Tugboat mowed his way through minor league hitters in 2024 and into our hearts.
Stout southpaw Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, owner of possibly the best nickname in baseball, is our No. 17 prospect for 2025 after winning a razor thin four-man race on Tuesday.
Wilkinson was a 10th round selection by Cleveland in the 2023 MLB Draft out of Central Arizona College. He made his pro debut the season he was drafted, striking out all three batters he faced in one appearance.
It was a sign of things to come.
Wilkinson took the minor league world by storm with eight electric appearances to begin the season at Single-A Lynchburg. In eight starts, he sported a ridiculous 1.12 ERA with a 1.45 FIP while striking out a whopping 15.84 batters per nine innings and walking just 2.01 per nine.
The highlight of his season was his start on April 25th when he was unhittable, literally, tossing 6.0 no-hit innings with a ridiculous 15 strikeouts and just one walk.
Tugboat didn’t stay at Single-A for long, getting promoted to High-A Lake County in mid-May and he continued to shine there.
Over his final 16 starts with the Captains spanning 78.1 innings, Wilkinson maintained an elite 2.30 ERA while striking out 32.7% of the batters he faced. He finished the 2024 minor league season in second place in total strikeouts among all MiLB starting pitchers across any level. He earned several awards during the 2024 season including Carolina League pitcher of the month and was named to the All-MiLB prospect second team for 2024.
On the season, he also was second in all of MiLB in WHIP at 0.91 (behind fellow Guardians prospect Austin Peterson), second in ERA at 1.90 and second in opponent batting average (.169). He also led all of MiLB in strikeout percentage at 37.6%.
Wilkinson is a big guy, standing 6-foot-1 and weighing 270 pounds. He doesn’t blow up the radar, touching the low 90s with his deceptive fastball, but he locates it well. Having just turned 22 years old, he also has some room to add some velocity with Cleveland’s pitching factory. Depending on how much space is available in the system, he could easily begin the 2025 season at Double-A Akron.
MiLB pitchers aged 21 or younger with an ERA below 2.00, a K% over 35%, a WHIP below 1.00, a BAA of .170 or lower and a BB% below 8.5% since 2006, any level:
– Matt Wilkinson
End of list. pic.twitter.com/ptg5jEG8NC
— LouisAnalysis (@LouisAnalysis) January 22, 2025
Juneiker Caceres, OF (Age 17)
2024 (DSL) 167 PA, .340/.425/.504, 0 HR, 9 SB, 11.4 BB%, 10.8 K%, 146 wRC+
Absolutely annihilated the ball as a 16-year-old out of Venezuela in his pro debut at the Dominican Summer League in 2024. Is still light years away from the MLB level.
Dylan DeLucia, RHP (Age 24)
2024 (ACL): 2 GS, 5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3.50 FIP, 17.6 K%, 0.0 BB%
2024 (A): 3 GS, 8.2 IP, 4.15 ERA, 2.66 FIP, 27.0 K%, 8.1 BB%
2024 (A+): 8 GS, 35.2 IP, 2.52 ERA, 3.55 FIP, 28.1 K%, 6.5 BB%
The 2022 6th round pick made his pro debut in 2024 after recovering from Tommy John surgery and immediately has looked like the real deal. Could be a fast riser in 2025.
Braylon Doughty, RHP (Age 19)
2024: ——
Cleveland’s competitive balance pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, selected at No. 36 overall out of high school with a $2.57 million signing bonus. Touches 97 mph already with his fastball.
Nic Enright, RHP (Age 28)
2024 (AAA): 16 G, 17.0 IP, 1.06 ERA, 0.80 FIP, 36.1 K%, 11.1 BB%
Overcame stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma plus a mid-season injury to put up impressive numbers in a small sample size in 2024, earning a spot on the Guardians’ 40-man roster.
Daniel Espino, RHP (Age 24)
2024: ——
Cleveland’s 2019 first round pick, once compared to Jacob DeGrom and Gerrit Cole, has struggled to stay healthy and has not pitched since 2022 due to shoulder surgeries.
Michael Kennedy, LHP (Age 20)
2024 (A w/ PIT): 15 GS, 73.0 IP, 4.07 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 26.6 K%, 5.3 BB%
2024 (A+ w/ PIT): 2 GS, 10.2 IP, 0.84 ERA, 1.87 FIP, 36.6 K%, 7.3 BB%
Kennedy joined the organization in the Spencer Horwitz trade(s). Thought he did not dominate at Single-A he finished strong with two great High-A starts.
Guy Lipscomb, OF (Age 23)
2024 (A+): 283 PA, .278/.360/.379, 3 HR, 26 SB, 10.2 BB%, 15.2 K%, 116 wRC+
2024 (AA): 79 PA, .273/.380/.409, 1 HR, 8 SB, 15.2 BB%, 16.5 K%, 130 wRC+
Kwan-esque contact-first outfielder with good speed and an excellent eye at the plate. Actually improved his numbers following a midseason promotion to Double-A Akron.
Luis Merejo, 1B (Age 18)
2024 (ACL): 200 PA, .250/.417/.421, 4 HR, 8 SB, 17.5 BB%, 24.0 K%, 123 wRC+
2024 (A): 121 PA, .282/.372/.466, 3 HR, 3 SB, 9.1 BB%, 24.8 K%, 145 wRC+
A young Dominican with power potential, showed a great eye at the plate in his stateside debut, then put up impressive hitting numbers in a small sample size with Lynchburg.
Joey Oakie, RHP (Age 18)
2024: ——
Cleveland’s third round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Ankeny Centennial in Iowa, Oakie stands 6-foot-3, 200 pounds with a mid-90s fastball and took a $2 million signing bonus.
Alfonsin Rosario, OF (Age 20)
2024 (A w/ CHC): 456 PA, .230/.344/.423, 16 HR, 20 SB, 12.3 BB%, 32.2 K%, 127 wRC+
Acquired from Chicago in the Eli Morgan trade, put up impressive speed and power numbers as a 19-year-old in Single-A last season, but strikeouts could be an issue.