Now that the minor league seasons are over for Cleveland’s affiliates, it’s time to take a look back and see which players made a name for themselves in 2026 and should be monitored to make an impact on the 2027 Guardians’ team.
Prospects who Debuted and Ended the Season on the Guardians:
Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana, Angel Genao, Daniel Espino, Parker Messick, and Austin Peterson: From your rookie of the year candidates – DeLauter and Messick – to your AL All-Star – Bazzana – to a guy throwing 100 mph out of the bullpen – Espino – to your solid longman/fifth starter – Peterson, this was a special group of Guardians’ rookies without a doubt.
Columbus Clippers:
Hitters:
Cooper Ingle, LH C/LF – 151 wRC+, 23/18 (.371 wOBA/.351 xwOBA in August-September) – Ingle is clearly going to be a good hitter, but it’s his defensive home that’s the trouble. Can he stick at catcher? Will he be able to adjust to left field (after a disastrous few games there in Cleveland)? At the plate, he clearly sold out for some more power this season, leading to an uptick in strikeouts. Was the trade-off worth it? All questions the Guardians have to answer, but I do wonder if Ingle isn’t Kwan’s eventual replacement in left.
Ralphy Velazquez – 133 wRC+, 21/11 – (.481 wOBA/.396 xwOBA in Aug-Sep). For those wondering, in Ralphy’s last two months he put up a .491 wOBA on off-speed pitches, a .355 wOBA on curveballs, and a .355 wOBA on sliders. His wOBA on fastballs was a ridiculous .561. Basically, he is steadily figuring each kind of pitch out and doing damage on them. I believe he should be plan-A to start 2027 at first base for the Guardians.
Kahlil Watson, LH CF – 116 wRC+, 27/13 (.348 wOBA/.344 xwOBA in Aug-Sep) – Watson is such a fun player and competitor but I just can’t see him making it as a big leaguer with his chase and whiff issues.
Kody Huff, RH C/1B – 131 wRC+, 20/14, .362 wOBA/.311 xwOBA in Aug-Sep) – This was a breakout year for Huff at the plate, who hit lefties extremely well. Zack Meisel of the Athletic has repeatedly mentioned how much the Guardians love him, and I would assume he is next in line if anything should happen to injure on the Bailey-Hedges tandem in Cleveland. I see little reason to doubt Hedges will be back in 2027. Huff is Rule-5 eligible and looks like he will be a needed add this offseason.
Note: George Valera, LH OF/DH ended 2026 with a .544 wOBA for August-September, but only a .364 xwOBA. I suspect Gorgeous George will see time with a major league team again, but it may not be in Cleveland, if only because of his horrible defense in the corner outfield spots.
Pitchers:
Rorik Maltrud, RHP – 3.90 ERA/4.58 FIP, 7.86/3.27 K/BB/9 (Aug-Sept: .262 wOBA/.263 xwOBA allowed). Maltrud looks like a functional emergency starter option for MLB games next season.
Justin Campbell, RHP – 2.08 ERA/3.31 FIP, 8.83/3.12 K/BB/9 (Aug-Sept: .269 wOBA/.270 xwOBA allowed). Campbell being healthy and looking special this season is probably the best news for the organization’s pitching group aside from Messick and Espino. He needs to increase his strikeout numbers at Triple-A, but I think we can be reasonably confident that with additional reps, he will do so. Hopefully, Campbell has a smooth offseason in recovery and training and arrives for Spring Training ready to compete for a major league spot, making himself an option during the 2027 season. Campbell is Rule-5 eligible and will have to be added to the 40-man prior to the lockout.
Steven Perez, LHrP – 4.78 ERA /4.79 FIP, 9.72/5.40 K/BB/9 (Aug-Sept: .262 wOBA/.235 xwOBA allowed). Perez had a rocky season in the tough pitching environment of Triple-A (especially in Columbus), but he finished strong and still has major league left-handed specialist ceiling. He lowered that walk-rate about 2 walks per 9 for August-September which is the key for making this ceiling attainable.
Rubber Ducks:
Hitters:
Ryan Cesarini, LH RF/LF – 162 wRC+, 13.6/10.3 K/BB%, .298 BABIP – Don’t sleep on Cesarini. Over the past two seasons, he has had mostly even splits as a hitter (hitting LHP slightly BETTER than RHP) and showed an impressive jump in power to accompany his excellent contact abilities. This is the kind of player who makes his way into organizational top 10 prospect lists if he starts 2027 hot in Columbus.
Nolan Schubart, LH 1B/DH – 145 wRC+, 34/18 K/BB% – Is Schubart capable of being Joey Gallo – good for a lot of strikeouts, a lot of walks and a lot of home runs? That’s the path to the majors for this likely-DH with prodiguous power. But, it’s an uncertain one because of his immense swing-and-miss issues.
Aaron Walton, RH CF – 132 wRC+, 26/13 K/BB% – Walton is one of the most exciting prospects from 2026 for me. He managed to cut his whiff JUST enough to make his hitting look potentially viable at a higher level, and he appears to be an excellent defender in center. He’s also RIGHT-HANDED which is a miracle in the Guardians’ system.
Dean Curley, RH IF – 122 wRC+, 32/13 K/BB% – Curley is an interesting player with some fun power and plate discipline, but also prone to taking WAY too many strikes and swing-and-miss. He’s also not a very good defender, and I’d expect him to get more time at third base than shortstop in the near future.
Welbyn Francisca, SH SS – From Aug.-Sept: 132 wRC+, 26/10 K/BB% – In case you forgot about this latest, switch-hitting Guardians’ shortstop project, Francisca put up an insane last two months at Double-A at the age of only 20. I’ll be interested if they get Francisca some centerfield reps (a la Kahlil Watson) or if they keep him at short where he looks viable. He pulls the ball in the air extremely consistently, but the whiff is a little high.
Additional names: Jaison Chourio (Rule-5 eligible), Bennett Thompson, and Jake Fox are names to continue to monitor, but none have put themselves into the upper echelon of Guardians’ prospects with their 2026 seasons. The outfielders Chourio and Fox and catcher Thompson all rely on heavy contact-over-power tools. Hope is not entirely lost for Jace LaViolette, who had a strong end to his Double-A season… but the clock is ticking for him to show that some swing adjustments can help him alleviate his SIGNIFICANT whiff issues.
Pitchers:
Izaak Martinez, LHP – 2.06 ERA/4.15 FIP, 11.84/3.32 K/BB/9. Did not go well in seven innings at Columbus, but looks to still have potential as a left-handed specialist
Matt Jachec, RHP – 2.05 ERA/3.83 FIP, 12.3/3.4 K/BB/9. Jachec is rule-5 eligible, for what that’s worth. I think he will be a decent major league reliever soon, at the age of 25.
Jack Jasiak, RHP – 3.02 ERA/3.48 FIP, 11.75/2.54 K/BB/9. Didn’t go well in Columbus in eight innings. Also rule-5 eligible, Jasiak will get a prompt chance to show what he can do with prolonged time in Columbus should he still be in the Guardians’ organization come Opening Day there.
Khal Stephen, RHP – 3.44 ERA/4.55 FIP, 8/3.8 K/BB/9. Stephen got to 55 innings until he had to go to the operating table for Tommy John, but his potential to be a mid-rotation starter was clear. Hopefully, he can return to the mound sometime in 2027 and be ready to help in 2028.
Franklin Gomez, LHP – 3.78 ERA/4.92 FIP, 7.56/4.32 K/BB/9. Gomez put up some great numbers in High-A and then Double-A was a struggle as he dealt with his own arm issues. He was able to return and be healthy by the end of the year, so we can have some optimism that he will take the next steps forward in 2027 (if he can pitch, as he has to be added to the 40-man this offseason).
In summary, there were some very encouraging performances from many players in the upper and lower levels of the Guardians’ farm system in 2026. The players listed above have the highest degree of probability to impact the Major League team in 2026, and, for likelihood to do that, I would look at Ingle, Velazquez, Campbell, Perez and Gomez as the highest potential to do so.
