Format = Position Player | Age on 4/1/2024 | Highest Level Played | Estimated Time of Arrival
1. OF Chase DeLauter | 22 | AA | 2024
A gifted left-handed hitter at 6’4” 235 lbs, DeLauter could be a middle order mainstay and fantasy superstar. In 57 games spread across three levels, he slashed .355/.417/.528 with 30 strikeouts, 23 walks, five home runs and six stolen bases. He then extended his season by 23 games in the Arizona Fall League, where he slashed .299/.385/.529 with five homers and five steals. His blend of patience, power and contact skills are enticing and could land him in the majors late this season if Cleveland is contending. Hard to imagine they won’t be squarely in the mix given the relative weakness of the AL Central.
2. 1B Kyle Manzardo | 23 | AAA | 2024
Manzardo looks likely to open the season as Cleveland’s starting first baseman and could make a run at Rookie of the Year. The offensively challenged Guardians need him to hit early and often. He played well after coming over from Tampa in exchange for Aaron Civale, slashing .256/.348/.590 with six home runs in 21 games. Had gotten caught in between a bit early in the season as he sought to maximize his power as a 6’0” 205 lb left handed hitter with no defensive versatility, but he found himself along the way and kept hitting in the Arizona Fall League.
3. RHP Daniel Espino | 23 | AA | 2024
Talent is not a question here. Espino’s stuff is top shelf. Trouble is he threw just 18.1 innings in 2022 before injuries (knee and shoulder) ended his season. The shoulder injury did not go away, and Espino did not throw a pitch in 2023 after a March surgery to repair his anterior capsule. That sounds tricky, but just last week I saw a video of Espino throwing, and I’m excited all over again despite myself. Real Songs of Innocence and Experience situation. Better not chisel any projections for Espino into metal.
4. C Ralphy Velazquez | 18 | CPX | 2027
The 23rd overall pick in 2023, Velazquez is a 6’3” 215 lb left-handed slugger who slashed .348/.398/.739 with two home runs in six Complex League games. There’s a Catch-22 of sorts to navigate for fantasy players. His public-facing value will be higher if he remains behind the plate, but he’ll take a lot longer to impact our actual categories than he would if he switched to first base and let his bat drive the timeline. Headline is probably that he’s a steady bet for our game.
5. SS Brayan Rocchio | 23 | MLB | 2023
If the season started today, Rocchio might be at shortstop. Gabriel Arias is still on the roster, but Terry Francona wouldn’t be in the dugout, so perhaps Arias is no longer a lineup lock. Rocchio was a league-average bat (101 wRC+) as a 22-year-old in Triple-A due largely to great plate skills. His 12.3 percent strikeout rate jumped to 31.4 percent in 23 MLB games (86 PA). His walk rate fell from 11.2 percent to 4.7 percent. It’s not a big deal, or not unique, anyway, but my main worry with Rocchio has always been strength, and the early returns suggest he’ll need to get a little stronger if he’s going to control the zone against big league pitchers.
6. 2B Juan Brito | 22 | AAA | 2024
A 5’11” 202 lb switch hitter, Brito came over from Colorado in the Nolan Jones trade and played well across three levels for Cleveland, setting himself up to debut in 2024. A selective hitter with contact skills from both sides, he slashed .276/.373/.444 with ten home runs and three steals in 87 Double-A games then finished the season with five games in Triple-A. Should get a decent look in spring and could benefit if Andres Gimenez moves back to shortstop, but that’s far from a foregone conclusion.
7. OF Jaison Chourio | 18 | A | 2027
A 6’1” switch hitter who’s listed at 162 lbs but appears to be getting bigger, Chourio doesn’t bring the swing speed of his older brother and approaches the game with a little more patience at the plate. He walked 20.1 percent of the time in 39 Dominican Summer League games then 14.3 percent in nine Low-A games. He’ll turn 19 on May 19 and could be pushing for a promotion to High-A shortly after that.
8. SS Jose Tena | 23 | MLB | 2023
A left-handed hitter listed at 5’11” 195 lbs, Tena will have a chance to make the team out of spring training and might even push for the starting shortstop job if new manager Stephen Vogt takes a shine to him. More likely, he settles into an up-and-down utility role over the next couple seasons unless he can get his strikeout rate under control. He posted a 103 wRC+ in 81 Double-A games with a 28.7 percent K-rate so has intriguing upside if he can chisel that down.
9. 3B Deyvison De Los Santos | 20 | AA | 2024
Here’s what I wrote in my Arizona Diamondbacks Top 10 Prospects For 2024 Fantasy Baseball:
“In a full season against much older players (5.6 years on average), De Los Santos hit 20 home runs and got better throughout the year, even if his patience didn’t improve. Over his final 27 games, he slashed .321/.339/.661 with a 1.7 percent-to-27.8 percent walk-to-strikeout rate. The ten home runs he popped in those 27 games are astounding, but it’s hard to imagine how that kind of approach will handle the next two levels. Not that it has to. DDLS has plenty of time to find a balance that works for him.”
Since then, De Los Santos was exposed to and selected in the Rule 5 draft, meaning the Guardians have to keep him on the big league roster all season or surrender him back to the Diamondbacks, which means he might not have plenty of time to find that balance but also that he gets a chance to experience major league pitching and major league coaching.
10. OF George Valera | 23 | AAA | 2024
11. OF Estevan Florial | 26 | MLB | 2020
12. SS Angel Martinez | 22 | AAA | 2024
Cheating a bit here because I am contractually obligated to include George Valera as long as he’s eligible, but I don’t feel good about omitting Angel Martinez or Estevan Florial, even if Florial is only eligible because he’s just shy of 130 at bats. He graduated on service days a while back. He still strikes out a lot, but he’s coming off 28 home runs and 25 steals in 101 games at Triple-A, and they sent Cody Morris to New York to bring Florial in, so he bears watching. Valera was awful in Triple-A, hitting .211 with an 84 wRC+. Martinez wasn’t any better in his 37 games at the level, posting a 78 wRC+, but he’s somewhere in the shortstop picture and could bring a little power and speed if given enough runway to develop.
Thanks for reading!
