The Guardians will pick 19th in MLB’s draft on Sunday, July 12th, with the draft beginning at 1pm ET. Who might Cleveland select with their top pick?
As you probably know, discovering who an MLB team is targeting by the mid-point of the first round is a crapshoot. Almost no one had the Guardians connected to Jace LaViolette last year, in what was a break from their typical focus on contact over slugging. So, this is an inexact science. I want to be upfront in saying that I do not personally follow college and high school prospects; simply lack the bandwidth for that, and only did so leading up the Guardians #1 pick in 2024. But, I do read up on prospects as we approach the first round, so the following potential selections come from Baseball America’s excellent pre-draft podcast, from Keith Law’s latest mock for the Athletic and from Kiley McDaniel’s latest mock from ESPN.
The names below are players mentioned by these outlets as connected to or a potential fit for the Guardians, and the final six names are additions from our sites’ writers and friends and from players listed around #19 on MLB Pipeline’s list. You can click on names below to read a scouting report on them from MLB Pipeline or Yahoo Sports or Perfect Game.
Names to Know at Pick #19:
Sawyer Strosnider, LHH, OF, 6’2, 200 lbs, TCU 21 years old – A great athlete who projects as a centerfielder, this would be a pick similar to LaViolette as Strosnider is power over contact, with some concerning chase rates but some light-tower pop.
Jared Grindlinger, LHP/OF, 6’3, 190 lbs, Huntington Beach HS CA 17 y.o. – Probably Grindlinger ends up as a pitcher, but he does have some interesting two-way potential. A lot of projectability in his arm and one of the youngest prospects in the draft.
Logan Schmidt, LHP, 6’4, 210 lbs, Ganesha HS CA 17 y.o. – Experiencing some recent helium, Schmidt has gained some velo and flashed some fun secondary pitches.
Zion Rose, RHH, OF, 6’1, 200 lbs, Louisville 21 y.o. – Probably a left-field only defender, Rose has good contact skills and excellent power, but chases a little too much to be drafted higher than around where the Guardians’ pick.
Ace Reese, LHH, 3B, 6’4, 220 lbs, Mississippi St. 21 y.o. – A lot of power and some solid contact skills here, but some chase concerns and, primrily, defensive liability that may push him to first base put Reese in this general are of the draft.
Connor Comeau, LHH, 3B, 6’4, 180 lbs – Anderson HS TX 17 y.o. – Would be fun to see the Guardians draft another Canadian and this power-first prospect would also be interesting as he is likely limited to 3B as a defender.
Landon Thome, LHH, 2B/3B, 6’0, 177 lbs – Nazareth Academy IL 18 y.o. – You may recognize the last name – it’s Jim Thome’s son! With contact ability and speed being a big part of his game, he is different from his dad, but there’s some solid power potential as well.
James Clark, LHH, 2B/SS, 6’1, 195 – Riverside HS CA 18 y.o. – A little bit of an under the radar prospect, this would be a return to more of the contact-first profile the Guardians had been targeting prior to 2026.
Ty Head, LHH, OF, 6’3, 205 lbs – North Carolina State 21 y.o. – A centerfielder with fringy power potential and a swing that needs some work, this would be a fun pick for the Guardians if he is there.
Owen Hull, LHH, OF, 6’4, 215 lbs – North Carolina 21 y.o. – He has an odd swing but seems to make it work. Take me home country roads, again?
Chris Rembert, RHH, 2B, 5’11, 209 lbs, Auburn 21 y.o. – Would the Guardians draft another player likely limited to second base in round one? He’s got good bat speed and contact ability but not a lot of pop.
Cole Carlon, LHP, 6’5, 230 lbs – Arizona State 21 y.o. – Some reliever risk but there’s enough to dream on for him becoming a good starter with the right organization with a fastball that has hit 98 mph.
Tegan Kuhns, RHP, 6’3, 189 lbs – Tennessee 21 y.o. – Pitched well in the Cape with a 98 mph fastball and an upper 70’s curveball, but is still searching for the right third offering. Pounds the zone.
Trey Ebel, RHH, SS/2B, 6’0, 180 lbs – Corona HS CA 17 y.o. – Projectable shortstop. Sometimes that is the Guardians’ type, but a right-handed hitter would be a change.
More Prospects from CTC Writers/Friendsand MLB Pipeline:
Justin Lebron, RHH, SS, 6’2, 190 lbs – Alabama 21 y.o. – A little bit of a project who chases too much, but stole 42 of 43 bases, looks to be a good defender and has solid power.
Logan Reddeman, RHP, 6’2, 185 lbs – UCLA 21 y.o. – A cutter-heavy pitcher many folks see as a back of rotation arm, but he’s a strike-thrower whom one could easily see the Guardians’ pitching team believing they can maximize.
AJ Garcia, LHH, OF, 6’3, 195 lbs – Virginia 21 y.o. – Leads with excellent plate discipline and good playing instincts, but there is raw power there that would be fun to go after. May stick in center, but if not, heads to left rather than right because of arm strength issues.
Cameron Flukey, RHP, 6’6, 210 lbs – Coastal Carolina 21 y.o. – Flukey seems to be the consensus “If he falls to the Guardians, they better take him and it’ll be a great pick” guy this season.
Hunter Dietz, LHP, 6’6, 235 lbs – Arkansas 21 y.o. – Shook off an elbow fracture in the past with a very good spring. He’s big and throws four pitches that some describe as “plus.“
Liam Peterson, RHP, 6’5, 225 lbs – Florida 21 y.o. – Stuff over command, but tinkers with his delivery a good bit, so Guardians’ could imagine themselves helping him fix problems and maximize his talent.
Always be sure to check out our faithful commenter DelGua’s mock drafts, as he does an excellent job, time in and time out. In his latest, he mentions a few other names to track:
Carson Bolemon, LHP, 6’4, 225 lbs – Southside Christian HS SC 19 y.o. – Sinker-heavy projectable arm, throws low 90’s for now.
Derek Curiel, LHH, OF, 6’2, 192 lbs – LSU 21 y.o. – Ranked 12th by MLB pipeline, should he fall to 19 he may be good value as a solid centerfielder with great contact skills and fringy power.
Our Matt Seese has offered a look at some pitchers the Guardians could target in the draft and is working on a companion piece for hitters they could be looking at. Continue to follow along as we prepare for what is always a fun event as the Guardians welcome more young talent into their organization.
Rehmbert and Bell were the best performers of this bunch in Cape Cod league play and we all know how much the Guardians appreciate that, so I’d keep my eye on them. For me, I kinda hope they draft a pitcher this time and Flutey, Kuhns, Dietz and Peterson intrigue me the most, there. Also, I am a sentimental fool but drafting Landon Thome would be awesome. Hopefully, doing some reading here will help us all be able to form half-baked opinions when the pick is announced! Let us know who you prefer in the comments below.
COVERS INTEL: Paul Skenes' four-seamer and sinker have both lost almost one full MPH from last season and are spinning 90 revolutions less. His whiff rate on the sinker is 8.8%, about half of last season’s. His changeup is the same speed as before, and the lack of difference between that and his fastballs is affecting that pitch as well. Batters are hitting 100 points higher against the change this year.