went 1-for-3 with two walks. Guy Lipscomb stayed hot, going 2-for-5.

Alex Mooney doubled while Justin Boyd doubled in his lone at bat before leaving the game.

Starting pitcher Carter Spivey allowed four runs on eight hits in 4 2⁄3 innings, striking out five and walking three. Allan Hernandez tossed a scoreless 1 1⁄3 innings with a walk and a strikeout.

With the game tied 5-5, reliever Josh Wolf gave up a three-run homer without getting an out in the bottom of the ninth inning to allow Lansing to walk it off.


ACL Guardians 2, ACL Reds 4
Guardians fall to 4-4


Fran Alduey had the lone multi-hit game for the ACL Guardians, going 2-for-3 with a stolen base. Victor Izturis went 1-for-2 with a walk and YaikelMijares went 1-for-3 with a walk. Yerlin Luis went 1-for-3 with a double.

Starting pitcher Austin Aldeano allowed two runs (one earned) with three hits, a walk and four strikeouts in four innings. Kendeglys Virguez gave up two runs in his two innings of relief.

Deretd Parra tossed two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.

<

Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 5/15/24

MATTHEW KENNELL

MAY 16

Scoreboard:

Triple-A: Columbus Clippers vs Louisville Bats (PPD to 5/16)
Double-A: Akron RubberDucks 4, Altoona Curve 3
High-A: Lake County Captains 3, Lansing Lugnuts 2
Single-A: Lynchburg Hillcats 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 2

Highlights

RP Jack Leftwich (Akron): S (3), 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, K - It was a flawless eighth and ninth innings for the right-hander Leftwich and he needed it with only a one-run lead. Despite only one strikeout on the day, he has 23 in his 17.1 innings pitched in 2024. The 24-year-old was efficient with six outs in 15 pitches (11 strikes). Make it eight straight innings pitched without allowing a run or a hit (five appearances).

LF Connor Kokx (Akron): 2-for-3, RBI, SB - Kokx drove in Akron’s first run of the game with an RBI single in the third then swiped second base to showcase prowess on the basepaths. He would add a single in the bottom of the seventh as well. This is already his third multi-hit game out of seven in the month of May after missing the first month of 2024.

SS Milan Tolentino (Akron): 1-for-4, R, RBI - Just one hit for Tolentino on the day, but it was an impactful one as he sparked a three-run bottom of the sixth with an RBI single and later scored with a heads up baserunning play as the go-ahead and eventual game-winning run. The former fourth round draft selection has struggled thus far in 2024, but that is now hits in four of his last five games as he hopes to turn the corner.

RP Zach Jacobs (Lake County): W (3-0), 4.0 IP, H, 0 R, BB, 3 Ks - Jacobs had one of his best performances of the season on Wednesday in a long relief role where he tossed four scoreless innings. Seven of the first eight batters he faced were retired, with one reaching via an error. He allowed a walk and a single in the sixth, but a line drive double play got him out of trouble. He would go 1-2-3 in the seventh to set up Zane Morehouse for the two-inning save. He lowers his ERA to 1.71 on the season, as well as a 0.71 WHIP in 21.0 innings.

RF Guy Lipscomb (Lake County): 3-for-5, R, SB - A three-hit day for Lipscomb as he carries his momentum into mid-May. Singles in the first, third and fifth innings elevated his batting average to .367 with a .935 OPS. Looking at May alone, he is hitting .457 with an OPS at 1.088.

CF Jonah Advincula (Lake County): 2-for-4, 2B, 2 RBIs - Advincula had the game’s tying and go-ahead hits for Lake County as he drove in a run with his sixth inning double and brought home a run with a one-out single in the eighth inning. It is the 23-year-old’s first multi-hit game or game with multiple RBIs since April 25 when he did both against at West Michigan.

2B Christian Knapczyk (Lynchburg): 3-for-4, R 3B, RBI, DP - A 3-for-4 day was highlighted by an RBI triple that increased the team’s lead to 7-2 in a five-run seventh inning. He singled in the second and sixth innings as well to give him his first three-hit game since the first game he played in 2024.

SS Angel Genao (Lynchburg): 3-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBIs - Joining Knapczyk with three hits on Wednesday was Genao who was 3-for-4 as well. The 19-year-old drove in two with a double in the seventh - a hit that took the team’s winning probability from 87% to 97% with a 5-2 lead. He is now back above the .300-plateau following the win.

RF Esteban Gonzalez (Lynchburg): 2-for-5, R, 3B, RBI, CS - The RBI triple off the bat of Gonzalez gave the Hillcats the lead and kickstarted a crooked number for the team as they cruised to the win in the series opener (rainout on Tuesday). The team’s win percentage chances jumped 18 points after that at-bat.

LF Tommy Hawke (Lynchburg): 2-for-3, 2 RBIs, SF, SB - Through the first six innings, Hawke was responsible for both Hillcat runs after an RBI single in the bottom of the second and a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth. A single and a stolen base in the midst of the five-run seventh wrapped up his day. It is his first game this season with multiple runs batted in.

Notable Performances

RP Bradley Hanner (Akron): W (3-1), 1.1 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BBs, K - Hanner collected his third win of the season thanks to a scoreless 1.1 innings. He left an inherited runner stranded in the sixth and worked around a one-out single in the seventh as the team took the lead with him policing the rubber.

RF Alexfri Planez (Akron): 2-for-4, R, 2 OF assists - A pair of singles was not the highlight for the 22-year-old, it was a pair of assists from right field. He threw out a pair of runners trying to stretch singles into doubles early in Wednesday’s game.

2B Khalil Watson (Akron): 1-for-4, R - A hit and a run scored in the midst of the three-run sixth inning for the RubberDucks.

1B Dayan Frias (Akron): 0-for-2, RBI, SF - A sacrifice fly off the bat of Frias tied the game at 3-3 in the sixth.

RP Zane Morehouse (Lake County): S (2), 2.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, IBB, K - After taking the lead in the top of the eighth, the 24-year-old right-hander danced around traffic on the basepaths in the ninth inning for his second save. Back-to-back hits and a sacrifice bunt put the winning run in scoring position for Lansing, but an intentional walk and groundball double play skirted him out of trouble.

SS Jose Devers (Lake County): 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 2 DPs - Two hits and two runs scored for Devers as he ran his on-base streak to eight games. His leadoff double in the eighth resulted in the eventual game-winning run.

1B CJ Kayfus (Lake County): 1-for-5, RBI, DP - Kayfus had a two-out RBI single in the fifth to get the Captains on the board and he has now reached base safely in 18 consecutive contests.

DH Maick Collado (Lake County): 1-for-3, BB - Collado was able to reach base twice in Wednesday’s win via a single and a walk.

SP Yorman Gomez (Lynchburg): 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, BB, 5 Ks, BK - Gomez gave the team length with six innings of work, a task the bullpen will thank him for tomorrow for the doubleheader. The first eight batters were retired by Gomez and aside from the fifth, he allowed just three hits and two of them were erased by double plays.

RP Steven Perez (Lynchburg): W (1-0), 2 H, 0 R, 0 BBs, 2 Ks - The southpaw Perez scattered each of his two hits across the seventh and eighth innings, both resulted in zeros in the score column.

RP Wardquelin Vasquez (Lynchburg): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BBs, 2 Ks - Vasquez was rolling until he surrendered a pair of two-out walks, but a strikeout ended the game.

DH Juan Benjamin (Lynchburg): 2-for-4, R - It was a multi-hit game for Benjamin as the designated hitter, just his third of the season and first since early April.


<


Yorman Gomez and Zach Jacobs impress as three Guardians affiliates sweep

Cleveland Guardians minor league recap for Thursday, May 16, 2024

By Brian Hemminger@BrianHemminger May 16, 2024, 10:00am EDT


Akron RubberDucks 4, Altoona Curve 3
RubberDucks improve to 23-12


Akron only managed six hits and two walks, but the RubberDucks strung their hits together for three runs in the sixth inning to take the lead for good.

Alexfri Planez went 2-for-4 and Connor Kokx went 2-for-3 with an RBI single and a stolen base.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1790938956143423991

Starting pitcher Ryan Webb allowed three runs on six hits in 5 2⁄3 innings on three strikeouts and four walks.

Bradley Hanner earned the win with 1 1⁄3 scoreless innings of relief. Jack Leftwich closed out the victory with two innings of perfect relief and a strikeout to earn his third save of the season.


Lake County Captains 5, Lansing Lugnuts 8
Captains fall to 20-14


Guy Lipscomb had a great game from the leadoff position, going 3-for-5 with a stolen base, raising his OPS to .935. Alex Mooney went 1-for-5 with a stolen base, his 10th of the season.

Jose Devers went 2-for-4 with a double and Jonah Advincula went 2-for-4 with a double. Maick Collado went 1-for-3 with a walk.

Starting pitcher Juan Zapata allowed two runs on four hits in three innings. He walked two and struck out one.

The star of the pitching staff was Zach Jacobs, who contributed four scoreless innings in a piggyback performance with three strikeouts, one hit allowed and one walk. It might be time to give Jacobs, an 18th round pick in 2022, a shot in the starting rotation. He has a 1.71 ERA on the year in nine appearances spanning 21 innings with 22 strikeouts, just four walks and a 0.71 WHIP.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1790817348712124728

Zane Morehouse closed out the victory with two scoreless innings.


Lynchburg Hillcats 7, Delmarva Shorebirds 2
Hillcats improve to 19-14


Angel Genao led the way offensively, going 3-for-4 with a double, two runs batted in and two runs scored.

Christian Knapczyk went 3-for-4 with a triple while Esteban Gonzalez went 2-for-5 with a triple and a double. Juan Benjamin went 2-for-4 with a double. Tommy Hawke went 2-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and a stolen base. Ralphy Velazquez added a double and a walk.

Yorman Gomez had a quality start, allowing two runs on five hits in six innings with five strikeouts and a walk.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1790956359812309017

Steven Perez added two scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts while Wardquelin Vasquez closed out the game with a scoreless inning.

<

Thursday games:

Columbus split a pair; winning game 1 9-3
J Rod with his first homer in a while, his 7th, plus a single and another of his now-common walks
Brito with another of his now=common homers, also his 7th plus a single
Schneemann's 8th homer and a single and a walk
Valera double
Noel 9th homer
newcomer McGaughan 5 innings 3 runs 2 earned.

Game 2, X Curry with yet another miserable start 3 1/3 6 5 5 1 5 2 more homers ERA 8.79. That makes 11 homers in 28 2/3 innings. Shades of Zach Plesac
Tena single and double
Valera double
Schneemann 2 walks
Brito 0-4
Noel a single; Straw a single, keeping him over 200

Doug Nikhazy runs his seasonlong scoreless streak to 18 innings; 4 yesterday for Akron, 1 hit 1 walk 6 strikeouts
Petey Halpin a double and a triple; 264/747 for the still only 21 year old CF

Guy Lipscomb raises his May OPS to 1142 with his first homer and a single. HIs overall 373 average leads the league by 27 points. [Akron here I come?]
Fox and Furman each with a pair of singles

Lynchburg rained out

Kids in Arizona lost 8-3.
Santos he of the 8 wild pitches with a bouncback scoreless inning without a single walk allowed

Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 5/16/24

JUSTIN LADA AND ARTHUR KINNEY

MAY 17

Scoreboard

Triple-A - Columbus Clippers 9, Louisville Bats 3 (Game 1 - 7 innings)
Triple-A - Louisville Bats 6, Columbus Clippers 2 (Game 2 - 7 innings)
Double-A: Altoona Curve 4, Akron RubberDucks 1
High-A: Lansing Lugnuts 5, Lake County Captains 4
Single-A - Delmarva Shorebirds 5, Lynchburg Hillcats 2 (Game 1 - 7 innings)
Single-A - Delmarva Shorebirds at Lynchburg Hillcats (Game 2 - RAINED OUT)
Rookie Complex League: ACL Rockies 8, ACL Guardians 3

HIGHLIGHTS

Daniel Schneemann (Columbus - Game 1, SS; Game 2 - CF): combined 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K, CS, 1 Outfield Assist - While the high points of Schneeman’s day came in Game 1, including his eighth homer and 31st and 32nd RBI of the season, his second game was also notable with a pair of walks and an outfield assist.

Johnathan Rodriguez (Columbus - Game 1, DH): 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB - J-Rod also participated in the Game 1 Home Run Derby, getting the longballs started with a first-inning solo shot to left. Speaking of left field, he played there in the second contest, in which he went 0-for-2 with a walk. Game 2, which he played at third base, was not as successful with Juan going 0-for-4.

Juan Brito (Columbus - Game 1, 2B): 2-4, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 SB - Brito also got in on the round-tripper action along with having both the only multi-run and only multi-steal performance of Game 1.

Jose Tena (Columbus - Game 2, SS): 2-4, 1 2B,2 RBI, 1 K, 1 E - While this performance may have been merely noted in the proverbial fireworks show of the Noon contest, it stood out in an offense-starved game 2 for the Clip Show. Jose turned in a solid, if not notable performance in Game 1 (also at SS), going 1-for-4 with a stolen base and an error.

Doug Nikhazy (Akron - SP): 4IP, H, BB, 6K - Nikhazy is on the best roll of his career right now. He has yet to allow a run this year, though he did miss a few weeks with a shoulder issue. But he now has 25 Ks in 18 innings with just five walks with his new arm slot this year. He really looks like a different pitcher and this could be a huge development for him and the Guardians.

Petey Halpin (Akron - CF): 2-3, 2B, 3B, OF assist - Quite the day on both sides of the ball for Halpin as his bat has been pretty hot lately. He was pinch hit for in the eighth inning. A lefty was on the mound, but that seems odd in the minors. Hopefully Halpin is OK with his recent offensive hot streak.

Guy Lipscomb (Lake County - RF): 2-4, HR, SB - Lipscomb is hitting the ball well here in 2024. He’s a bit older than you’d want in High-A, but not by much. There are some Kwan-like skills here. Kwan was younger in High-A and has better contact ability and zone control, but it’s a bit Kwan-lite in those aspects. Lipscomb might have more speed and he has a bigger frame, so you’d think there might be more power in his profile too. He’s a player worth watching in 2024, especially if he can get to Akron.

Jose Pirela (ACL - CF): 2-5, 2B - It’s been a slow start for Pirela, who had a good DSL run lat year but had swing and miss concerns.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

George Valera (Columbus - both games, RF): combined 2-7, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 K - Valera equaled his doubless total from the first nine games of his injury-delayed season in one day with a two-bagger in each half of Thursday afternoon’s twin bill.

Jhonkensy Noel (Columbus - Game 1, LF): 1-3 ,1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI - Noel may not be getting much contact (ended the day under the Mendoza Line at .199), but the power numbers are there (9 HR and 27 RBI). He also hit a single in Game 2 as the first baseman.

Micah Pries (Columbus - Game 1, 1B): 1-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K - Speaking of first baseman, the occupant of that position wrapped up both the home runs and the Clippers scoring in general with a solo shot to center in the bottom of the fifth. He did not play in Game 2.

Darren McCaughan (Columbus - Game 1, SP): W (2-2). 5 IP, 5 H, 3 R (2 earned), 4 BB, 5 K, 1 HR allowed - While walking the two batters he faced in the sixth did serious damage to his statline, the first five innings of McCaughan’s organizational debut were solid,

Raynel Delgado (Columbus - Game 2, 2B): 2-3, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K - The other multi-hit performance of Game 2 included Delgado’s second double of the 2024 campaign. He did not play in Game 1.

Nick Mikolajchak (Columbus - Game 2, RP): 1.1 IP, 1 BB - Mikolajchak extended his scoreless streak to 2.1 frames in 3 games and has allowed only one tally in 4.1 innings this season.

Nate Furman (Lake County - DH): 2-5 - Furman has continued to figure out High-A pitching after an adjustment from last year and has been hot at the plate for a few series’ now.

Jake Fox (Lake County - 2B): 2-3, RBI, BB - Fox’s struggles this year are hard to figure out since he is repeating High-A, where he played fairly well at the end of the year last year. Also interesting he’s getting some reps at 2B again after spending most of 2023 in CF, and transitioning well.

Jaison Chourio (Lynchburg, CF): 2-4, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 SB, 1 Outfield Assist - Chourio’s all-around solid performance was a rare bright spot for the Hillcats on Thursday.

Ralphy Velazquez (Lynchburg, 1B): 0-2, 2 BB, k - Velazquez walked for the fourth straight game to bring his on-base streak to nine.

Manuel Mejias (Lynchburg, C): 0-1, 2 BB - Mejias, the last of the trio of Hillcats to reach safely twice, also did so via a pair of walks.

Yaikel Mijares (ACL - 2B): 1-3, HR, BB - Mijares is also off to a slow start in the ACL.

Luis Flores (ACL - RP): 2IP, H, 4K - The 20 year old LHP didn’t allow a hit in two innings and fanned four.


<


Nikhazy is Nails, Columbus Mashes in Game 1 of Doubleheader

Cleveland Guardians minor league recap for Friday, May 17, 2024

By Bwalsh52@Cle_Brendan52 May 17, 2024, 9:00am EDT


Columbus Clippers 9, Louisville Bats 3
Columbus Clippers 2, Louisville Bats 6
Clippers move to 17-24


The ball was soaring out of the park for the Clippers during game 1. Even with the seven-inning cap, Columbus crushed a total 5 round-trippers during the opening matchup. Johnathan Rodriguez, Juan Brito, Daniel Schneeman, Jhonkensy Noel and Micah Pries all joined in on the hit parade with the long balls.

It seems as though they should’ve saved some of those dingers for the second matchup however, as the Columbus offense was only able to muster 2 runs on the game. Jose Tena was the main highlight of the offensive performance for this one, providing the Clippers with two hits and the only two RBI.

Darren McCaughan pitched 5 strong in the opener, giving up three runs on 5 hits and four walks, while K’ing 5 batters. Mason Hickman threw the remaining two innings, while allowing only two baserunners and striking out 4.

Xzavion Curry got touched up quite a bit in game 2 as he had a final line of 3.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 2 HR, 5 K. Zay remains devoid of a win so far this season, with his season record falling to 0-5. Jaime Arias and Nick Mikolajchak held their own for the remaining 3.2 innings, giving up only a run on 3 hits and 3 walks.

The bullpen for the most part held things down until the Curve, in a tie game in the 9th, got to Jordan Jones for 3 runs. Jones took his 3rd L of the season, putting up a final line of: 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K.

The only Rubberduck run that was scored was off a sac fly hit by Alexfri Planez, plating Joe Lampe who had got on base by means of a double. Petey Halpin also had him a good day, going for extra bases twice — once for a double and the second time for a triple.

Lake County Captains 4, Lansing Lugnuts 5
Box Score · Captains fall to 21-15

The Caps offense tried to stay up to pace with that of the Lugnuts, but to no avail. That being said, Nate Furman, Guy Lipscomb and Jake Fox all logged 2 hits each on the day, with Lipscomb going yard for a homer.

Trenton Denholm had a rough start, giving up all 5 of the runs scored by Lansing, while only being able to strike out 4 batters in 5 innings. Adam Tulloch carried out the rest of the duties, throwing 3 clean innings while allowing only 3 baserunners.


Lynchburg Hillcats 2, Delmarva Shorebirds 5
Hillcats fall to 19-16


Jaison Chourio was the main highlight on the offensive side for the Cats. He logged 2 hits and drove in a run. Angel Genao and Christian Knapczyk were the only two others to record a hit.

Jackson Humphries gave up a lot of hits, 8, to be exact. But he still managed to give up only 3 runs in his 4 IP. He and Matt Jahchec both had trouble with the long ball, giving up 3 total homers. Humphries was charged with the loss, and now falls to 0-2 on the season.


ACL Guardians 3, ACL Rockies 8
ACL Guardians fall to 4-5


Yaikel Mijares had a trip around the bases, hitting his second homer on the season. Jose Pirela, Fran Alduey and Carlos Gutierrez had a few total XBHs of their own, all logging one double each.

Jacob Bresnahan got jumped early and quick by the Rockies’ ACL team, giving up 7 runs in his first two IP. He managed to eat one more inning, but the damage was already done and that would be the end of his day.

The bullpen would go on to give up only one run with 4 baserunners, while K’ing 6 Rockies batters.

Though the Ducks failed to win this one, Doug Nikhazy has continued to lock down opposing lineups. Doug has yet to give up a single run so far in 18 innings pitched this year. He continued his early dominance, only allowing two baserunners and fanning 6 in 4 IP.

<