Cleveland Sports Forum

1. Travis Bazzana
2B
2. Jaison Chourio
OF
3. Angel Genao
SS
4. Chase DeLauter
OF
5. Ralphy Velazquez
1B
6. Welbyn Francisca
SS
7. Cooper Ingle haven't seen him this high on any lists; since he's not their projected catcher in the future and he's not the best defensive catcher, where do they project he winds up] C
8. C.J. Kayfus
1B
9. Juan Brito
2B
10. Joey Cantillo
LHP

BA chat will follow:

Q The top 5 on the list are all on the top 100. Does Francisca join them in 2025? Does his offense remind you of a slightly slower version of Corbin Carroll?
A I wouldn't be shocked if that happened, though I didn't think of Corbin Carroll much when reporting on him and writing his report.

Q Juan Brito is rated much higher in other early rankings. Where is the love?
A He ranks inside the top 10 of what I see as a really good farm system. You could argue him a few spots higher but I didn't hear from basically anyone who would have him in the mix of the top six grouping that you see here. It does sound like there's some polarizing thoughts on him and some people like him more than where I have him and might consider him a top 100 type. For me it's just the defensive limitations and lack of a carrying tool that keeps him out of that range. It's a pretty good blend of offensive ability though.

Q Travis Bazzana turned only 6 double plays in 27 games at 2B at Lake County. What do you do with him if it turns out that he can't play 2B?
A If he can't play second base I would love to see him out in center field to see what he could do. He's a plus runner and a pretty strong athlete. That said, the Guardians seemed thrilled with the early returns of his defensive progress and he's going through an arm program as well. Given his offensive upside I don't think he needs to be anything more than a fringy defender to be fine at second though.

Q Does Brito have a legit shot at making the majors this season or do you think because he is blocked that he would benefit from staying in AAA for development?
A The Guardians have two regular position players controlled for the forseeable future and both of those players happen to play Brito's best positions and are better options than he is. I think he's ready for a big league role. Whether that's in a part time/utility sort of role with the Guardians or as an everyday player for another team is a good question. I would think he's a decent trade chip based on all the other infielders ahead of him in the org.

Q What do you think is Parker Messick's ultimate role in MLB? What does he have left to do to get there?
A Just keep doing what he's doing. Maintain or improve the body moving forward if he's able to do that would help. Adding velocity would help. Right now he looks like a backend starter and has a similar profile to what I expected coming out of the draft. The changeup still sounds legit.

Q Your thoughts on Tugboat [Wilkinson]. Scouts say his 91 mph fastball won't get out better hitters, but he's succeeded at every level [N.B. Not beyond High A so far]. Could he become a Jimmy Key
A I came into the Guardians list this offseason expecting to not like Tugboat much. His season was spectacular but it's just such. an. odd. profile. That said, he earned much better reviews from scouts than I was expecting. He's managed to miss bats with a fastball in the upper 80s thanks to his release height and the deception in his delivery, the changeup might be his best pitch in a vacuum and the strikes have been good. It's hard to not remain skeptical of a guy like this given the velocity though. We'll see if he keeps doing it at higher levels.

Q The fact that Cantillo was trusted to be used in the playoffs, to me that means they believe in him. How likely will he be in their starting rotation for 2025?
a I'd be surprised if he wasn't in their rotation to start the year. He made strides with his control down the stretch in September and Cleveland sounds pretty excited about his progress, makeup and curveball.

Q Aside from Kwan Cleveland has seemed to lack punch from their OF bats. I worry about Delauter and injuries. Will Chourio have the power needed to work for them?
A Those are the key questions with both those players. If DeLauter was on the field regularly he's probably the top prospect in the system and a top-20 player in the game. And Chourio does pretty much everything at a high level right now and the power is the one thing you still need to dream on a bit. I don't think Chourio is going to be some big slugger for them—he doesn't have the physicality of his brother—but I was pretty close to having him as the No. 1 player in this system despite that.

Q Will Petey Halpin ever reach big league value? What is the case for and against Petey? Seems like he might be a late bloomer with strength gains.
A He probably has big league value right now. He's a great runner and great defender in center field, so he could fill a defensive replacement or pinch running role right away. The case against him is that his bat is extremely light and might prevent him from ever being a first-division regular.

Q Given what Velazquez does and doesn't possess, he is limited to 1B. That puts additional pressure on his bat. Can he improve to be a successful 1B for CLE?
A Yes. He's got an everyday regular grade with the understanding that first base is going to be the position he's playing regularly. Scouts are enamored with his hit/power combination despite a batting line that was fairly pedestrian overall. I'd love if he could catch, but I still like this profile knowing he's a lock for first and I'd still have him solidly inside the top 100. He could get to 70 raw power. And he's still quite young—he doesn't turn 20 until next May.

Q I don't see young Manzardo mentioned anywhere. I'm wondering if he can't be a 1B/DH for Cleveland as soon as 2025? Was he that disappointing in 2024?
A Manzardo has graduated from prospect status so I didn't really put much thought into him. I'm guessing he would have fit into that Ingle/Kayfus/Brito tier if he were eligible.

Q Any hope left for Khalil Watson?
A I think so. There's still lots of bat speed and raw power in the tank. He did some things well this season. My expectations have cooled a lot since the 2021 draft though. I was extremely high on him, and obviously he hasn't been the sort of hitter I thought he could be. He'll still land on this top 30 because of the tools and upside, even though the K% is scary and he's no longer a regular shortstop.

Q I'm curious about what you think of CJ Kayfus? Where does he end up playing, is he a starter or a bench player? Position wise is he better at 1B of OF?
A He's a really good pure hitter and has been for a while now. The tweener profile has always been a challenge and he's still battling that. Not quite enough power for a typical first base role and not a good enough defender in an outfield corner to be thrilled with running him out there with the same power question. He needs more bat speed and strength. He's a much better defender at first than in the outfield.

Q Johnathan Rodriguez puts up some highly impressive stats in AAA and is rated a good defender, so why is so far down on the prospect lists?
A I don't think we view him as that sort of defender. He has a case for the best power hitter in the system but his pure hitting ability is what ultimately has held him back. He's going to be on the top 30.

Q A question about catchers: Naylor is your projected future catcher; Cozart the best defensive catcher; and Ingle cracks the top 10. How do all fit in?
Carlos Collazo
A No one's ever complained about having too many good catchers have they? Frankly they will figure this out depending on how these guys all develop and progress. Cozart has real hit questions, Ingle doesn't have much power and lacks arm strength, Naylor is a great receiver and is still young enough to take a step forward with the bat. If they all pan out, trade one. Odds are they won't all pan out.

Q Espino has the best fastball and best slider, but since his future is so uncertain, who would you name as the second best for both pitches?
A Andrew Walters would be best fastball and either Walters or recently drafted righthander Joey Oakie for best slider.

Q Jaison Chourio' exit velos show his bat has impact and his low HR totals are launch angle issue,. If he can hit the ball in the air more, is 20+ HR possible?
A Insofar as his lack of home run production is an "issue" for him as a 19-year-old, it's a lack of both physicality and balls in the air. I don't think manufacturing a swing to get the ball into the air at such a young age is necessary, especially for someone who's got such tremendous contact skills and swing decisions. The power will come naturally as he develops and gets stronger. But yes, I could easily see him getting to 20-homer juice.

Q Welbyn Francisca's power assessment reads similar to Corbin Carroll's at 18. If he's showing those exit velos already, why can't he be a 20+ HR guy at peak?
A The reader Corbin Carroll comp seems to be a common one here. I won't endorse that, but as for your question: he's simply a very smaller player who hits the ball on the ground a lot. I don't know how much physical projection you can have with this sort of physique, hence the 40 future power grade. He needs to add strength for both his offense and throwing.

Q Jaison Chourio currently only lacks 1 tool, power. If he taps into more in 2025 are we looking at a Roman Anthony type of rise to one of the elite in the top 100?
A I don't think he'll ever have Roman Anthony power. They are different players with different body types. Anthony has gargantuan raw power. But I think Chourio's pure hitting ability, athleticism and defensive ability in center could all lead to him getting into that elite tier of prospect, yes.

Q Angel Genao is listed at 5'9" 150 but in the analysis you list him at 6'1 185. Just confirming since that seems huge in terms of power projection? Thanks Carlos
A I don't exactly know where our DB pulls heights and weights from but I'm assuming it's pulling their official listed weights with MiLB. But yeah, all of the international guys in the top 10 have outdated heights and weights listed officially. Reference the heights and weights in the report, which are more accurate.

Q What are you hearing about Cleveland’s plan for Espiño? Reliever now or is the goal to move him to SP? Has his stuff fallen off since he last pitched?
A Well he's probably going to miss all or most of the 2025 season so he's going to remain a pretty huge question mark. He's too talented to not try and have him continue starting when he returns, but the amount of injuries he's dealt with certainly make you wonder if ultimately he'll wind up in the pen. A big shrug on this one. I'm rooting for him though. He's had to go through a ton.

Q I was disappointed that a team with thin starting pitching left Ryan Webb unprotected for Rule 5. Would you have protected him over Halpin or Enright?
A I could see a case for him over Enright but I honestly don't feel too strongly about it. Enright's fastball is beefier with great carry and Webb had fairly lukewarm scouting feedback despite an impressive pitching line in the upper minors.

Q Question about former prospects: What does the pitching factory have to do to rescue Gavin Williams and Logan Allen?
A I haven't focused too much on these guys but blessing Gavin Williams with health would be a good start I would think.

Q Thanks for chatting Carlos! If you had to guess, does Jaison Chourio end 2025 as a top 20 prospect in all of baseball? Feels like power is the missing piece
A I'll be fun and say yes.

Hi Carlos, thanks for the Chat! Dylan DeLucia seemingly had a great season returning from injury in 2024. What are the chances of a breakout for him this year?
A Big game Dylan DeLucia! He was a blast to watch as an amateur. I saw him win again and again and again. I'd like to see him pitch deeper into games in 2025, but the fastball and slider both played well in 2024. I don't know that I'd predict a breakout for him though.

Q Do you think Doug Nikhazy or Parker Messick could contribute to the rotation in 2025?
A Could easily see that.

Q Who projects as a possible upcoming breakout player from this season's Arizona or Dominican League teams?
A If Francisca shows more impact or just keeps producing while showing scouts more conviction that he's definitely a shortstop I could see him making a leap. Robert Arias, Juneiker Caceres and Gabriel Rodriguez are all names to keep in mind as well.

Q Jake Fox stays on top 30 lists [the current mlb,com list] but his numbers don't seem to warrant it. Is he ready for a breakout?
A He fell off our list in the middle of the season and I don't expect him to rank in the updated top 30 for next year at this point. Too many interesting players in front of him.

Q Petey Halpin added some power to his rather tepid offensive stats. Does he have a chance to develop into a big league Center Fielder?
A His top end EV numbers were pretty similar to a year ago and his 90th-percentile EVs were down. He has solid contact skills, but he's a bit aggressive and I don't think you're ever getting near average power production with him. Still, he could carve out a big league role despite that thanks to his defense and speed.

Q Will Ryan Cesarini break out as Kristian Campbell of 2025
A This will be the easiest chat answer of all time: no. (But he has made himself interesting either way given that pro debut.)

Q What we expect from their newly drafted prep arms and some international arm in A
A I'm shocked I haven't had more questions about all the new high school pitchers the team just drafted! I guess I'm an outlier in terms of buying into the prep pitching demographic. But Braylon Doughty and Joey Oakie both have exciting upside and pure stuff. Doughty might already have the best breaking ball in the system without having pitched in an official game. I love the movement on Oakie's entire arsenal. Then you have guys like Chase Mobley and Cam Sullivan with stuff as well. Cleveland added lots of pitching upside in this draft.

Q Cleveland has accumulated power hitters at the very low levels, winning some acclaim in BA statistical analyses; could you comment on some of the best of them.
A Well, Cleveland did rank near the bottom of the league in our Statcast hitter rankings with 90th-percentile exit velocity and they were below-average in barrel rate as well. I definitely still view them as a hit-oriented org. But guys like Johnathan Rodriguez, Kahlil Watson and Alfonsin Rosario add some variety.

Q What should we know about newly acquired Alfonsin Rosario?
A Huge tools, huge hit risk. He's got a ton of power and he has a massive throwing arm as well, in addition to good speed. But he swung and missed at a 42% rate this year and that ultimately could prevent him from getting to a bit league role. He showed he could take a few walks, which was nice, but he'll need to find a way to add more contact.

Q Parker Messick had A strong season this year while reaching AA. I thought he might be included in the top 10. Where do you see him slotting in in the top 30?
A I don't think he has the sort of upside potential to crack this top 10. He should slot in somewhere in the middle of the list with guys like Matt Wilkinson and Doug Nikhazy, who have similar profiles.

Q What is Genao's power ceiling?
A Above-average power wouldn't be shocking for him. I put an average power grade which, for us, translates to 19-22 homers over the course of a full pro season.

Q Any pitchers in the system that could potentially blossom into an ace or at least a #2 starter?
A It's a big if obviously, but Espino has No. 1 stuff if he can come back healthy. Beyond him Braylon Doughty and Joey Oakie are closest to having that sort of upside but they need a lot of time.

Q DSL's Estivel Morillo got a couple of shouts from BA this summer. Did he crack the top 30?
A The top 30 isn't locked in just yet for me but I don't think he will. This Cleveland system is incredibly deep, maybe the deepest I've handbook chapter I've written about in my time at BA. Though this is my first year doing the Guardians and I think they typically have pretty impressive prospect depth.

Q You have to choose one of Kristian Campbell or Travis Bazanna. Who do you choose? How big is the gap between both and what are their comparative celings?
A My guess is we'll have Campbell higher on our top 100 with some on the staff probably having him as a top-10 sort of player. I would personally take Bazzana, but for whatever reason I have come around to Campbell slower than others. I have more conviction in Bazzana's hitting ability. I don't think their ceilings are too different to be honest. We have both players with All-Star upside but Campbell has done it in the upper minors while Bazzana hasn't yet.

Does "Big Christmas" no longer have prospect eligibility? Where would he fall in this list?
Yep, he's graduated. He had 179 ABs in the majors this year. As such, I didn't consider where he would have ranked.

Is it safe to assume Daniel Espino is fried at this point?
He will get every opportunity to come back and prove he's not fried. He looked exceptional when he was on the mound and healthy. Still, that's a lot to overcome. I'm sure plenty of people thought Brent Honeywell was fried. Now he has a World Series ring. Never say never.

Q Looks like Ralphy Velasquez will be at first base or be a designated hitter - true or false?
True

Q I'm a Columbus season ticket holder. I was talking to an NL scout there that told me Brito would be a top 100 prospect if he was with a NY team. Is that true?
A What would change if he was a prospect with a New York team?

Q I loved watching Guy Lipscomb in college, what do you think he needs to improve on to make it to the big leagues?
A Get stronger, add bat speed and hit the ball harder. [that's all!]

Q Do you think Ingle has a legitimate chance of taking Naylor’s spot as an everyday catcher for them sometime in the future?
A He could. He controls the zone well and makes a lot of contact. He's made strides defensively. He does enough to profile as a solid-average regular. It depends on how Naylor's bat develops.

Q What does Jackson Humphries need to do to take a step forward? BA was pretty high on him last year.
A He took a pretty significant step back this year. He lost weight, the athleticism backed up, his fastball velocity backed up and it sounds like his pitch quality across the board backed up. So... looking more like the 2023 version would be a good start. He averaged 90 mph with the fastball and doesn't have the sort of command profile for that to work.

Q Could Junieker Caceres or Gabriel Rodriguez be a top 10 Guadians this time next year? What are their ulimate upsides?
A Not sure about top 10 next year for these guys but both have intriguing hit tools like many Cleveland prospects. Rodriguez has more exciting physical projection and defensive upside than Caceres does.