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Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Sun Dec 22, 2024 11:58 am
by TFIR

2024 Cleveland Guardians Pitching Prospect of the Year

Has the pitching factory found a diamond in the rough?
Justin Lada
Dec 22



The top pitching prospect of the year in the Cleveland Guardians farm system is usually a pretty competitive group to pick from. The pitching factory hasn’t been quite as fruitful the past two seasons now as it has been. 2022 was an extremely easy pick of Tanner Bibee whereas 2023 was Will Dion, a lighter pick (as much as I liked Dion at the time) from years past. This year has some good options, perhaps a little more competitive, but picking between Bibee and Gavin Williams in 2022 felt much healthier in the system. In the past I’ve even been able to pick a pitcher as my prospect of the year for the organization.

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2023 Next Year in Cleveland - Cleveland Guardians Prospect of the Year
Justin Lada

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Jan 1
2023 Next Year in Cleveland - Cleveland Guardians Prospect of the Year

2023 Next Year in Cleveland Guardians Prospect of the Year

Read full story

So that being said, here’s who I am considering for the Cleveland Guardians pitching prospect of the year in 2024.

RHP Austin Peterson

2024 line: 27 GS, 160 IP, 159 SO (22.7 K%), 21 BB (3.5 BB%), 2.64 ERA, 2.54 FIP

Coming in from UConn in the 2022 draft class, I had better expectations of Peterson in 2023 where he spent the entire season at Single-A Lynchburg, which given Peterson’s dominance in college, I thought he would be much better there than he was. He posted a 4.54 ERA and a 4.14 FIP as a four year college starter pitching at age 23 and only posted a 20.3 K%.

So to see what he did in 2024 was encouraging and sort of more in line with what I would have expected in 2023, except he was able to do it at two higher levels. He also posted a better walk rate overall and picked up his strikeout rate. His fastball only runs 90-92 and gets to 94 at times, but it plays up over its velocity due to his extension and being 6’6. He’s also a good athlete and repeats his delivery well for a longer limbed pitcher. His slider is a good above average secondary, and has about and average curveball and an above average changeup, that is a harder changeup (high 80s). He can throw all four for strikes and that really helped him take a leap in 2024 and if can get used to the ball in Triple-A quickly in 2025, he could be an option at the big league level as a starter. He also was second in all of minor league baseball in innings pitched (160), which is a good sign of durability too.

LHP Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson

2024 line: 24 GS, 118.2 IP, 174 SO (37.6 K%), 37 BB (8%), 1.90 ERA, 2.69 FIP

Tugboat came into his 2024 debut with a reputation as a strike thrower and competitor in college with a husky build and quite the demeanor. All that was true all year long, jumping onto radar’s with a 15 strikeout game in his fourth start of the season and remained consistent in both performance and attitude all year.

Wilkinson succeeds due to his strike throwing ability but also his very low release angle to the plate which makes his fastball hard for hitters to pick up, which he needs as he only throws 87-89 and his 90-91 a few times in 2024. He pairs that with a changeup and slider that are both good offerings and he can throw all three for strikes. His command, deception and pitchability were good enough to dominate Low-A and High-A. It’s been a great story for a 10th round pick out of a JUCO to have this kind of success and his body type also lends him to being more of a cult hero too. The question will remain if that fastball velocity will work in Double-A and above or if he will need more.

LHP Parker Messick

2024 line: 26 GS, 133.2 IP, 165 SO (30.2 K%), 44 BB (8 BB%), 2.83 ERA, 3.25 FIP

The 2022 2nd rounder repeated High-A to start the year after a strong performance in over 80 innings there in 2023. He brought his ERA down some and trimmed his walk rate just slightly. Messick saw his fastball velocity a tad more consistent in 2024, running more 89-92 and hitting 94, up from 88-90 and hitting 92 last year. He’s continuing to improve his physical conditioning as well, which has helped. He finished fifth in the minors in strikeouts, despite finishing outside of the top 30 in innings pitched. His strikeout rate actually went up slightly in Double-A (28.3% to 32.3%) while maintaining the same walk rate within 0.1 (8.1%). It’s a good sign that his plus changeup continued to play against upper level hitters and his lighter fastball didn’t set him back any further, showing that the shallow approach angle on it also worked at that level. His control/command largely remained the same throughout the year, and we will see at the next level if that maintains, but he stayed on track to be a back to the rotation starter at the major league level despite Cleveland’s slow tempo with his promotions.

2024 Cleveland Guardians Pitching Prospect of the Year

RHP Austin Peterson

2024 line: 27 GS, 160 IP, 159 SO (22.7 K%), 21 BB (3.5 BB%), 2.64 ERA, 2.54 FIP

Perhaps a controversial call here for some because of Wilkinson’s strong performance in 2024 (2nd in strikeouts, 1st in K%). I suppose the best pitching performer of the year in the system should probably be the best numbers, but I’m allowing the future to factor in a little here when it comes to Peterson vs. Wilkinson. Peterson might be a little more similar to Messick actually, and all three actually probably carry the same future (4/5 starters) but Peterson to me has the best command of this group, and I buy his fastball playing more at the big league level due to being a little more stable (90-92, t94) and playing up due to extension, though Messick and Wilkinson do have unique approach angles on the fastball that help aid them. I also liked the increased depth of Peterson’s slider this year, his ability to throw the curve for strikes more and his changeup at times looked really nasty, a power type changeup that if he can find that level more consistently, might give him his lone plus pitch. I could see Peterson climbing as high as a lighter no. 3 starter who will probably have some home run issues because of his tendency to be in the zone and his fastball velocity won’t give him room for error, but the other three pitchers and command should give him enough to handle being a #3 or #4. I bought in a little too much on Will Dion a year ago here thinking that his secondaries and command, and ability to suppress homers in Double-A would allow him to overcome a bad fastball. I also bought in on Dion going to Driveline and working on his delivery and sustaining some velo. That didn’t pay off and Peterson could very well see some similar issues at Triple-A as he gets used to the different ball and does have a lighter fastball, but it’s still a better fastball than Dion and he’s a much more physical pitcher too at 6’4. So I’m buying in once again here with Peterson having a very consistent season that could carry into 2025, whereas I don’t have enough belief in Tugboat’s fastball quite yet to work, the same way Dion’s didn’t and Messick doesn’t have as elegant of control or command as Peterson. As I said in the past, this has been Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee in 2022, so the upside was much more clear there. 2024 like 2023 is more of a shot and projection, but that’s a little more fun and I’m buying in on Peterson.

Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 5:37 pm
by civ ollilavad
all 5 of those guys looked extremely good in 2024 and could project into valuable major leaguers. Farm system continues to produce letting them field a perpetually young perpetually cheap big league club

Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Mon Dec 23, 2024 8:02 pm
by joez
Guardians Have Four Draft Picks Inside The Top 75 In 2025 Draft

December 23, 2024

By Andres Chavez


Cleveland Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said on Sunday that he has to have an eye on the team’s future while trying to put together the best possible roster for 2025.

He said it in the context of the Josh Naylor trade, as the Guards lost an important middle-of-the-order producer.

However, we should all be focusing on what the team gained, and it was a good return for a corner outfielder one year away from free agency.

Cleveland got pitcher Slade Cecconi and Arizona’s 2025 Competitive Balance Round B pick.

That is a rather high draft pick and it has plenty of value because the Guards can turn it in anything they want.

Now, they have as many as four top picks next year.

“The #Guardians’ acquisition of a Comp. Round B selection gives them four of the current Top 72 picks in the 2025 Draft,” MLB Draft posted on X.

The Guardians are known for building sustainable teams.

That’s exactly how they have been able to contend more often than not since the Terry Francona era started in 2013 and now under Stephen Vogt.

They do this by prioritizing their farm system.

They might not spend much in free agency, but they are routinely a playoff-caliber team with their philosophy.

In this case, they traded a win-now asset in his prime but they made sure to get a similarly talented replacement in Carlos Santana and added a solid pitching prospect in Cecconi.

On top of that, they added yet another pick in next year’s draft and now will be able to select four top players among the first 75 picks.

The 2025 Guardians’ offense will be as good as their 2024 edition thanks to Santana, and the future Guards will have four additional top prospects if the team chooses wisely.

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Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2024 12:10 pm
by joez
Each team's prospect whose stock improved most in '24

AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Guardians: C.J. Kayfus, 1B/OF (No. 6)


Since turning pro as a 2023 third-rounder out of Miami, Kayfus has shown improved bat speed and done a better job of driving the ball in the air than he did in college. He hit .291/.393/.511 with 17 homers and 92 RBI (seventh in the Minors) in 107 games between High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron.

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Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2024 1:33 pm
by TFIR

2024 Cleveland Guardians Prospect of the Year

Which Guardians prospect made the leap in 2024?
Justin Lada
Dec 28




Things have sure changed the last few years in the Cleveland Guardians system, showing more position player prospects than pitching since graduating the likes of Logan Allen, Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams, and seeing Daniel Espino’s health stall. It remains to be seen if Cleveland can actually develop position player prospects into productive major leaguers. Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez are their main wins right now on that side of things in the majors. Neither of their past two first round picks are on my list this year for Prospect of the Year, which is only position player prospects because I did Pitcher of the Year since none of them really sparked enough to be considered the best combination of potential and performance in the system in 2024. There are plenty of good candidates to become productive major leaguers, but their most recent three first rounders (Travis Bazzana, Ralphy Velazquez and Chase DeLauter) didn’t perform as expected or weren’t healthy, though Bazzana only had three months so we’re no going to really count him either way yet. I’m still encouraged by at least one player on this list making the majors, another on the cusp and two younger players that showed a lot of potential moving into 2025.

INF/OF Juan Brito

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2024 line: 652 PA, .256/.365/.443, 40 2B, 21 HR, 13 SB, 113 wRC+ 16.1 K%/13.5%

2024 started out slow for Brito, hitting just .174/.333/.244 in April with just one extra base hit. From May 1 to the end of 2024, that changed to .269/.370/.475 with 37 doubles and 19 homers. Playing all season at age 22, the switch hitter faced just 21 pitchers younger than him in his first year at Triple-A. He did this all while playing second base, but also getting reps in right field and first base for the first time in his career and also had a handful of games at third base. He hit better as a right handed hitter, but that could be in part of playing his home games at Huntington Park (.863 OPS vs. .747 on the road), which is something to watch. Defensively, he’s most comfortable at second but probably profiles better in left and he’s a bat first player anyway. He led the org in extra base hits, walks plenty and wasn’t awful on the bases (13/18) despite lacking quality speed. He knows how to pull the ball, which helped him get the most out of his power. Brito shows genuine discipline and zone control, giving him 20 K%/10 BB% ability in the majors as a switch hitter that could pound 40 extra base hits a year. He’ll only be 23 all year in 2025.

OF Jaison Chourio

2024 line: 432 PA, .269/.414/.398, 24 2B, 5 HR, 44 SB, 144 wRC+, 16 K%/19.9 BB%

In his first extended non-complex action, Chourio hit the ground running to the tune of .281/.465/.469 in April. He showed off good contact and strike zone discipline all year. He did hit a rough patch in June, but still took his walks. He did show a strong platoon split as a left handed hitter (.835 OPS vs. .692 as a RHH). As a 19 year old in Single-A, Chourio had just 14 plate appearances against pitchers younger than him and was 1.5 years younger than the rest of the his peers in the league on average. Age/level isn’t the indicator it used to be, but Chourio definitely showed he knows the zone and has the contact/speed part down while playing a strong centerfield. He was due to be promoted to High-A Lake County, but broke his wrist sliding for a ball in the outfield just before. He’ll be good to go to start there in 2025.

INF Angel Genao

2024 line: 498 PA, .330/.379/.499, 38 2B, 10 HR, 25 SB, 150 wRC+, 15.5 K%/7.7 BB%

Though Genao was only 20, it was his first taste at High-A and it feels like he’s been around for a little bit - and he has. He played parts of three seasons at Single-A, This year, Genao put it all together and got to High-A and made the jump almost seamlessly. There was really no major adjustment period for Genao offensively. I was expecting a hyper aggressive approach in the box and the walk rate could stand to be a little better, but he does do a good job working the count and getting into good counts, or battling when he’s down. Genao also grew into his body this year, putting in the work off the field and it showed up on the field with more pop. He showed strong exit velos to the opposite field from both sides of the plate. He does tend to drive the ball the other way at times, if he starts to catch the ball out front a little more and get the ball in the air, he should have above average power. Defensively, he showed a big arm at shortstop and the potential to stay there as long as he doesn’t outgrow he position and continues to improve.

C Cooper Ingle

2024 line: 408 PA, .305/.419/.478, 24 2B, 11 HR, 160 wRC+, 13.7 K%/15.9 BB%

Another very obvious Guardians pick in 2023, Ingle was good in his brief pro debut last year and unleashed full time in 2024, he took off even further. Ingle parlayed his good strike zone awareness into strong walk rates while keeping his strikeouts in the teens. It’s likely he’s probably going to see dips in those as he moves up (more Ks and less BBs) when he sees better pitching, but they should be in good ranges. The question will be what he does with the strikes he gets. For his offensive production, Ingle has moderate exit velo data. Like Kayfus, he’s tapped into the pulled fly ball mentality, though he doesn’t hit the ball in the air as much as Kayfus. The contact and zone awareness gives him a good base to work with and turned into production in 2024. Defensively, Ingle is a good receiver and blocker, but has room to improve in his throwing. He did battle some shoulder soreness at times in 2024, so perhaps a 100% healthy shoulder helps him make some strides there, as he has a quick transfer, he just needs stronger and more accurate throws to go along with his quick transfer.

1B Kyle Manzardo

2024 line (Triple-A): 364 PA, .267/.398/.548, 20 2B, 20 HR, 143 wRC+, 18.4 K%/16.8 BB%

I had Manzaro as the top prospect in the organization in March and his strong April (.318/.396/.636) got him the bump when Steven Kwan went down in May. After struggling at the big league level, Manzardo went back down and posted a 138 wRC+ when he got back to Columbus from June 19-Sept 1 when he was called back up. He even posted a .742 OPS vs. LHP, which at least gives the impression he should get a shot vs. them in the majors. He did benefit from Huntington Park (1.009 OPS vs .740 on the road) but he fared OK in Cleveland. He showed exactly who he was offensively, a healthy K%, walked enough and hit with enough power to profile at first base as an all around quality hitter and delivered on his potential heading into 2025.

OF Johnathan Rodriguez

2024: 508 PA, .301/.390/.540, 18 2B, 29 HR, 140 wRC+, 25.5 K%/12.6 BB%

The overall numbers here are hard to ignore in terms of production. It does beg the question why he didn’t get more run in right with Cleveland over someone like Will Brennan or Jhonkensy Noel. But this is the second straight year Rodriguez put up strong offensive numbers at Triple-A. Despite a less than ideal groundball and pull rate, he keeps making life tough on International League pitchers. The numbers suggest he needs a longer look, but the peripherals also suggest without significant changes it will be hard to replicate these numbers or sustain this success at the major league level. But you never want to see someone who produces numbers like this not get the shot to say it did or didn’t work.

2024 Cleveland Guardians Prospect of the Year

INF Angel Genao

Perhaps a controversial pick, but I saw Genao a ton this year and he might be the second or third best prospect in the system now depending on how you feel about Chase DeLauter’s feet and platoon splits. Genao grew into his frame this year and started to show it with some pop from both sides of the plate with strong exit velos to back that up. He had enough range at shortstop and plenty of arm for the left side of the infield. Genao showed he is an easy plus runner, perhaps double plus (70 on the 20-80 scouting scale) with bat control. The performance plus potential here were too hard to ignore to choose anyone else. Depending on how you look at it (batted ball data) there are still things that could hold back his potential or that he could improve on to be even better. He doesn’t lift the ball like Brito or Manzardo. He doesn’t have Rodriguez’s power. But he has the same speed as Chourio, looks the part of staying at a premium defensive position and is starting to show at least average pop in terms of exit velocities. At least for 2024, the performance started to match the potential and I like the path he’s on going into 2025.

Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Sat Dec 28, 2024 6:48 pm
by civ ollilavad
The second author included JRod; not sure if he's improved his prospect rating although his stats were very solid.

Surprised he omits Keyfus; he like Inlge soared into the team's top 10. And was probably partially responsible for the Naylor trade

Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Fri Jan 03, 2025 9:26 pm
by joez
Image



Guardians Sign Luis Frias To Minor League Deal

By Nick Deeds MLBTR | January 2, 2025 at 11:43am CDT

The Guardians have signed right-hander Luis Frias to a minor league deal with an invite to big league Spring Training, per a club announcement.

Frias, 27 in May, signed with the Diamondbacks out of the Dominican Republic as an amateur and made his pro debut back in 2016. After slowly making his way through the lower levels of the minors in his early years with the club, Frias quickly rose from High-A all the way to Triple-A during the 2021 season. While he struggled to a 4.93 ERA in 23 starts across three levels of the minors that year, that didn’t stop Arizona from giving Frias his first big league opportunity down the stretch. He pitched fairly well in that brief cup of coffee, with a 2.70 ERA and three strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings of work, though his five walks represented a clear red flag regarding how his command would play at the big league level.

Those control issues manifested in the form of a brutal 2022 season. Frias’s sophomore campaign in the desert scarcely could have gone worse, as he posted a 10.59 ERA in 17 big league innings of work while once again walking (17) more batters than he struck out (14). His 3.99 ERA at Triple-A offered some level of optimism, though even that was held back by a 12.3% walk rate at the level. Despite his struggles, Frias’s tantalizing stuff was enough to convince Arizona to keep him in the fold for 2023, and he delivered the best season of his career in return. Though he walked 12.2% of opponents in the majors that year, Frias posted a 4.07 ERA that was 9% better than average by measure of ERA+ in 31 innings of work. His 18.7% strikeout rate was lackluster, but in terms of pure run prevention his results were those of a perfectly adequate middle reliever.

Unfortunately, Frias’s performance went back off the rails in 2024. In 13 MLB appearances split between the Diamondbacks and Blue Jays, the right-hander struggled to a 13.97 ERA and 5.55 FIP while recording just 9 2/3 total innings of work. Things even looked dire at the Triple-A level during his time in Arizona, as he posted a lackluster 4.88 ERA for the club’s affiliate in Reno. Fortunately for Frias, however, he dominated at Triple-A late in the year after being plucked off waivers from the Snakes. He posted a 0.96 ERA and a 27.9% strikeout rate for his new club’s Buffalo affiliate, and while that wasn’t enough to convince the Jays to keep him on their 40-man roster this winter it was evidently enough to earn Frias a look from the Guardians this winter.

While Frias isn’t likely to break camp as part of a crowded Cleveland bullpen, he’ll now have the opportunity to work with one of the league’s best pitching development organizations in hopes of further harnessing his potential and sorting out his command going forward. In the meantime, he’ll serve as a non-roster depth option for the Guardians out of the bullpen who could be called upon in the event of an injury.

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Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2025 12:10 pm
by civ ollilavad
While Frias isn’t likely to break camp as part of a crowded Cleveland bullpen, he’ll now have the opportunity to work with one of the league’s best pitching development organizations in hopes of further harnessing his potential and sorting out his command going forward. In the meantime, he’ll serve as a non-roster depth option for the Guardians out of the bullpen who could be called upon in the event of an injury.

Can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, as it is said, but can always hope for a lucky result.
Brief adventures last summer with Spencer Howard and Darren McCaughan at the major level didn't work.

Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2025 12:31 pm
by joez
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Guardians Pitching Prospects Impressed In Run Prevention And Bat-Missing Stats Last Year

January 4, 2025

By Andres Chavez


When discussing the Cleveland Guardians’ farm system, it’s fair to say that it has many quality position player prospects.

Their first six prospects according to MLB Pipeline are hitters, as well as eight of the first nine and 11 of the first 13.

However, don’t think, even for a second, that there aren’t quality arms on the system.

Pitching prospects on the Guardians might not have the highest upside (an important factor at the time of doing rankings by MLB Pipeline and every other prospect evaluating publication), but they do get results thanks to their own talent and the incredible player development staff on the team.

The numbers say that when it comes to run prevention, bat-missing and strike-throwing ability, Cleveland’s pitching prospects had an amazing 2024.

“There were only 34 pitchers that finished with an (ERA under 3.00) and (120+ SO) on the 2024 season in all minor league baseball. The Cleveland #Guardians had six of them!

Matt Wilkinson – 1.90 ERA / 174 SO
Austin Peterson – 2.64 ERA / 159 SO
Ryan Webb – 2.80 ERA / 151 SO
Parker Messick – 2.83 ERA / 165 SO
Aaron Davenport – 2.85 ERA / 135 SO
Doug Nikhazy – 2.98 ERA / 124 SO

The best thing of all, for Cleveland at least – not so much for opposing teams – is that many of those names are close to the majors.

Perhaps that’s the reason why the Guardians haven’t been as aggressive as previously anticipated in the free agent pitching market: they know they have some potential solutions in-house.

All those six pitchers with the exception of ‘Tugboat’ Wilkinson saw regular season time in Double-A or Triple-A.

There might not be a future ace in that group, but even cheap backend starters have a lot of value for an MLB organization, and some of them have mid-rotation upside.

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I know you guys don't like "non-insiders", but, I think Chavez comes up with some pretty good stuff for example player info listed above. Stuff you don't find in many places unless you do your own research as Civ does. Personally, I don't have the time to research prospects that impressed In Run Prevention And Bat-Missing Stats or similar player info.

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Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Sat Jan 04, 2025 12:52 pm
by joez
Image



One potential breakout prospect for each organization in 2025

January 1st, 2025

Jim Callis is a reporter for MLB.com.
Jonathan Mayo is a reporter for MLBPipeline.com.
Sam Dykstra is a reporter for MiLB.com and MLB.com


AMERICAN LEAGUE CENTRAL

Guardians: Welbyn Francisca, SS/2B (No. 9)

Angel Genao jumped onto the Top 100 with a breakout season in 2024, and another Dominican middle infielder in the Guardians system could do the same this year. Signed for $1,375,000 in 2023, Francisca's feel for the barrel from both sides of the plate was evident while he was hitting .326/.411/.474 with seven homers and 19 steals in 74 games between Rookie ball and Single-A.

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Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report chose Cleveland's ninth-ranked prospect, SS Welbyn Francisca, as his breakout candidate for the 2025 Minor League season.

"A switch-hitting middle infielder with an advanced hit tool, Francisca signed for $1.375 million in 2023, and he hit .326/.411/.474 with 27 extra-base hits and 19 steals in 74 games between rookie ball and Single-A in his stateside debut. He could be the 2025 version of Angel Genao, who offers a similar profile and jumped onto Top 100 lists in 2024," wrote Francisca.

What makes Reuter's prediction so interesting is that just a few days ago, MiLB also chose Francisca as their breakout candidate for next season.

Perhaps both of these predictions could be an in-store for Francisca next season.

He played only 29 games with the Lynchburg Hillcats (Single-A), so it seems most likely that he'll start the 2025 season at that level.

However, if Francisca hits as well as he did there at the end of last season, the organization could be forced to quickly move him up to the Lake County Captains (High-A).

A Francisca promotion could be directly associated with Travis Bazzana or Angel Geano's promotions, considering they're blocking the 18-year-old at the next level.

One thing is for sure: the Guardian's middle infield depth throughout the organization will continue to be the storyline during next season.

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Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2025 11:22 am
by civ ollilavad
Francisca rated No. 6 in the deep Cleveland system by BA

Track Record: Francisca was the top player in Cleveland’s 2023 international signing class and stood out for his pure hitting ability as a switch-hitter. He played well in the Dominican Summer League in 2023 then made an excellent stateside debut in 2024 when he slashed .327/.411/.474 with 18 doubles and 19 stolen bases in 74 games between the Arizona Complex League and Low-A Lynchburg.

Scouting Report: Francisca is a small and wiry infielder with a 5-foot-11, 178-pound frame and an infectious, high-energy style. He has short and compact swing from both sides of the plate which matches his physicality, and the above-average contact skills and approach that describes many hitters Cleveland targets. He controls the zone well with a selectively aggressive approach, though his strikeout rate jumped from 12.4% to 20.5% when he moved from the complex to the Carolina League. He’s shown an ability to recognize pitch types but will need more reps against higher quality secondaries. Francisca’s diminutive frame makes him a hit-over-power offensive profile who might never develop even average power, but he did manage shockingly impressive exit velocity numbers for his age and size and has above-average bat speed. He’s an above-average runner with short strides and went 19-for-22 on the bases with more than enough range for either middle-infield position. Francisca is an instinctive, high-effort defender with the hands for shortstop, though his solid-average arm strength might be stretched on difficult plays deep in the hole. He could be a solid defender at shortstop but a plus defender at second base.

The Future: Francisca will play his age-19 season in 2025 at Low-A Lynchburg. Much of his upside will depend on how much strength and physicality he’s able to add, but he’s already met expectations.

Scouting Grades Hit: 55 | Power: 40 | Run: 55 | Field: 55 | Arm: 50.

Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Sun Jan 05, 2025 11:24 am
by civ ollilavad
I don't really research anything myself other than to follow the boxscores and review stats. As y'll know I rely on Baseball America's info and opinions more than anyone else, since Baseball Digest's famous Rookie issue for every March ended a few decades ago and the Sporting News surrendered to becoming a multisport journal

Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2025 3:32 pm
by civ ollilavad
Minor league transactions in December regarding recent or more ancient CLE minor leaguers, many of these have been reported before in Rule 5 updates

Atlanta signed: RHP Enyel DeLosSantos and OF Conner Capel to AAA contracts and chose IF Christian Cairo in major league Rule 5 draft. He'll probably return
Cincinnati signed former high round draft pick Pitcher Lenny Torres to AAA contract
Yankees took OF Luis Durango in minor league phase of Rule 5
Pittsburgh took LHP Steve Hajjar and LHP Randy Labaut in minor league phase of Rule 5
San Francisco resigned LHP Raymond Burgos to AAA contract; last pitched in our system in 2022; he made his major league debut with IP in 24 for the Giants
Seattle signed long-long-ago high 1st round draft pick in 2010 LHP Drew Pomeranz to AAA contract-- 36 tears old; he had a 4 year $34M contract from 2020-23 which he pitched 44 1/3 major league innings; that makes $750,000 per inning; $64,000 in 2024 and he pitched no innings in the majors, 9 in AAA
Washington signed another LHP Konner Pilkington for AAA

Of those 10 players, Pomeranz's career earning would tally a good 90%+ of the bunch

Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Mon Jan 06, 2025 3:38 pm
by civ ollilavad
If anyone other than me possibly cares, Capel has a bit of major league time in each of the past 3 seasons.
I'm sure everyone recalls he was 1/2 of the cost of Oscar Mercado, a one-year wonder in the CLE OF; he's still around played in AAA for 2 teams last season hit 222
And of course you were like me upset that we traded power prospect Jhon Torres in that deal too: he's out of baseball; peaked at High A in 2021, never match his Rookie League total of 8 homers

Re: Minor Matters

Posted: Tue Jan 07, 2025 3:13 pm
by civ ollilavad
Baseball America's wonderful Prospect Handbook which rates 30 prospects for each team with commentary on each is available now to purchase digitally or in print. For a few dollars less, I just received it about 6 weeks earlier,'
A few notable highlights for the Guardians beyond the top 10 which I have posted here before [BAZZANA-CHOURIO-GENAO-DELAUTER-VELAZQUEZ-FRANCISCA-INGLE-KAYFUS-BRITO-CANTILLO]

Walters and Sabrowski who have debuted but are still rookies are rated 11 and 20.
J Rodriguez ditto is 19.
Valera who is almost never in playing condition and is still in the organization has plummeted to 28
Newly acquired LH pitchers Hartle and Kennedy are rated 25 and 26; MLB.com puts them much higher
Doug Nikhazy and Matt Wilkinson LHP are 16 and 17, Ryan Webb LH is not on the top 30.
Adam Peterson RHP who had quite a breakout season in 2024 appears at 24 --- COULD HE BE THE NEXT GUARDIAN DEVELOPMENT SURPRISE?.
Espino who is still alive and unwell ranks 15.
Of the 2024 crop of impressive high school age pitchers: Doughty is 12 Oakie 13. Others not rated yet.
Of the 2024 international signings OF Caceres is 21 and higher price OF Arias is 29.
Our second Gabriel Rodriguez IF is 23.
2024 draftee C Jacob Cozart is 14.
addition to the 40 man roster Petey Halpin is 22; and non-addition Kahlil Watson rounds out the list at 30.

I'll post other details when I have a chance to read through the full report