Cleveland Sports Forum

BA's Classification All Stars include

AA one of the starting pitchers is Will Dion, also cited above
Rookie Level Jaison Chourio OF
and I won't mention that Junior Caminero was cited as the AA Player of the Year

Our guys were not major contributors to the Javelinas' 17 run outburst. Manzardo's 3 run homer and was part of an 11 run 6th inning, he added a 4th rbi and he dreaw a walk. DeLauter walked once in 5 at bats. Christian Cairo 0-2.

Once again, we saw another wave of rookies transition to the big leagues this season. Once again, they seemed to fit right in.

Guys like Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen didn’t just get their feet wet this year; they were key pieces in Cleveland’s rotation for most of the season and have cemented their places on the roster for 2024. So, where does that leave the state of the farm system heading into 2024?

3 players who forced their way onto the radar this year

OF Johnathan Rodriguez: We may be naming three players who forced their way onto the radar this year, but Rodriguez was the absolute standout this season. Rodriguez, the team’s No. 24 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, led all Cleveland Minor Leaguers in nearly every offensive category this season, including average (.286), homers (29), RBIs (88), slugging (.529), OPS (.897), hits (142) and extra-base hits (59). He’s the opposite of the majority of hitters in Cleveland’s system (and on its Major League roster) in that power is usually over his hit ability. But this year, he did both exceptionally well split between Double-A Akron (88 games) and Triple-A Columbus (47 games).

LHP Will Dion: Every year, the Guardians seem to have another starting pitching prospect make his debut and somehow seamlessly thrive. We’ve seen it with guys like Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Aaron Civale, Bibee, Allen and Williams. The list seems endless at this point. Maybe Dion, Cleveland's No. 27 prospect, can be that next name. He spent most of his season in Akron this year and is primed for a promotion up to Columbus next season. He led all Cleveland Minor League pitchers in ERA (2.39), WHIP (1.08) and opponent average (.216).

LHP Parker Messick: The Guardians' No. 17 prospect split his season between Single-A Lynchburg and High-A Lake County. He owned a combined ERA of 3.77 and struck out 136 batters in 121 2/3 innings. He struggled more after his promotion to the higher level, but the strikeouts (which were the second most by a Cleveland Minor Leaguer) and his .236 opponent average are indicators that he’s trending in the right direction. If he can build upon this foundation in 2024, he could become yet another starting pitcher to keep an eye on for the future.


2 possible breakout players to watch in 2024

1B Kyle Manzardo: Trading Aaron Civale at the Trade Deadline this year certainly was difficult for the team (and the fanbase) to swallow. But that can all be put in the rearview mirror if Manzardo sees the success at the big league level that he’s projected to have. Whether he rotates at first base with Josh Naylor or just simply DHs, Manzardo is expected to finally be a piece who can bring some pop to the offense. Cleveland’s No. 2 prospect is more known for his contact ability than his power, but he’s proven over the last few seasons that he can grow into more pop.

OF Chase DeLauter: In a normal world, someone who was just drafted last year and couldn’t make his professional debut until mid-2023 because of having foot surgery in January wouldn’t be on a big league radar just yet. But it doesn’t seem like DeLauter is in a normal world. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound DeLauter has everything the Guardians are looking for: Speed, athleticism, plate discipline and power. The team’s No. 4 prospect played mostly with Lake County this season, hitting .366 with a .952 OPS in 42 games. In six games with Akron, he went 8-for-22 (.364) with a double and four RBIs. MLB Pipeline has DeLauter projected to reach the Majors in 2025, but with a full (and healthy) season to climb the Minor League ranks next year in addition to Cleveland’s need for outfielders, DeLauter could make his debut by the end of ’24.
Gabriel Arias

1 big question for next season: Who’s at shortstop?

The Guardians are heading into next season with a wide-open shortstop battle. The team tried to give Gabriel Arias, who’s graduated out of the “prospect” category, the first chance at claiming that spot because of his elite defense, but his bat this season wasn’t consistent enough to know hands-down that he’ll be the guy they turn to next season.

That means players like Tyler Freeman and top prospect Brayan Rocchio will be fighting for that same spot. If the top options don’t pan out, it opens an opportunity for up-and-comers like No. 14 José Tena or No. 6 Juan Brito to have a clear path to the big leagues. The problem is, the organization won’t know the best option until Spring Training is well underway.

Manzardo homer, double, single 2 rbi
Cairo 2 singles in 3 AB
DeLauter with the day off.

Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians: On Monday, Manzardo hit a majestic home run an estimated 448 feet to center field at Peoria. On Wednesday, he outdid himself. This time, the Cleveland prospect’s home run went a project 460 feet deep to right at Salt River Fields. The bomb was hit with an exit velocity of 108.3 mph and was part of a three-hit night in Peoria’s loss. He has home runs in each of his last three games.

Hmm, the Civale trade may be a big winner. At least some good reason for optimism

Never a doubt ! JAG for a possible lottery ticket. Now factor in that you need a first baseman and he makes no money. A true home run.

Civale posted a 5.36 ERA over his last 10 starts of the season for Tampa.

#Guardians 23yr old (1B) prospect Kyle Manzardo has now hit 9 HR's over his last 18 games played between the end of the Triple-A season and the start of the Arizona Fall League.

Last 11 (AAA) games (6)
First 7 (AFL) games (3)

DeLauther 1-4, a single and a steal

Star Guardian of the day in Arizona:
Ryan Webb 4 1/3 innings 1 homer no other hits 1 walk 9 strikeouts
6-1 left hander 4th round pick
Not listed on the Top 30 prospect list, but maybe should be.

Dug Nikhazy toward the bottom of the list last year 4.92 13 homers in 102 innings and 73 walks. Not much chance he'll be a majorleaguer

Coach's son Manzardo headlines strong Guardians AFL contingent
October 12th, 2023

Jim Callis


In the last 49 seasons, two Washington State position players have earned first-team All-America recognition: John Olerud in 1988 and Kyle Manzardo in 2021.

Though Olerud was one of the greatest two-way players in NCAA history and Manzardo is strictly a hitter, there are a lot of similarities. Both are products of the Pacific Northwest and lefty-swinging first basemen with hit-over-power profiles. Olerud won an American League batting title and collected 2,239 hits during 17 years in the big leagues, and Manzardo has the approach, stroke and natural hitting ability to succeed at that level as well.

Emulating Olerud would be a dream come true for Manzardo, who’s currently working on his game in the Arizona Fall League.

“I've had the pleasure of meeting him briefly at Washington State, alumni events and stuff like that,” Manzardo said. “Obviously he’s a legend, somebody to look up to. You can admire all of the great things that he's done and the adversity he obviously overcame early in his life and career. Just somebody to admire who played at the same college as me, same position. He’s somebody I look up to a good deal.”

Manzardo has a long track record of success at the plate, which can be attributed to the fact that he’s been hitting as long as he can remember. His father, Paul, played collegiately at Ferris State (Mich.) and coached at the American Legion, high school and college levels. He coached Kyle at Lake City High in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, and worked with him long before that.

“I was hitting wiffle balls in the backyard,” Manzardo said of his introduction to hitting at a young age. “He just kind of flipped them up and I tried to hit it over our fence in our backyard and stuff like that. I’ve pretty much been playing in some capacity as long as I remember.

“He still throws BP to me in the offseason. He’s still the guy that I spend my offseasons with at home in a baseball capacity. He throws me BP, hits me grounders, all that stuff -- my whole life.”

A second-round pick by the Rays in 2021, Manzardo dominated in his first full pro season. He slashed .327/.426/.617 with 22 homers in 93 games between High-A and Double-A, ranking second in the Minors in OPS, third in slugging and eighth in average and on-base percentage.


Manzardo’s second full season was more tumultuous. He hit well in the first two months at Triple-A in Durham before slumping in June, while hurting his left shoulder when a runner fell on him during a pickoff play in early July. While he was on the injured list, Tampa Bay traded him to Cleveland for Aaron Civale on July 31.

Manzardo was rehabbing in Florida, his possessions were in North Carolina and suddenly he had to move across the country to the Guardians’ training base in Arizona. He wound up missing a total of six weeks with his shoulder injury and finished the season hitting .242/.343/.475 with 17 homers in 94 Triple-A games.

Now he’s with the Peoria Javelinas and part of the AFL’s most formidable lineup. While he’s trying to make up for lost at-bats, he’s sticking with his philosophy of not trying to do too much at the plate. He has gone 8-for-30 (.267) with five walks in his first seven games in Arizona and has homered in each of his last three contests, including a 460-foot blast Wednesday night.


“The idea is to keep it as simple as possible,” Manzardo said. “It’s pretty much all about trying to put myself in position to be on time to as many pitches as possible, as often as possible. Not necessarily about trying to hit the ball as hard as I possibly can, but hit the ball pretty hard a lot.”

Guardians hitters in the Fall League

Chase DeLauter, OF (No. 4/MLB No. 85): A 2022 first-round pick from James Madison, DeLauter offers an uncommon combination of size (6-foot-4, 235 pounds), athleticism and plate discipline. Surgery on his left foot sidelined him for the first two months of the season, but he displayed solid or better tools across the board and slashed .366/.403/.549 with four homers in 42 games at High-A once he returned.


Christian Cairo, 3B/2B: The son of 17-year big leaguer Miguel Cairo, Christian was a fourth-round pick out of a Florida high school in 2019. He’s a solid defender with a high baseball IQ who slashed .239/.376/.351 with 10 steals in 61 games in High-A.

Guardians pitchers in the Fall League

Ross Carver, RHP: Acquired from the D-backs for Carlos Vargas in November 2022, Carver logged a 6.57 ERA with 88 strikeouts in 75 1/3 innings during his first season after changing organizations. He’s a four-pitch starter with a low-90s sinker and a 79-81 mph curveball.

Bradley Hanner, RHP: After Cleveland plucked Hanner from the Twins in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft last December, he fashioned a 2.78 ERA with eight saves, a .207 opponents' average against and 70 strikeouts in 64 2/3 Double-A innings. He operates with a low-90s fastball and a low-80s slider.

Jake Miller, RHP: A 20th-round pick form San Diego in 2021, Miller had Tommy John surgery and worked just 20 innings in his return this year. He features good feel for pitching, a low-90s fastball that plays better than its velocity and a plus changeup.

Erik Sabrowski, LHP: Taken from the Padres in the Minor League portion of the 2021 Rule 5 Draft, Sabrowski works with a 91-94 mph fastball, an 86-88 mph slider/cutter and a 77-79 mph curveball. He complied a 2.49 ERA, a .176 opponents' average against and 28 strikeouts in 21 2/3 Double-A innings.

Ryan Webb, LHP: Though he had Tommy John surgery in 2021, the Guardians still drafted Webb in the fourth round out of Georgia. Featuring a low-90s fastball and a pair of solid breaking pitches, he posted a 3.29 ERA with 83 strikeouts in 82 innings at High-A.

Yesterday it was Christian Cairo who swung the biggest bat amont our Arizona prospects:
Cairo homer, 2 singles; 3 rbi. Hitting 353, 950 OPS [his regular season stats: 239/376/351 at Lake County
Manzardo with a pair of doubles; hitting 286 with 1047 OPS
DeLauter singled, walked twice, added a sac fly 286 856 OPS [unlike Manzardo who has a full season of AAA ball, DeL only reached AA in August] and threw out a baserunner

MLB.com players of the day include

Thursday game:
Guardians: Ryan Webb, LHP (Unranked), Peoria Javelinas
After giving up two runs in two frames in his Fall League debut, Webb dazzled for the Javelinas on Thursday night. The Guardians' southpaw fanned nine and allowed one run over 4 1/3 innings to pick up his second win of the campaign. The 2021 fourth-rounder is coming off a season where he posted a 3.22 ERA across two Minor League levels.

Friday:
Guardians: Christian Cairo, OF (Unranked), Peoria Javelinas
In a game that featured 18 runs, Cairo was the lone batter to go deep. The Guardians prospect and son of former big leaguer Miguel Cairo went 3-for-4 with three RBIs and scored twice. The homer, which was the first of the fall for the 22-year-old, sailed 421 ft. to center -- just left of the batter’s eye -- and left Cairo’s bat at 101.4 mph. His three knocks mark the second consecutive multihit game for Cairo, who is slashing .353/.421/.529 in for Peoria.

DeLauter does not need a full season in AAA. Right now he is exactly what the Guardians need in center field. Do not expect that to happen unless injuries forced it. Do see DeLauter up in 2024 unless the Guardians trade or sign for a couple of outfielders.

DeL was 0-2 with a walk in Arizona on Saturday

Here's one very impressive stat for him: 5 strikeouts and 6 walks

Other numbers:
Power: 2 homers and 1 double
Clutch hitting: 13 RBI, second in the league
Avg: 270 no better than average in this high octane league
On Base Pct 367, right around the median
Slugging 459, at about the 1/3 mark
3 stolen bases

One of the least-experienced hitters in the league, at least as far as pro games are concerned

Arizona Hot sheet for last week,



Baseball America’s weekly Hot Sheet continues for the Arizona Fall League. Josh Norris ranks the 10 hottest prospects from the second week of Fall League action.

2. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Guardians
Team: Peoria
Age: 23

Why He’s Here: .389/.450/1.056 (7-for-18), 6 R, 3 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBIs, 1 BB, 3 SO

The Scoop: Manzardo has shown off his power stroke in a big way in the AFL. The Washington State product and former Rays prospect homered in three straight games last week. Two of the blasts went farther than 440 feet, including a 460-foot bomb to right at Salt River Fields.
Downside: only one single.

Manzardo goes deep again. Make that twice yesterday.

#Guardians 23yr old (1B) prospect Kyle Manzardo w/ two more HR's yesterday (2-3 2R 2HR 2RBI BB) now leads the Arizona Fall League w/ 5 HR on the season. His 2nd HR traveled an estimated 471 feet!

Manzardo over 10 games:

12-42 13R 4(2B) 5HR 13RBI 6BB .286 AVG 1.126 OPS