Now’s the time of year when analysts and talent evaluators around the baseball world identify their top prospects and farm systems heading into the
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel recently ranked every team’s farm system, and he rated the Cleveland Guardians as having the No. 2 organization in all of MLB. Plus, he doesn’t think they’re too far behind the Milwaukee Brewers, who came in at No. 1.
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“The Guardians aren’t that far behind Milwaukee in almost all respects, and they also have a unique blend of high-end talent and quality depth while regularly finding success in all aspects with limited payroll resources,” wrote McDaniel.
“There also seems to be a widening of Cleveland’s scouting aperture to consider the kinds of hitters the franchise has avoided in the past. Historically, the Guardians have invested heavily in hit-over-power infielders — often not the biggest or most physically impressive players but very effective ballplayers.”
Cleveland Guardians center fielder Chase DeLauter (34) watches his first career hit during the second inning of Game 3 of the American League Wild Card Series at Progressive Field, Oct. 2, 2025, in Cleveland, Ohio.
At first, it may feel like the Guardians’ organization is ranked pretty high, given that their top prospect, Travis Bazzana, was only ranked No. 23 in MLB. However, McDaniel has a very strong argument that Cleveland has strong depth at both the position player and pitching fronts.
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This isn’t a sentiment held by just one analyst. Earlier this offseason, Cleveland received votes from anonymous MLB executives for having a deep, and in some respects, underrated farm system.
McDaniel also noted that the Guardians have turned a new leaf in the types of hitters they’ve targeted in recent drafts, focusing more on power and pop than on contact.
Ralphy Velazquez is one example of that. McDaniel has him ranked as MLB’s No. 33 overall prospect, which should make fans and the organization feel encouraged about recent additions Jace Laviolette and Will Hynes from the 2025 draft class.
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It will be interesting to see where the Guardians come in during the mid-year ranking. While the Guardians do have prospect depth right now, Bazzana, DeLauter, Parker Messick, and possibly even Khal Stephen could very likely make their debut and graduate out of their prospect status at some point throughout the season.
Hopefully, by that point, a few other young players enter the conversation as some of baseball’s rising prospects, keeping Cleveland in this elite position among MLB’s top farm systems.
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