Cleveland Guardians Offseason Prospect Report 1/1-6/25

Juan Brito continues to handle 1B in Dominican League; Venezuelan League on hold

Matthew Kennell and Arthur Kinney

Jan 7

Guardians Prospects:

Milan Tolentino (starting 2B, Hermosillo - Thursday): 0-2, 1 K - Tolentino started the calendar year for the Guards with a rough night at the plate in the Naranjeros’ postseason opener before being pinch hit for in the seventh.

Juan Brito (1B, Toros - Friday): 2-4, 2 K - Brito provided two of the Toros’ five hits in his first full game of the Round Robin phase of the LIDOM Postseason.

Angel Genao (SS, Aguilas - Friday): 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 1 E - The Guardians allowed Genao to return to the Aguilas for the Round Robin and the yellow Cibao squad is certainly happy they did as Ange; doubled to lead off the bottom of the sixth, leading him to later open the scoring in the previously scoreless contest.

Jaison Chourio (RF, Zulia - Friday): 0-5, 1 K - Chourio went hitless in his first action of the postseason and possibly last of this Venezuelan campaign. While the LVBP Round Robin will restart on Wednesday, the question of further participation by MLB-contracted players is an open one, with the Brewers already denying Jaison’s brother and Aguilas teammate Jakcson already having been denied permission by the Brewers to continue his LVBP season.

Johnathan Rodriguez (LF, Carolina - Friday): 0-4, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - Rodriguez drove in the opening run of the Gigantes’ postseason on a first-inning groundout.

Milan Tolentino (2B-SS, Hermosillo - Friday): 3-4, 3 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 E - Tolentino’s three-run homer rapped up an eight-run bottom of the second that all but assured the Naranjeros of a series-evening victory.

Juan Brito (1B, Toros - Saturday): 1-4 - Brito continued his solid start to 2026 with another base hit on Saturday evening.

Johnathan Rodriguez (LF. Carolina - Saturday): 2-3, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB - Rodriguez hit both of the Gigantes’ Saturday doubles.

Dayan Frias (SS, Cartagena - Saturday): 0-4, 1 BB - Frias reached base via walk despite going hitless to start his 2026.

Juan Brito (1B, Toros - Sunday): 1-for-4, R, 2B - A one-out double to right resulted in a run scored for the Toros squad in the midst of a four-run inning that turned the tide of the game.

Johnathan Rodriguez (LF, Carolina - Sunday): 0-for-2, R, 3 BBs - The on-base percentage for Rodriguez rose significantly but the Guardians slugger was unable to get a hit in the two at-bats where they made him put the ball in play. He walked three times and scored to start a four-run eighth inning.

Milan Tolentino (2B, Hermosillo - Sunday): 0-for-5 - It was a day to forget for the nine-hole hitter Tolentino in an 0-for-5 effort with one strikeout. He was pinch hit for in extra innings.

Dayan Frias (SS, Cartagena - Sunday): 1-for-2, R, RBI, 2 BBs - After the team batted around in a five-run first inning where he led off the frame with a walk, he followed that up with a lead-off single in the second. His final at-bat of the four was a walk in the fifth before he was lifted for a defensive replacement in the blowout win.

Juan Brito (1B, Toros - Monday): 0-5 - Monday saw Brito go hitless for the first time in the new year.

Milan Tolentino (2B-SS, Hermosillo - Monday): 0-3, 1 K - Another hitless night for Tolentino as the Charros tied the series at two games apiece.

Angel Genao (2B, Aguilas - Tuesday): 1-3, 1 BB - Genao continued an incredible Dominican campaign by reaching twice in Tuesday’s Round Robin contest.

Dayan Frias (SS, Cartagena - Tuesday): 1-3, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - Frias scored the tying run in the Tigres’ top of the ninth comeback.

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Why is Brito playing 1st base?

Best guess is that is his best defensive position. So if you are highlighting him put him at best position !

If that's his best defensive postion, his value has diminished. He is a switch hitter, however, so if he's as solid as a RH as an LH he can provide some balance

Takeaways from FanGraphs’ 2026 Guardians Prospect Rankings

We can’t block any of these guys, remember?

by Quincy Wheeler

Jan 10, 2026, 9:00 AM CST

Eric Longenhagen and Brendan Gawlowski offered their thoughts on Cleveland Guardians’ farm-hands on FanGraphs yesterday - what can Guardians’ fans gather from their insights?

First, some obligatory caveats - while Longenhagen and Gawlowski are, of course, incredibly talented and insightful writers, they cannot possibly know every farm system as in-depth as they would need to in order to offer the best possible analysis. At the same time, their more broad perspective should offer folks more focused on the Guardians’ system some useful context and challenges to their own thinking. Prospect evaluators are not infallible, we all realize, so it’s best to appreciate the wheat and cheerfully discard the chaff when reading these pieces.

The DeLauter Dilemma

The FanGraphs’ guys rank DeLauter as the Guardians’ best prospect and rave about his hitting, but express concerns about (of course) his injury history and his fielding. This takeaway was particularly worth contemplating:

You do what you have to do in a do-or-die situation, we guess, but going forward, we hope Cleveland takes the bat in the hand here. The Guardians should do everything they can to keep DeLauter in the lineup, and if that means he’s a DH, so be it.

I think Longenhagen and Gawlowski have said out loud what a lot of us have been puzzling about all offseason. Do the Guardians really think an injury-prone outfielder like DeLauter can play centerfield for a full major league season? Or even split time between centerfield and designated hitter? It seems Icarian thinking at best, even if I am a bit more optimistic about DeLauter’s defensive abilities than these writers are. Right now, the other centerfield options on the 40-man (or adjacent) are Nolan Jones, Angel Martinez, Petey Halpin, Stuart Fairchild and Kahlil Watson. Not inspiring. And, we have zero indication the team would ever consider moving Steven Kwan to center, allowing DeLauter and Valera to start in left and right.

Ralphy Velazuez Raving

He has the work ethic and motor to potentially play an outfield corner and

“he enters 2026 as an arrow-up guy with a chance to reach Cleveland as soon as this summer”

according to Longenhagen. Yes, please.

Bamboozled by Bazzana

The FanGraphs folks agree with my own assessment that Travis Bazzana is a second base-only option defensively. They are still high on his ability to pull fly balls and get on-base. I was unsure why Bazzana didn’t get a 55 future value rating, but only a 50 when I read their assessment, but I assume it is limited defensive value and concerns he won’t be able to lower his strikeout rate significantly. Overall, it was a positive scouting report accompanied by a prediction he ends up in Cleveland this summer, though they are higher on Angel Genao than Bazzana, overall.

Pitching Pairs

The FanGraphs’ prospect guys offered some caution about Cleveland’s current pitching depth, but they still like some guys in the system and offered some great comps. Parker Messick is “ultra competitive and sneaky athletic” like a “pitching version of Alejandro Kirk”, Kahl Stephen shares similarities with the Mariners’ Bryce Miller, and Braylon Doughty with a little more command developed could be the next Shane Bieber.

Other Observations:

They really like Tugboat, Gabriel Rodriguez and Robert Arias, interestingly enough. They’ve still got doubts about teenage phenoms Dauri Fernandez and Juneiker Caceres. They’ve bailed on Welbyn Francisca and have significant doubts about Cooper Ingle as a catcher defensively, and think he’s mostly a singles hitter. They wonder if a healthy Daniel Espino could break camp in the bullpen. They’re impressed with how the team has developed lefty reliever Steven Perez. They introduced me to a name I’d never heard of in Kendeglys Virguez who looks to be a reliever who can hit 101 mph, turning 22 years old this season. They are down a bit on Juan Brito whom they see as a bad defender but a guy who can pull the ball in the air reliably against lefties and hit right-handers well enough to still be a 1-2 fWAR guy.

You should read the whole piece, https://blogs.fangraphs.com/cleveland-g ... prospects/ but I think the most interesting parts were at the end where they talked about the system, overall. Are the Guardians losing pitchers they used to target in the draft to teams across MLB who have caught up to their ability to eye market inefficiancies there? Are the Guardians targeting guys with high exit velocity in the draft to make up for an over-reliance on contact hitters in the past or to exploit a new undervalued resource in the draft?

I have my quibbles, but, as I said, I think it’s best to focus on the positives with these lists. The Guardians and their prospects will either disprove some of Longenhagen’s/Gawlowski’s doubts, or they won’t, but it’s fun to dream on some of the exciting tools and potential national writers see in our team’s minor leagues.

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Guardians sign Italian reliever with viral screwball to minor league deal

Updated: Jan. 10, 2026, 2:54 p.m.|Published: Jan. 10, 2026, 2:41 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The next project for the Guardians’ vaunted pitching factory is a hard-throwing “paisan” who features a rare breaking pitch in his arsenal.

Cleveland announced on Saturday the club has signed right-hander Ettore Giulianelli to a minor league contract for 2026, adding the intriguing Italian prospect whose screwball made waves on social media in 2024.

Ettore Giulianelli - 92mph Cutter and a 74mph Screwball
https://youtu.be/saMMjHeRyVo

[ Back in the Day, the screwball was my favorite pitch ]

Giulianelli, a 22-year-old from Rimini, Italy, will report to minor league camp in late February. The 6-foot-3 reliever has drawn attention for his unique pitch profile, particularly his screwball that generated internet buzz when he showcased it during a Florida Coast League game.

Giulianelli’s screwball, a pitch that has become less commonly utilized by major league pitchers in recent years, is especially effective due to his high release point. It plays off his cutter and slider to baffle hitters, who have trouble laying off the pitch. His fastball, meanwhile, has reportedly reached 98 mph, making him a hard-throwing reliever with high strikeout potential.

Giulianelli spent four seasons in the Cardinals’ minor league system after signing at age 16 following an MLB scouting showcase in Europe that featured 17 Italian players. He also pitched for Italy’s under-23 national team last season.

In 37 appearances over his first three pro seasons for the Cardinals’ rookie-level Florida Complex League team, Giulianelli logged 43 innings while striking out 63 batters. However, command issues have plagued his development, as he walked 45 batters during that span.

In 2024 at Low-A Palm Beach, he posted a 3.96 ERA across 20 appearances and 25 innings.