Cleveland Sports Forum

For a team looking for someone who hits lefties, not a good sign:
.861 OPS against righties compared with .551 against lefties.

I think I'd prefer Nolan Jones.

Lynchburg managed 2 singles, lost 1-0. Jose Devers with one of the hits, leads the team with a decent 11 homers, also 15 doubles, 5 triples, 33 stolen bases. A middle infielder of course.
Alonzo Richardson the losing pitcher, 1 run in 7 innings One strikeout 4.79 ERA

Lake County scored 1 run, lost 3-1. DeLauter a single; Ingle single and walk; Steve Hajjar reduced his walk total from 8 in 3 innings to 6 in 4 innings. Trent Denholm worked innings, too, but his were scoreless and walkless.

Akron scored 7 but allowed 13. 4 errors didn't help. the only prospect pitching was former starter Tanner Burns, 2 innings, 1 unearned run, 3 walks 3 strikeouts.
Does Aaron Bracho deserve roster protection? 3 run double plus a sac fly. Not hitting cleanup after starting the season batting 9th. 257 average but 823 OPS featuring 17 homers and 14doubles; walks 13% of his plate appearances, strikes out 24%. Offense dramatically better than teammates on the current top 30 list Gabriel Rodriguez and Milan Tolentino, all again of course are infielders. Bracho may be the least defensively adept of the 3 [although GRod had 2 of the errors yesterday]. But his power overwhelms their production. Brito yesterday had a single and walk, hitting 283, 819.

for the Clippers Valera's 9th homer is also his 7th from August 17, over 77 plate appearances. Totals since 8/17:
19 for 67 .284
2 doubles and the 7 homers so SLG .627
10 walks so his OBP is 338
and his OPS 965
Also has struck out 22 times so that's 29% of appearances

Noel hit his 24th homer, and singled and walked.

If Cantilllo is our best non-Espino pitching prospect we're not in great shape on the mound, His erratic season continued: 4 1/3 10 4 4 1 6 .
Season numbers at AA and AAA total 3.98 ERA 1.43 WHIP; a very impressive 143 K in 109 innings, but 56 walks and 16 homers dont' impress

Bottom 4th

1 - 0, 1 Out
Home Run
Jhonkensy Noel homers (25) on a line drive to right center field.
SWB 1,COL 2
COLwin probability:67.0%(13.8%)
Exit Velocity
108.9 mph
Distance
406 ft
Launch Angle
18 deg


2 - 2, 0 Outs
Home Run
Jhonkensy Noel homers (26) on a fly ball to right field. Oscar Gonzalez scores. Kyle Manzardo scores.
SWB 3,COL 5
COLwin probability:100.0%(50%)

Beat me to it!. Noel is not quite homer or nothing, with an average of only 229 and OPS 752; but his strike out rate of 25% is not exceptionally high and is better than the 27% last year in AA. He's still a young AAA everyday player at age 22. 23 doubles and two triples mean his extra base hits total 1 every 10 at bats.

Comparing a homer or bust hitter the best comparison to me is always Russell Branyan. His first full year in AAA was at age 23; he hit 30 homers, but only 12 other extra base hits, so one every 12 at bats; and his strikeouts were a phenomenal 37% of his at bats. He returned for 1/2 season in Buffalo the next year adding 21 homers, XB hits totaled 32 or 1 in 9 at bats; and strikeouts dropped a bit to 32%.

Branyan wound up spending parts of 14 seasons in the majors with 193 homeruns.

Elsewhere:

Valera and Manzardo both 0-3, the latter drew a walk
Petey Halpin homered, singled and walked for AKron
Frias with 3 hits including 2 doubles for Lake County
Jake Fox homered, tripled and singled for Lake County
C.J. Kayfus 2 doubles and 4 rbi for Lynchburg. He may be a bat of interest.

3rd round pick he mostly plays 1st base; in games from August 31 to date he's gone 9 for 19 including two homers 4 doubles 6 walks 4 strikeouts
line for those games: 474/583/1105 OPS 1688
of course a college bat might appropriately debut in High A, so perhaps he's competing below his level.

Pre-draft analysis:

Age At Draft: 21.7
BA Grade:40/High
Tools:Hit: 55. Power: 40. Run: 45. Field: 45. Arm: 50.

Kayfus was an odd profile out of a high school as an undersized first baseman who lacked physicality and the power necessary to profile at a position on the bottom of the defensive spectrum. While he’s now a bit taller and around 20 pounds heavier, Kayfus is largely the same sort of prospect at Miami, though he has three seasons of solid offensive production to bolster his reputation as a solid pure hitter. At 6-foot, 192 pounds, Kayfus is a contact hitter with solid bat-to-ball skills and a savvy batting eye. He made contact at a strong 81% clip in 2023 and paired a 15.2% strikeout rate with a 15.9% walk rate, and does a nice job using the entire field. He makes solid contact, but does not have the sort of raw power or elevated impact in games that bodes well for profiling at first base in pro ball. That was also the case for Kayfus during the 2022 summer with a wood bat in the Cape Cod League. Because of his hit-over-power offensive profile, there’s a chance teams sign him and try and see how he looks defensively in a corner outfield position, where the offensive bar will be a bit lower. He’s a fine defender at first, and has limited exposure in the outfield corners, but has the speed and athleticism to potentially be a fringy outfield defender with more experience.

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Franco Aleman worked another scoreless 0.1 9th inning tonight, extending a 17 outing, 22 2/3-inning scoreless streak to begin his Double-A career.

0.1 INN 0 H 0 R 0 ER 0 W 1 SO 0.000 ERA Save #7

Aleman is now 2-0, 7 Saves, 2 Holds, 22 2/3 INN

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and also nice to see
5 shutout innings by Jack Leftwich, who struggled much of the year
3 2/3 shutout innings by Will Dion who has had a very good year. 2.52 ERA more than 1 k per inning; also 4 K per BB
Jose Brito produced the game's only run with his 10th AA homer [14th overall]; also his 20th AA double [29th overall]

Welcome to another installment of the Guardians Newsletter. I’m Mandy Bell and I’m in my fifth season covering Cleveland. Let’s get into the good stuff:

It’s been yet another season of callups for the Guardians.

Pitchers Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee stole the spotlight at the big league level. Middle-infield prospects Brayan Rocchio and José Tena have been given windows to demonstrate what they can bring to the table.

But there are still three other prospects who have been top of mind for Guardians fans and have yet to make their Major League debuts. Let’s check in on how the trio has fared this season:

George Valera, Triple-A Columbus

In a perfect world, Valera would’ve already made his debut.

That was the hope, anyway, for the team’s No. 5 prospect per MLB Pipeline. He was primed to get his chance in the Major League outfield mix this year before he dealt with a wrist injury at the beginning of the season and a hamstring injury later in the year. He has been with Triple-A Columbus for the entire season and struggled to get going offensively.

It took until mid-August for his bat to heat up, but Valera has started to show some signs of being what everyone expected him to be this season over the last few weeks. In his last 20 games, Valera has hit .284 with a .977 OPS, including three doubles, seven homers and 17 RBIs.
George Valera

According to MLB Pipeline, Valera’s best tool is his power, which would be welcomed on the big league roster. The Guardians are last in baseball -- by a landslide -- in homers. If Valera can have a strong finish to the year and a healthy offseason, he should finally make his MLB debut in 2024.

“It was a really rough start to the year for George, just with the injuries and him not being able to be on the field, and he came back from [the injuries] and it was just tough to get into a rhythm,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “I think what we’ve seen over the last few weeks, he’s starting to emerge from that and he’s been more productive, and that’s been really encouraging to see.

“It’s another guy we’re hopeful that can, first and foremost, stay on the field for the balance of the year, but take advantage of the at-bats and innings he has left for this season and make sure we have a good offseason plan in place for him.”

Kyle Manzardo, Triple-A Columbus

The Guardians have their first baseman in Josh Naylor. But Manzardo has the potential to be a better version of Josh Bell, complementing Naylor at first and taking over the DH spot on days he’s not in the field. The team’s No. 2 prospect, who was acquired from the Rays at the Trade Deadline in exchange for Aaron Civale, got off to a delayed start with Triple-A Columbus as he recovered from a shoulder injury. But now that he’s back in the mix, the plan is to get him as many Minor League at-bats as possible before the end of the season, so he can be ready to compete for a roster spot in Spring Training next year.

On Friday, Manzardo launched his first homer with the Guardians' organization.

“It’s only been a handful of games, but most importantly, he’s healthy,” Antonetti said. “He’s obviously a little bit rusty because he missed a good chunk of time and didn’t play in games regularly. But he’s starting to get his timing back, starting to get his swing back. By all accounts, he’s a really good guy, a really good worker. So, we’ll continue to partner with him for the balance of the season, and hopefully it can help head into the offseason with a good plan and come in next year ready to go.”
Kyle Manzardo

Juan Brito, Double-A Akron

We’ve seen Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Rocchio and Tena all showcase what they can do up the middle for the Guardians. But don’t forget about Brito.

Brito, Cleveland’s No. 6 prospect, has had an impressive season with High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron. After posting a .265 average and an .803 OPS with 24 walks compared to 21 strikeouts in 35 games with Lake County, he was promoted to Akron and has hit .279 with an .810 OPS in his first 81 games.

“He’s had a really good year,” Antonetti said. “He’s been one of the younger players at his level, first at High-A and then in Double-A. He continued to make strides on both sides of the ball. He continues to show really good, consistent contact from both sides of the plate and is starting to add some impact quality to that, which has been encouraging to see. He’s also progressing really well defensively at second, primarily. It’s exciting to think about the progress he’s made this year. He’s had a really good developmental year and has positioned himself well as we look forward.”

Our guys' appearances in the weekly BA Hot Sheet have been pretty few and far between. Here's one:

No. 17 Ryan Webb, LHP, Guardians

Team: High-A Lake County (Midwest)

Age: 24

Why He’s Here: 1-0, 0.75, 12 IP, 8 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 10 SO, 0 HR

The Scoop: After breaking out in 2021 with Georgia, Webb suffered an elbow injury and needed Tommy John surgery. He returned in 2022 making 11 appearances with Low-A Lynchburg. He’s been mostly healthy in 2023 and has started to return to the form that made him one of the most interesting lefthanded pitchers in the 2021 draft class. Last week Webb went six innings in each of his two starts, allowing a total of 12 baserunners and one earned run. Webb struck out 10 while walking three, showing command and the ability to work around the zone and execute. Webb mixes a low-90s fastball with two breaking balls in an upper-70s curveball with two-plane break, a tight slider in the low-to-mid-80s and a changeup. All of Webb’s secondaries boast above-average to plus whiff rates. (GP)

Lake County season is over; DeLauter gets to spend the final week of the AA season with Akron.

Oscar tripled and singled. Will we see him again in Cleveland? We have given away a bunch of guys who have had successfulish OF careers recently and not so recently: Santander, Jones and Benson.
After a gem least time out Plesac was bombed again, 5 runs in 4 innings, 2 more homers. Will he see him again in Cleveland? He'll be a minorleague free agent; anyone can pick him up for nothing.

DeLauter with his first AA extra base hit, a double. Overall his 22nd double in 198 at bats, 5 homers

With most of our top 2023 prospects having graduated to the majors, it's time to rebuild the system. BA likes some of our youngest players quite a bit.
The Arizona Complex League top 30 is published and we score:

3. Jaison Chourio, OF, Guardians
Age: 18. B-T: B-R. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 162. Acquired: Venezuela, 2022.

The younger brother of top Brewers prospect Jackson Chourio brings a different skill set but a high upside nonetheless. Jaison is a polished hitter whose selectivity at the plate can border on passive. He works deep into counts and is as confident as they come with two strikes. Chourio doesn’t show much power now, but bullish evaluators believe he could get to above-average thump if he continues filling out his frame. He’s a plus runner who has a solid chance to stick in center field thanks to excellent instincts and athleticism. His floor is as high as can be found in the high-variance complex league, but his ceiling could make him a player Cleveland can build around.

Team AVG OBP SLG AB PA R H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB CS
ACL Guardians .349 .476 .463 149 189 40 52 12 1 1 25 38

7. Jackson Humphries, LHP, Guardians
Age: 19. B-T: R-L. Ht.: 6-1. Wt.: 200. Acquired: 8th round pick, 2022.

Though his stats might not jump off the page, Humphries was easily regarded as one of the most talented pitchers in the ACL. Humphries—Cleveland’s eighth-round pick in 2022—pitches with a full four-pitch mix fronted by a mid-90s fastball and backed in part by a curveball that scouts project as a potentially plus offering. He has an excellent combination of physicality, athleticism and feel for spin, though there is a concern that a lack of extension in his delivery might cause his fastball to play less than its velocity. He also shows a potentially average changeup. Put it all together, and Cleveland could have another talented pitcher in its enviable development program.

Team W L ERA G IP H R ER HR BB SO AVG
ACL Guardians 0 6 5.61 9 33.2 30 27 21 2 21 48 .244

One suggestion for each team's Arizona Fall ball assignments; for CLE

Guardians: Chase DeLauter, OF (No. 4/MLB No. 85)
Surgery on his left foot sidelined DeLauter for the first two months of this season, but the 2022 first-rounder from James Madison showed off a rare combination of size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), athleticism and plate discipline once he got on the field. He has solid or better tools across the board and slashed .366/.403/.549 with four homers in 42 games in High-A.

"rare combination of size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), athleticism and plate discipline" is a bit strange list of talents: does size matter if it doesn't add to skill level?
Size could translate to power but DeLauter's power to date is confined to lots of doubles.
Brad Zimmer had the size, had the athleticism. Insofar as plate discipline means ability to draw walks he was quite good at that in the minors; of course if it relates to ability to avoid strikeouts not so good.

Joey Cantillo is NOT ready for the majors.
Today's line: Cantillo
3.2 3 3 3 4 3 1 4.70

I'm not confident in any of our pitchers. Espino is great when he can pitch which is rarely [mlb.com optimistically lists him as our No. 3 prospect. . Justin Campbell 2022 top draftee pitcher hasn't pitched. 2023 top draftee pitcher Alex Clemmey is a high school kid who hasn't pitched yet. No. 9 at mlb.com. Cantillo No. 11 on the prospect list.
No else until No. 17
Perfect teenate Jackson Humphries see above
Best candidate for the Bob Feller award this summer should be Will Dion, a small lefty with great control and a modest fast ball. A left handed Eli Morgan perhaps.