The best of the Guardians’ minor league system will be on tap to play tonight!
Tonight, the best of the Guardians’ farm system are playing in their second annual MLB Spring Breakout game.
At 8:05 p.m. EST, Cleveland top prospects will go head-to-head against those of the Seattle Mariners, and this time it will actually be broadcasted too!
Tune into the game, because the Guardians’ farm system has been ranked by MLB Pipeline as the 9th best in the league. They also have the 2024 No. 1 overall pick in the draft with them as well in Travis Bazzana.
Bazzana has been one of the most anticipated prospects to be seen at the Spring Breakout by many in the MLB media landscape, and with his background and talent, he’s been a can’t-miss prospect since he burst onto the scene in Oregon State.
Travis has company with him, however, and many of the prospects that are playing beside him can really make their presence known among MLB fans across America.
Jaison Chourio will be playing his second Spring Breakout game tonight, and has a chance to show that he’s not just the little brother to former top-prospect Jackson Chourio, who plays for the Brewers.
Jaison’s prospect resume is very great. He’s an outfielder that has high contact ability with sneakily undervalued strength, complemented by his quickness and above average fielding prowess.
Jaison’s last Spring Breakout game went very well — he went 1-for-3 with a 2-run double against the Reds’ top prospects in 2024. I anticipate that he has more to show for the world when he steps on the field tonight.
Angel Genao, Cooper Ingle and C.J. Kayfus are also two other names to watch. They are a set of guys that have progressed very well in their development last year and became names to watch.
Both Ingle and Kayfus are part of the 2023 Guardians draft class, and may be on track to have their spot in the bigs if they continue on their positive development progress which began last year.
Genao is a switch-hitting middle infield prospect out of the Dominican Republic whose bat has been made known to many in 2024. He made probably the largest jump in his development throughout the system from 2023 to 2024, with the stats to show it.
Between Single-A Lynchburg and High-A Lake County, he ended up hitting for high average and an impressive OPS after putting up underwhelming numbers the year prior.
Cooper Ingle has also went through this rodeo before. He played last year and went 0-for-4; it’s safe to say that he wants to bounce back from his showing last year and make his case as to why he should be recognized more as a great prospect.
Ralphy Velazquez is part of that 2023 class as well, being picked as the team’s first round pick in that draft.
Ralphy’s track of development since he got drafted has been very steady, and he’s been slowly picking up steam in terms of league-wide recognition.
He made it into MLB Pipeline’s top 80 prospects late last year, but hasn’t cracked their full list of 100 in their initial ranking in January. Maybe now would be his chance to get back into the conversation to be a top organizational prospect.
On the other side of things, the Guardians’ pitching farm hasn’t been as strong, but it’s filled with under-the-radar names that can get some exposure as the newest projects of the Cleveland Pitching Factory.
Parker Messick is the team’s highest-ranked pitching prospect, and displays a fastball/slider/changeup pitch mix that plays well to the lefty’s advantage.
Jackson Humphries has also been a name that’s been mentioned more throughout the 2024 season. Humphries has a more diverse and versatile arsenal that adds a 55-grade curveball with a low-mid 90s fastball, and just below average control.
One of the biggest names out of the Guardians’ system last year is Matt Wilkinson, who really gained attention from MLB’s media in 2024. Whether it was for his very unique and catchy nickname “Tugboat,” or if it was because of the fact that he led the Guardians’ farm system in K’s in the 2024 season at 174, it’s clear to see why the team wanted him on the Spring Breakout roster this year.
One last note I would like to add is that, for those who don’t know yet, Chase DeLauter is not on the Spring Breakout roster, as he just underwent surgery to treat a hernia Tuesday. He will be out of action for at least 8-12 weeks.