I have been enjoying seeing our site vote for their top 20 Guardians’ prospects. Allow me to join in on the fun by offering my own thoughts for the top 20 players in a loaded Guardians’ system entering 2026.
First, let me clarify that I am not presenting these as any more valid than our site’s voting or even than the rankings our writers and commenters might present. I offer my rankings based on my observations, my reading, and my analysis of available statistics.
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20. Daniel Espino, RHP, 25 years old, appeared in Columbus to end the season.
Analysis: It’s the last time one can conceivably have Espino on this list unless this is the year he makes it all happen and stays healthy. But, due to his IMMENSE talent and incredible work ethic, I can’t not have him just slip on, even if he seems likely to have a relief ceiling at this point. I pray we call get to see his sensational fastaball and devastating slider in the big leagues. He deserves it. We deserve it.
19. George Valera, LHH OF, 25 years old, finished in the majors
Analysis: Similarly, I can’t leave Valera off this list. Yes, there are reasons to doubt him because he whiffs and he chases and his defense is suspect. But, his personal makeup is off the charts… i.e. he got that dawg in ‘im. He also has crushed RHP every time he’s been healthy. Get him in Cleveland let him show what he’s got.
18. Yorman Gomez, RHP, 23 years old, finished at AA.
Analysis: At the age of 22 in 121 innings, Gomez put up a 2.76 FIP, a 2.96 ERA, a 10.28/3.55 K/BB% and a groundball rate of 40%. His fastball touches 97 and he sits 93-96 mph. A lot will depend on how his secondaries (a solid slider and developing curveball) grow in the year ahead, but this is a player who got added to the 40 because he has backend of the rotation or high leverage relief potential. He is only 5’11” so he is probably not going to be more than that… but this is a valuable arm, nonetheless.
17. Alfonsin Rosario, RHH OF, 21 years old, finished at AA.
Analysis: Rosario put up a 129 wRC+ with a 27.5/10.4 K/BB% and a reasonable .317 BABIP. This included an .860 OPS vs. LHP. He’s a corner outfielder but looks like the kind of player who may be able to provide some solid pop as a fourth outfielder/lefty masher if he continues to develop. 2026 will be a big year for him to build on his success in High-A last year and figure out Double-A, earning a promotion to Columbus and putting himself in conversations to help out in Cleveland.
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16. Kahlil Watson, LHH CF, 22 years old, finished at AAA.
Analysis: Handling a switch from shortstop to centerfield with aplomb, Watson put up a 129 wRC+ with a 27.7/11.5 K/BB% last season. I am concerned over how much he chases and whiffs, given this organization’s struggle to help those types reach their potential. But, there’s definitely a decent shot that Watson ends up being a 2-win centerfielder who provides a little pop. He will likely get platooned some because he has not hit lefties well in the minors.
15. Jaison Chourio, SH CF, 20 years old, finished at A+
Analysis: Chourio had a bit of a tough 2025, putting up a 103 wRC+ and a 22.9/18.4 K/BB%, and only stealing ten bases on 17 attempts at High-A Lake County. Over the past couple seasons, his splits are about even, but it’s looking like he may be mostly a slap-hitter who puts the ball on the ground way too often (north of 50% of the time). However, the amount of contact he makes and his potential to play centerfield, combined with his youth, keep him in my top 15 for now.
14. Josh Hartle, LHP, 22 years old, finished at AA.
Analysis: Hartle had a 2.54 ERA and a 3.04 FIP with a 8.50/3.10 K/BB/%. He’s a 6’6” lefty and I really like Cleveland’s chances of getting a little more from his fastball or his cutter and pairing that with a good changeup and a solid curve could give them a mid-rotation contract, making him a depth option in the big leagues by the end of this season. He has a good demeanor on the mound, for what’s that worth.
13. Joey Oakie, RHP, 19 years old, finished at Low-A.
Analysis: A 6’3” right-hander with a lively fastball pitching a solid 24 innings at Single-A with a 2.22 ERA and an 11.47/5.55 K/BB/9, Oakie is someone every Guardians’ fan should be aware of. I think this could be a very exciting season for him in which he could put himself in the conversation to end up in Akron IF the Guardians can help him further refine his control and command.
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12. Jace LaViolette, LHH OF, 22 years old, yet to play professionally
Analysis: It’s a 6’5” outfielder with potential to play centerfield who hit 50 home runs between his freshman and sophomore year at an SEC school – what more do I have to say? Ok, ok, he had a disappointing junior season, which is why the Guardians were able to draft him where they did. Now, to see if they can fix his 2025 issues and get him back to the promise of 2023-2024. If they can.. LaViolette will be in the top 3 section of this list next year. So, a bit of a mystery box here, but one worthy of a little dreaming.
11. Juneiker Caceres, LHH OF, 18 years old, finished at Low-A.
Analysis: Caceres had a 123 wRC+ and a 12.1/12.4 K/BB% between the Arizona Complex League and Lynchburg. That is very notable production for an 18 year old. He had only a 7.3% swinging-strike rate. He hits the ball hard from all reports, but not very often in the air. It’s very hard to make defensive evaluations on an 18 year-old player, but general consensus is that he’s probably a corner outfielder. He’s certainly an exciting prospect to follow, but I’m a little more “wait-and-see” on him then some others are.
10. Angel Genao, SH SS, 21 years old, finished at AA.
Analysis: Genao had some injury trouble last year and ended up with only a 103 wRC+ and 15.8/8.3 K/BB% at Akron. His primary issue is that he hits the ball on the ground almost 50% of the time. However, he’s still quite young, and he looks to be a solid fielding shortstop. He was also 6 for 6 on stolen base attempts. Hopefully, he will come out strong in Akron this season and force his way to Columbus by the end of the year with increased stolen base attempts, continued fielding improvement and more effective lifting of the baseball, distinguishing himself from folks like Angel Martinez and Brayan Rocchio who began to show cracks in the foundation at the Triple-A level. Genao’s splits as a switch-hitter have been fairly even, solid against both LHP and RHP, so that’s certainly a huge plus. If he can be a 100 wRC+ hitter who hits LHP and RHP at that level and play good defense at short, that would be a 3-4 win player. I think that’s reasonably attainable for him.
9. Cooper Ingle, LHH C, 23 years old, finished at AAA.
Analysis: Ingle had a 139 wRC+ with 16.7/16.9 K/BB% last season. He struggled at the plate at Columbus, especially at the beginning of his time there, but that’s not unusual for a 23 year-old catcher. There doesn’t seem to be much doubt that Ingle will hit in the majors, and take walks. The questions revolve around his ability to stick at catcher, with his 5’8” frame and LIMITED speed not being a great fit anywhere else (perhaps he could become a Steven Kwan clone in left if necessary?). Personally, I think he can become an adequate catcher, defensively, and his successful attempts to decrease his groundball rate and increase his fly ball rate leave me optimistic he could be a 120 wRC+ hitter… against RHP, to be clear. Ingle will likely never hit left-handed pitching well, at all.
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8. Kahl Stephen, RHP, 23 years old, finished at Double-A.
Analysis: Stephen is 6’4” and had a 2.53 ERA and a 2.60 FIP with a 9.61/1.75 K/BB% last season in over 100 innings between High-A and Double-A. He does not have an overwhelming fastball but has a good slider and changeup and an excellent curve. Folks, this is the kind of pitcher who, if healthy, EXCELS in Cleveland. In my view, Cleveland traded Shane Bieber for the next Shane Bieber, and I wouldn’t be surprised if Stephen is in Cleveland starting games by the end of this season.
7. Dauri Fernandez, SH SS, 19 years old, finished at Low-A.
Analysis: In 2012 in A-ball, a smaller middle-infield, teenager put up a 145 wRC+ with a 7.7/8 K/BB% in the Guardians’ system. In 2026, a smaller, middle-infield teenager put up a 136 wRC+ with a 12.5/8 K/BB%. The first is Jose Ramirez; the second is Dauri Fernandez. Jose was not pulling balls in the air as much back then, and Dauri does a pretty good job of it aleady. Fernandez also has a better swinging strike rate than Jose did that season and better stolen base numbers (18/22 vs. Jose’s 17/24 at the same age/level). Will Fernandez be another Jose Ramirez? Almost assuredly, no. But, he could still be a very good player, and may be able to stick at shortstop, defensively. He also has amazing work ethic. He’s my pick to make several top 100 lists at this time next season.
6. Juan Brito, SH IF/OF, 24 years old, Finished at Triple-A.
Analysis: I may be the last man on the Juan Brito hype-train, but, here I stand, I can do no other. After a tough start in the cold April-May of Columbus in 2024, Brito proceeded to put up a 122 wRC+ and 15.6/13 K/BB% in Triple-A before getting hurt last season (hand and then hamstring). He hit 15 homers in 108 games (that’s a roughly 23 homer pace, for those of you counting at home). He pulls the heck out of the ball at all times and maintains a 40-45% flyball rate, while holding pretty even splits as a switch-hitter, but particularly handling lefties well. His defense is the question, where his arm is his best quality, but his range is sketchy at best. I think I agree with Keith Law that he can be an average second baseman, but he may end up getting time at first base or a corner outfield spot. In any case, I’m a believer in his bat and I think, if he’s healthy, he’ll get a chance to win a job on the Guardians in Spring Training.
5. Parker Messick, LHP, 25 years old, finished in Cleveland.
Analysis: Messick’s 3.47 ERA/3.67 FIP and 10.85/3.83 K/BB% in Columbus were impressive enough, but he followed that up with a 2.72 ERA/2.98 FIP and 8.62/1.36 K/BB% in Cleveland! Messick will probably walk more hitters than that, but I also think he’ll strike out more hitters, also. Maybe call it a 9.3/2.7 K/BB% and we are still cooking with gas for a midrotation starter. Messick clearly has the mindset of an elite competitor on the mound, also, which should not be dismissed in value.
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4. Ralphy Velazquez, LHH 1B/OF, 20 years old, finished at AA.
Analysis: Velazquez had a 136 wRC+ with a 19.1/9.6 K/BB% last season. It’s easy to try to contextualize those numbers – i.e. “he had a lot of bad batted ball luck to begin the season” (true) or “He put up most of his numbers in one absolutely insane series in Pennsylvania (true), but, overall, his plain and simple numbers indicate that this kid can absolutely mash the baseball, and, from all accounts, his exit velo’s say the same thing. Ralphy has hit lefties and righties well, AND, I think he is a solid corner outfielder. I know folks don’t want to hear this, but I think this is your replacement for Steven Kwan post 2026 (or earlier if things don’t go well for the Guardians but do go well for Ralphy by July).
3. Braylon Doughty, RHP, 20 years old, finished at Low-A
Analysis: As a 19 year old, Doughty put up a 3.48 ERA/2.84 FIP and 10.44/2.43 K/BB/9 at Lynchburg. Those are truly great numbers. Assuming his late-season shutdown was mostly due to innings limits and not any serious injury concerns, I think Doughty has potential to put himself tops of this list by the end of the season. He is an efficient, strike-throwing machine with an underrated fastball to pair with an excellent curveball and slider, and a good feel for commanding all his pitches and managing a gameplan. All at 19, folks. Get excited. But, also, remember… he’s a pitcher. Pray for health.
2. Chase DeLauter, LHH OF, 24 years old, finished in Cleveland
Analysis: Speaking of praying for health, when healthy last year, DeLauter put up a 128 wRC+ with a 15.4/15.4 K/BB% and an unlucky .281 BABIP. He hits the ball hard (52% of the time) and doesn’t chase (ironically!) or whiff. If this kid can just stay healthy, he is going to make a lot of Cleveland fans breathe a sigh of relief when they see him playing outfield and hitting toward the top of the Guardians’ order. He has had some uneven performances against LHP, but has hit them enough where I think he’ll be above-average there and excellent vs. RHP (130 wRC+ or better) when he’s established.
1. Travis Bazzana, LHH 2B, 23 years old, finished at AAA.
Analysis: In his first full year as a professional, Bazzana had a 137 wRC+ with a 24.3/17.6 K/BB%. On the surface, those are very encouraging numbers. However, Bazzana’s slugging hanging out in the .430 range, his strikeouts being elevated from what expectations were, and his injuries (both obliques) have led to some serious doubts about his projectability being introduced. Also, fellow-2024-first-round-draft-picks Nick Kurtz (in the majors last season and incredible), Konnor Griffin (top prospect in baseall) and J.J. Wetherholt (top 10 prospect in baseball) have not helped Guardians’ fans maintain optimism about the Australian 1.1 pick. I am here to tell you to relax and trust the process. If Bazzana is healthy, I am very confident we will see growth in power and in strikeout rate reduction, which will put him on the major league roster by June. Also, I think Bazzana is Kipnis-level at second base defensively. Combined with the 130 wRC+ I think he will manage when established in the big leagues, that’s a 4-5 win player, and I learn toward him consistently putting up 5 wins for his prime.
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Outside Looking In/Picks to Click: Gabriel Rodriguez, SS, Robert Arias, OF, Michael Kennedy, RHP, Andrew Walters, RHP, Rafe Schlesinger, LHP, Aaron Walton, OF, Nolan Schubert, DH/OF, Dean Curley, IF, Franklin Gomez, LHP, Austin Peterson, RHP, Jacob Cozart, C, Bennett Thompson, C, Will Hynes, RHP, Tommy Hawke, OF, and Luke Hill, 3B.
Let me know what you think in the comments below!
