Cleveland Sports Forum

Baseball America updates their top 100 prospect list with about 1/4 of the season in the can.

Gavin Williams comes in at No. 14. So maybe we can expect even more from him than Bibee and Allen.? Well it would be hard to top them for immediate impact

Tools: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 60 | Slider: 55 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50
Skinny: Recently promoted to Triple-A, Williams is a true power pitcher with a mid-to-upper-90s fastball, an above-average slider and a curveball. Williams looks like the next Guardians pitching prospect to ascend to the big league rotation with true No. 2 starter upside.

Major move up since preseason for Bibee:
NO> 28 Tanner Bibee
Guardians RHP
Notes:

Tools: Fastball: 60 | Curveball: 50 | Slider: 60 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
Skinny: Every season Bibee seems to take another large step forward. In 2022 he emerged as one of the game’s breakout prospects. In 2023 he looks like one of the Guardians’ best starters. With a combination of advanced command and a viable arsenal of average or better pitches, Bibee has all the ingredients to be a mid-rotation or better starter.\\Bo Naylor
Guardians C


no 61 BO NAYLOR

Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 50 | Field: 55 | Arm: 55
Skinny: Naylor made his big league debut in 2022 and showed on-base skills and power in a return to Triple-A in 2023. The athletic Canadian should be a fine big league catcher once he returns to the show. His arm strength has lacked this season, but he has the athleticism to move to other positions if necessary.

[We need him to take over behind the plate. If he can't throw anyone out but can catch pitches, that's enough to be a boost up defensively.] And he can hit.


64
George Valera 2022George Valera
Guardians OF
Notes:

Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Field: 50 | Arm: 50
Skinny: The powerful Valera struggled somewhat upon reaching Triple-A as a 21-year-old last season but has not debuted in 2023 after injuring his right wrist during spring training. [maybe this week?]

71
Logan Allen
Guardians LHP
Notes:

Tools: Fastball: 50 | Slider: 50 | Cutter: 55 | Changeup: 60 | Control: 60
Skinny: After an up-and-down 2022 season, Allen has taken a step forward in 2023. With improved command and control, he's trying to claim a long-term spot in the Guardians rotation.

72
Brayan Rocchio 2022
Brayan Rocchio
Guardians SS
Notes:

Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 50 | Run: 60 | Field: 60 | Arm: 50
Skinny: In a system seemingly overstuffed with middle infielders, Rocchio is clearly close to ready to help a big league club. He's shown a very patient eye and is running wild at Triple-A. [he's 9 for 9 9n steals; also 11 doubles, 2 triples one homer and an 888 OPS

and one who got away"

51
Junior Caminero
Junior Caminero
Rays SS/3B
Notes:

Tools: Hit: 50 | Power: 60 | Run: 45 | Field: 45 | Arm: 60
Skinny: Caminero came to the Rays from Cleveland in a small trade and he's blown the doors off the competition ever since. After just 27 games in Low-A to close 2022, the Rays bumped Caminero to High-A this season and have watched as he's put on a show as the league's second-youngest player. He could be the Rays' latest steal.

[well at least we got to watch Tobias Myers in spring training in 2022]

remains in the Top 100 on scant game history but quite an arm

86
Daniel Espino
Guardians RHP
Notes:

Tools: Fastball: 80 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 70 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 55
Skinny: Espino has been dominant when he's on the mound, but he last pitched in a game on April 29, 2022, and he'll miss the next year or longer as he recovers from shoulder surgery.

Speaking of the usually injured Espino, 2019 1st round pick, then there's Ethan Hankins 2018 1st round pic,k. Injuries have limited him to 65 1/3 innings in all that. That includes 0 of course in 2020' 0 more in 2021 1 inning in 2022

So his 1 1/3 inning outing last week was his longest in 4 years. Who cares that he gave up 3 runs on 3 hits 2 walks and fanned two. He pitched!

Weekly Prospect Hot Sheet


12. Joey Cantillo, LHP, Guardians
Team: Double-A Akron (Eastern)
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.00, 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 13 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: Cantillo was limited by a shoulder injury in 2021 and an oblique injury in 2022, but he impressed when he was on the mound. The native Hawaiian is back healthy and dealing this season. Cantillo pitched five scoreless innings with one hit allowed, two walks and a career-high 13 strikeouts in a dominant start against Portland last week. The 6-foot-4 lefthander got stronger as the game went on, striking out nine of the final 10 batters he faced and closing out the fifth by striking out the side swinging. Cantillo is 1-0, 0.55 in four starts with 25 strikeouts in only 18.1 innings so far this year and is making a compelling case for a promotion to Triple-A. (KG)

Sooner rather than later, some of these impressive young pitchers will be on the move in return for some guys who can hit.

Tuesday lines:

CLE AA #18 Joey Cantillo, LHP 3.1 4 3 3 4 4 1.83 hot last week, this week not

CLE AAA #3 Bo Naylor, C 4 1 2 1 0.270 BB (27), E (3), a catcher who can hit?!
CLE AAA #5 Brayan RocchioSS 5 0 0 0 0.325
CLE AA #8 Angel Martinez, SS 5 2 2 1 0.198 2B (1),
CLE MAJ #10 Will Brennan, OF 3 1 2 0 0.211 SB (3),
CLE AA #14 Jose Tena, SS 4 2 1 1 0.149 BB (6),
CLE HiA # 15 Jake Fox, 2B 4 0 1 0 0.163
CLE HiA #16 Juan Brito, 2B 3 0 0 0 0.256 BB (16),
CLE AAA#20 Jhonkensy Noel, OF 4 0 0 0 0.200 BB (14),
CLE AA #21 Gabriel Rodriguez, 3B 4 1 2 1 0.181 BB (15),
CLE AAA #24 Richard PalaciosOF 4 1 2 3 0.273 2B (9), BB (25), SB (5)
CLE AA #30 Bryan Lavastida, C 5 1 2 3 0.209

Dayan Frias is not meeting up to my expectations. Not showing any signs of developing the power swing I was hoping for. He's played mostly third base. Splitting his other games between short and second. He's getting on base at a good clip. Maybe he is showing signs of fatigue. He's been playing non-stop base since last summer. Lynchburg, Columbian winterball, World Baseball Classic, Spring Training, and now Lake County. That is a lot of baseball for a 20 year old.

another great start by Gavin Williams 5 2/3 4 1 1 2 10 a sole homer
Like some other good pitching I'm familiar with he was backed by not much offense: 1 run on 6 hits.
He'll be up for Battenfield soon but won't have any more success winning games.

Akron erupted for 7 runs on 13 hits this afternoon.
Bryan Lavastida has finally resumed hitting, 3 singles today
Gabriel Rodriguez homer and single
Jose Tena two doubles

Tanner Burns 2 solo homers allowed in 5 innings.

day game in Eastlake too; the Captains lost 8-1
2 singles for Lampe, hitting 284, but little power, OPS 735

Joe, your guy Frias is only 20, so one of the youngest on his team, and his average of 283 is fine. He also has a nice 11 walks to 10 strkeouts ratio, so his On Base Pct is a very good 394. Power? no just one double in 64 appearances. "Power comes late"

Another wild and crazy day on the bases for the Lynchburg HIllcats.

Devers stole 3, total now 14
Furman stole 2, total 19
Lipscomb stole 2, total 18
Zarate stole 2, total 7
Collado stole 1, total 7

offense consisted of 6 singles, 9 walks, and 2-15 with runners in scoring positions.
Team is tied for league bottom with 8 home runs
Middle of the pack with 40 doubles
Tops in walks, while striking out the least
90 steals far and walk the top, and only 13 times caught stealing
this is in 29 games played

Not sure if anyone here is a prospect but they do know how to get on base and run

Here's a video of Gavin Williams' 10 strikeouts

Valera returned, in CF, 1-3 with a walk.