The 2026 season is setting up to be the year of the kids. The Cleveland Guardians seem determined to give their young core and prospects plenty of opportunities to show what they can do at the big-league level.
That group most notably includes Chase DeLauter, George Valera, CJ Kayufs, and eventually Travis Bazzana and Juan Brito. But there is one other prospect that is being forgotten about, and based on how they’re performing in Cactus League play, could force the Guardians to make some tough decisions.
Advertisement
That player is outfielder Petey Halpin.
Halpin made his MLB debut at the end of the 2024 season, but had a unique role with the team down the stretch. The outfielder only started a handful of games and came into the game as a pinch runner or defensive substitution.
Halpin has always been an interesting prospect. His speed and defense have always been the 23-year-old’s calling card, while the bat has been a work in progress.
After all of that work, it looks like Halpin is starting to find his stride at the plate.
Halpin is turning some heads during Spring Training. After making an offseason swing adjustment to help him hit the fastball better, Halpin owns six hits in nine at-bats (.400), including two extra-base hits. He’s also been making plenty of hard contact with the ball, too.
Advertisement
If Halpin were a right-handed hitter, he might have already locked up a spot on Cleveland’s Opening Day roster, but the fact that he, along with Chase DeLauter, George Valera, Steven Kwan, CJ Kayfus, and Nolan Jones, are all lefties too, creates some redundancy on the roster.
That said, the Guardians aren’t in the position to be super selective with where they’re getting their offense from after a dreadful 2025 season at the plate.
If Halpin continues to hit at a high level, Cleveland may be forced to make some tough decisions with the roster to give the outfield prospect a spot on it, which would obviously take away a spot on the roster and playing time for another player in this group.
First things first, Halpin must continue hitting at a high level leading up to Opening Day, and if he is, it’ll be interesting to see how Cleveland constructs its outfield heading into the season.
Advertisement
Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.