CLEVELAND, Ohio — Baseball prospect rankings are fun, but I sometimes wonder, “What are they thinking?”
This story isn’t any type of rankings. It is my thoughts on some of Cleveland’s prospects – including those I watched last year. Some big names will not be on this list, such as those recently drafted.
Here we go …
Consider Baseball America’s recent top 10 Guardians prospect list.
Number One … Travis Bazzana.
I suppose that’s no surprise, since Bazzana was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 draft. But is he really Cleveland’s best prospect? The MLB Pipeline also thinks so.
Both those sources rate Chase DeLauter as No. 2.
I’ve seen them both play. Not only is DeLauter a better prospect than Bazzana (at least right now), he is one of the best hitters to come through the Cleveland farm system in years.
DeLauter battled injuries for the last few seasons. The outfielder still hit .278 (.859 OPS) with five HR and 21 RBI in 149 Class AAA plate appearances. Most fans know DeLauter has had foot injuries, a hamate bone surgery and a sports hernia surgery.
In 583 pro plate appearances, DeLauter has hit .302 (.888 OPS) with 20 HR and 89 RBI. He was 1 for 6 in the playoffs for Cleveland. The lefty hitter is 6-foot-3, 235 pounds and has a strong arm. He was a closer in college (92 mph), along with playing the outfield at James Madison.
When I think of an elite prospect, I picture someone like DeLauter.
Travis Bazzana twice had oblique injuries last season. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.comWhat about Bazzana?
Last season, Bazzana batted .245 (.813 OPS) with nine HR and 39 RBI in 374 plate appearances between Class AA and AAA. His season was interrupted in the middle of the summer due to an oblique injury.
In nine September games, he batted .290 (.742 OPS) with four HR in 38 plate appearances.
The oblique injury that happened in June returned in late September to end Bazzana’s season. It also took him out of the Arizona Fall League.
It’s far too early to dismiss Bazzana. The guy needs to get healthy and also relax a bit. He puts a lot of pressure on himself.
Some fans have pointed out that Nick Kurtz (No. 4 pick in the 2024 draft) hit .290 (1.002 OPS) with 36 HR for Oakland. That’s very true and he’d look great in a Cleveland uniform.
Others from the 2024 draft who appeared in majors were Jac Caglianone (No. 6 pick Royals, batted .157), Christian Moore (No. 8 pick, batted .198 for the Angels) and Cam Smith (No. 14 pick, batted .236, 9 HR for the Astros).
Patience is needed not only with Bazzana, but all these top prospects. A career second baseman, I’d like to see Bazzana moved to the outfield. He’s just OK with the glove at second.
Ralphy Velazquez hit .330 after he was promoted to Class AA Akron. Minor League Baseball via Getty I’m excited about …
Ralphy Velazquez batted .265 (.839 OPS) with 22 HR and 85 RBI between Class A and AA last season. The impressive part is he was a better hitter at Class AA Akron (.330 in 28 games).
Velazquez is only 20. The lefty was signed as a catcher but moved to first base. I watched him in two games at Akron, and he showed major power to the opposite field. He had only 104 strikeouts in 544 plate appearances, a good ratio for a young power hitter.
Baseball America had Velazquez as its No. 3 prospect. That sounds right to me. As of now, I’d have him above Bazzana.
Parker Messick looked like a MLB veteran when he came to the Majors for the first time with Cleveland in 2025. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.comMy favorite prospect pitcher
Last spring, I wrote a rave about Parker Messick after watching him in the Prospects Game. He was the Guardians’ second-round pick in 2022. The lefty didn’t start his pro career until 2023.
Late in the 2025 season, he was promoted to Cleveland. Messick made seven starts and had a 3-1 record with a 2.72 ERA. Having Messick could give the Guardians a chance to use another lefty such as Logan Allen in a trade.
Messick was the ACC Pitcher of the Year at Florida State. He has control and poise with enough juice on the fastball to worry hitters.
I saw this guy & liked him … a lot!
When the Guardians made a three-team trade that brought Luis Ortiz to Cleveland, there were two other pitchers in the deal. That’s a reason for Cleveland to be grateful, because Ortiz is part of the MLB gambling investigation.
At least they could end up with something for Andres Gimenez, who was traded to Toronto in that deal. The Guardians received minor league pitchers Michael Kennedy and Josh Hartle as part of the trade.
I’m a big fan of Hartle, who had a 10-3 record and 2.54 ERA in his first full pro season. At the end of the summer, he pitched two games at Class AA Akron – where I saw his first Class AA start.
The 22-year-old is 6-foot-6 and 207 pounds. He’s not a power pitcher. His fastball is average. His breaking stuff is good. He has poise and presence. In 113 ⅓ innings, he fanned 39. He reminded me a little of Cliff Lee. I said “a little” because Lee became a terrific pitcher and won a Cy Young award. Hartle could rise up fast, much like Messick did last year.
Most ratings services have him ranked in the 20s. I have him closer to the top 10.
Juan Brito had thumb and hamstring surgeries last season. Getty ImagesThe forgotten prospect
In 2023, Juan Brito was Baseball America’s Prospect of the Year in the Guardians organization. He also was my favorite Cleveland prospect, and I still like him.
In 2024, he batted .256 (.807 OPS) with 21 HR, 40 doubles and 84 RBI at Class AAA Columbus.
He started the 2025 season at Columbus and suffered as thumb injury that required surgery. He came back and developed hamstring problems. That led to another surgery. He played only 24 games. He has dropped out of the 10 lists in many rankings.
Brito is only 24. If he stays healthy, he’ll be a solid major league player. He’s played mostly second base in the minors, but did play 20 games in the outfield. The switch hitter controls the strike zone and has surprising power for someone optimistically listed at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds.
A little love for Peterson
But I believe Austin Peterson will eventually pitch in the majors. He had an 8-6 record with a 3.21 ERA between Class AA and AAA last season. He’s a 6-foot-6, 234-pounder right-hander who looks like he should throw hard.
He doesn’t.
His fastball is around the MLB average of 92 mph. He is more of a sinker/slider pitcher with good control. Some of the scouting reports wrote him off because he had a 4.27 ERA in 17 games as Class AAA in 2025. He’s also 26.
I saw him pitch at Class AA Akron. He reminded me of a right-handed Hartle. A big guy who should throw harder … but doesn’t. But he does pitch with poise and has a clue of what he’s doing on the mound.
Come see me: I will be signing copies of my new Browns book “Why can’t this team find a quarterback?” as the Westlake Barnes & Noble on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m.