MLB 2025 farm system rankings:
Keith Law ranks all 30 teams, Mariners are new No. 1

Keith Law

Jan 30, 2025

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As part of my top-100 MLB prospect rankings, I’ve also ranked all 30 major-league teams’ farm systems here, with a brief explanation of why they’re in this order — although I think you’ll get an even clearer picture on any individual team by reading the team reports that will begin to roll out on Monday, Feb. 3. Bear in mind that these rankings only consider players currently in the system and eligible for the rankings, meaning they have not yet lost rookie status.

GO DEEPER

Top 100 MLB prospects 2025: Keith Law’s rankings, with Roman Anthony at No. 1

I consider all prospects in a system for the rankings, not just those on the top 100; there’s still value in prospects who don’t project to be stars, or even regulars, whether it’s for your own club or for trades. The increased number of teams scouting the complex leagues to look for players to acquire in trades only further justifies this philosophy for ranking systems — teams are telling us these prospects have value. I do not consider NPB/KBO veterans to be prospects, and I don’t count the mostly 16-year-old international free agents who just signed on Jan. 15 because there’s really no recent scouting information on them.

GO DEEPER

MLB prospects who just missed Keith Law’s top 100 ranking: Caissie, Saggese and more

I’m trying something a little new this year — breaking the rankings up into tiers, because that’s usually how I start the ranking exercise anyway. They have no specific meaning other than that I grouped all 30 teams into these tiers first, and then ranked them within those tiers afterwards. Let me know in the comments if you find this useful or … uh, not useful.


Tier 1
1
Seattle Mariners

The Mariners placed six prospects on the top 100, one on the just missed column, and the next two guys after the just missed group (as in, if I’d had time to keep adding guys to that piece rather than moving on to write this and the top 20s) were actually both Mariners, as well. They’ve drafted extremely well in the last seven years, at least, and their last three international free agent classes all look very good out of the chute. They had a rare opportunity with three picks in the top 30 in 2023 and went all-in, taking three high-upside high school hitters, one of whom is in the top 10 already (Colt Emerson) and another might be a star if he comes back all the way from a torn ACL (Jonny Farmelo). It was a huge year for teenagers in Seattle’s system taking steps forward; most of these guys were in their system a year ago, when I ranked them 20th, but other than Farmelo’s injury, the Mariners had almost everything go right for them in 2024, including real improvements in performance and skills from all of their top-100 prospects. This ranking comes after they traded two guys who would have been in their top 15 in the Randy Arozarena trade, making it even more impressive that they can still rank up here. The Mariners were ranked 28th going into 2017, then dead last going into 2018, which feels like a lifetime ago for so many reasons; they were second going into 2022, but I believe this is the first time I’ve ever had them on top.

Tier 1
2
Boston Red Sox

Boston’s system had a chance to be first before the Garrett Crochet trade, which sent two players on my top 100 to the White Sox (for good reason, though). They’ve got two guys in the top 10, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg — the system is still loaded with position players who at least have everyday ceilings, including a steady stream of potential stars coming out of their international program. It just makes it all the more puzzling that the new baseball operations heads decided to pull a midnight massacre on their scouting group, notably the pro side, just as the system has recovered from a low point in the wake of the 2018 World Series win. Farm systems don’t get and stay good by accident, or magic. It takes people.

Tier 1
3
Los Angeles Dodgers

Even without counting Roki Sasaki as a prospect, the Dodgers still have one of the best and deepest systems in the sport. They have stayed that way since Andrew Friedman first took over as president of baseball operations, because he has maintained sizable scouting staffs on the amateur, pro, and international sides; built up their R&D department; and brought the people-management style he used in Tampa to the bigger budgets (OK, much bigger budgets) of Los Angeles. Teams that try to do this on the cheap haven’t been able to sustain success like the Dodgers have. The Dodgers’ system right now still has a bunch of high-upside position players and arms, with an emphasis on athletes, complemented by some higher-floor finds from the college ranks in the draft, usually coming beyond the first round.

Tier 2
4
Arizona Diamondbacks

The Diamondbacks have quietly built a powerhouse organization in the desert under Mike Hazen, even if they do it in the shadow of the 2024 World Series champions. They’ve developed a strong pipeline of young hitters, most of whom at least started out up the middle, with a few potential stars at the top and a lot of depth in hitters who project to at least have backup or bench roles. They are lighter on the pitching side, having leaned toward bats in the draft the last four years; they’ve had 13 picks in the top two rounds from 2021-24 and only used two on pitchers.

Tier 2
5
Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians have a reputation as premium developers of pitching, which they’ve earned after the successes of guys like Shane Bieber and Tanner Bibee and Bobby Bee Bee, but right now their system is stacked with the bats they’re going to need to stay contenders in an improving AL Central. Nine of their top 10 prospects right now are hitters, six of whom made the top 100, while their remaining pitching prospects are more back-end starters who don’t have much velocity … well, not yet.

Tier 2
6
Chicago Cubs

Tier 2
7
Detroit Tigers

This has to be the best Tigers system I’ve ever written up, probably the best since their minors had guys like Justin Verlander, Curtis Granderson, Cameron Maybin and company 20 years ago. They’re drafting better and developing better, they’ve made some very shrewd trades (the Jack Flaherty one really stands out as a winner), and they seem to have targeted some more polished hitters on the international market to get guys who better fit their player development regime. It’s a huge turnaround over where they were when the pandemic hit.

Tier 2
8
Cincinnati Reds

Tier 3
9
Tampa Bay Rays

Tier 3
10
Milwaukee Brewers

Tier 3
11
Philadelphia Phillies

Tier 3
12
Chicago White Sox

Chicago’s system has improved dramatically in the last 18 months, thanks to a couple of big trades and some draft successes, although the list drops off significantly after the top six and they still don’t have the depth that every team needs to fill out the back of a roster. They have three former top-100 prospects who all need to do something to get back on track this year, plus 2023 first-rounder Jacob Gonzalez, who hasn’t looked anywhere near as good in pro ball as he did in college. This is actually one spot lower than they were last year, the result of so many guys going backward in the system in 2024, but way up from where they were in 2023 (28) and 2022 (30, also known as Da Worst).

Tier 3
13
Texas Rangers

Tier 3
14
St. Louis Cardinals

Tier 3
15
New York Mets

Tier 4
16
Pittsburgh Pirates

Tier 4
17
Washington Nationals

Tier 5
18
Miami Marlins

Tier 5
19
Minnesota Twins

The Twins have the most lowercase-m midwestern system there is. They have two prospects who look like they’ll be superstars in Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez, and a pitcher who might join them in Charlee Soto. They have a lot of nice prospects behind them, guys who’ll play in the majors, have value, but probably won’t be difference-makers. They draft well, they develop well. They don’t seem to do anything poorly. And they’re just kind of in the middle. It’s a really nice system. They all say “hi” to you on the street. I want to be a little more excited about it.

Tier 5
20
Baltimore Orioles

Tier 5
21
New York Yankees

Tier 6
22
Kansas City Royals

This seems like a big year for the Royals’ system, with a lot of guys who are entering make-or-break years (so to speak … it’s never really too late for a prospect until he’s released) or who might be entering breakout years, although right now the arrow is pointing down slightly. New scouting director Brian Bridges’ first draft was very promising, with Jac Caglianone maybe the best power-hitting prospect the Royals have had in … uh … a very long time. (Seriously. Bob Hamelin? I have to be forgetting someone.) They have a lot of arms you’d like to get who just haven’t put it all together yet, although last year’s second rounder David Shields is probably the most polished high school arm they’ve drafted in a decade. I think that arrow will swing around to point up by this time next year.

Tier 6
23
Colorado Rockies

Tier 6
24
Toronto Blue Jays

Tier 6
25
San Diego Padres

Tier 6
26
San Francisco Giants

Tier 7
27
Athletics

Tier 7
28
Atlanta

Tier 7
29
Houston Astros

Tier 7
30
Los Angeles Angels

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https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/609458 ... ings-2025/

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Guardians sign ex-Phillies lefty to minor-league deal

Updated: Feb. 03, 2025, 5:05 p.m.|Published: Feb. 03, 2025, 3:54 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com
CLEVELAND, Ohio — Lefty Kolby Allard has agreed to a minor league contract with the Guardians and will be invited to major league spring training when camp opens next week.

Allard, 27, made four starts for Philadelphia last year and went 2-0 with a 5.00 ERA in 27 innings with 23 strikeouts. Allard faced the Guardians on July 28 at Citizen’s Bank Park in his season debut with Cleveland grabbing a 4-3 win thanks to home runs by Jhonkensy Noel and Steven Kwan.

Allard appeared in 23 games (17 starts) between Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Double-A Reading last season, posting a 3–9 record and 5.66 ERA with 84 strikeouts across 90 2/3 innings.

A 1st round pick (14th overall) of Atlanta in the 2015 draft out of San Clemente (CA) High, Allard was traded to Texas in July 2019 and appeared in parts of four seasons with the Rangers.

Allard joins righty Luis Frias who signed a minor league deal in January and lefty Parker Mushinski who signed in November as non-roster invitees in Goodyear.

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Allard has only one positive fact in his resume: he was a first draft choice. Since then he has been really consistently bad.

At age 27 he was back in AA part of the season last summer and these numbers are rather representative of his career:
Allard appeared in 23 games (17 starts) between Triple-A Lehigh Valley and Double-A Reading last season, posting a 3–9 record and 5.66 ERA with 84 strikeouts across 90 2/3 innings.
"Once upon a time, left-hander Kolby Allard was considered a top prospect. In 2017, he was the Atlanta Braves’ fourth-best prospect, per MLB Pipeline.
However, after seven major league seasons, it’s safe to say his career has been a disappointment so far. Allard has a 5.99 ERA in 272 innings, which is not ideal."

He specializes in home runs; 55 allowed in those 272 innings. 29 in 125 innings in 2021. 9 in 22 innings in '22. 5 in 27 last year when he had a 5.00 ERA for the Phillies

I'll continue with Keith Law's writeups on the rest of his top 20 from the Guardians organization

7. Juan Brito, IF
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 202 | Bats: S | Throws: R | Age: 23
Brito played all over the place for Triple-A Columbus last year, mostly second base but also getting time at third, at first, and in right field. He hit .256/.365/.443 as a 22-year-old there, a solid performance for his age at Triple A that points to a potential soft regular at second or a good utility player. The Guardians have worked with him to build his strength so he can drive the ball more, with middling results as his exit velocities in Triple A were still below average — his EV50 was 97.6 and his hard-hit rate was just 33 percent, both of which would have been well below the MLB median. He has an excellent eye at the plate, however, and is a solid-average defender at second if not a tick above, so he has multiple ways to add value to a big-league club — and he’s ready for a job right now.

8. C.J. Kayfus, 1B
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 192 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Age: 23
Kayfus made his full-season debut in High A last year and laid waste to the Sally League, with a .338/.437/.578 line in 40 games that all but forced the Guardians to promote him to Double A. He hit .263/.366/.470 for Akron, which was a little surprising as he has always seemed like more of a hitter than a power guy, even in college at Miami. He’s struggling more against breaking stuff now, though, and I think he’s selling out a little bit to get to more power, although he hasn’t lost his sense of the strike zone, which is around average or just below it. He is first base only and has to produce one way or another; if it’s walks and homers with a low average, so be it. That’s just not quite the player I thought he’d be, where I saw a high .200s average but maybe 15-20 homers before.

9. Braylon Doughty, RHP
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 196 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 19
Cleveland took Doughty, one of the top high school pitchers in the class, with the No. 36 pick in the 2024 draft, betting on his ability to generate huge spin rates on a future-plus curveball and his easy mid-90s velocity on his sinker. He throws a sweeper, which I’m sure the models loved, although I think his slot would work well for a true slider. I suppose that makes me old-fashioned, though. He’ll have to develop his changeup and, of course, stay healthy. It’s probably No. 3 starter upside or better.

10. Welbyn Francisca, SS/2B
Height: 5-8 | Weight: 148 | Bats: S | Throws: R | Age: 19
Francisca has already grown beyond that official listed measurement to 5-foot-11 or so, and he’s going to be a physical kid who might outgrow shortstop and come into some real power. He already got to 108 mph exit velocities in his U.S. debut last year, where he mashed at two levels, including a .328/.418/.523 line in the Arizona Complex League and then .325/.402/.402 in 25 games in Low A before the season ran out. He hit well both ways but was better at making contact from the right side; batting left-handed, he finishes way too open after a big leg kick, so he both misses more and puts the ball on the ground more often. He’s super young and has barely begun to fill out. It’s 30-homer upside in a switch-hitting second baseman if he hits his ceiling.

11. Parker Messick, LHP
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 225 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Age: 24
Messick is a stout-bodied lefty with fringy stuff and a lot of deception, working with a 55 changeup and just average velocity. He actually pitched slightly better in Double A in the second half than he had in the first half at High A, with a higher strikeout rate and much lower ERA. The breaking stuff is all fringy to 45 and there’s effort to the delivery; when I saw him in Double A, he couldn’t hold 93 and was more 88-91 by the fourth inning. Between the body and the mechanics, it’s hard to project long-term durability, but he could pop up as a fourth starter for a few years.

12. Matt Wilkinson, LHP
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 270 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Age: 22
The man they call “Tugboat” finished second in the minors last year with 174 strikeouts, behind only the No. 55 overall prospect, Cardinals lefty Quinn Mathews. Wilkinson is very deceptive, so he misses a lot of bats with his 88-91 mph four-seamer, pairing it with a 55 slider and average changeup. He dominated A-ball hitters at both levels, but stayed with Lake County through their playoff run so we didn’t get to see if he could do this against Double-A hitters. It would help if he could get even to 91-93, but it’s not exactly a projectable body. It’s worked so far, at least, and it would be very fun if he could keep it up.

13. Jake Cozart, C
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 222 | Bats: L | Throws: R | Age: 22
Cozart was the Guardians’ second-round pick and their third selection in the 2024 draft out of North Carolina State. He was coming off a breakout year for the Wolfpack where he hit .305/.437/.601. He’s a good catch-and-throw guy who should hit for a .270-.280ish average, maybe peaking at 55 power, but has to lay off pitches out of the zone more and does need some minor swing work. His pro debut was very short, and that’s fine since he struck out 18 times in 49 PA.

14. Jackson Humphries, LHP
Height: 6-1 | Weight: 200 | Bats: R | Throws: L | Age: 20
Humphries developed a stomach ailment early in the 2024 season and it affected him all year. He was 88-90 much of the season when he was more 90-94 the year before and can be 92-95 at full strength. He comes from a high three-quarters slot with huge break and tilt on the slider, needing to work on his changeup and generally on getting to a consistent release point. He might be a breakout candidate for this year if he gets all his strength back.

15. Johnathan Rodriguez, OF
Height: 6-2 | Weight: 224 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 25
Rodriguez debuted in the majors last year, drawing a bunch of walks but not doing much else, which isn’t a great representation of who he is — he hit 29 homers in Triple A last year and eviscerated left-handed pitching to the tune of a .376/.444/.786 line. He’s a corner outfielder with a cannon, maybe average defensively beyond that, and while he did walk a bunch in the majors he’s probably going to be a low-OBP slugger if he plays every day. At worst, he’s a great platoon outfielder and bench bat on a contending roster.

16. Joey Cantillo, LHP
Height: 6-4 | Weight: 225 | Bats: L | Throws: L | Age: 25
Cantillo missed the first two months of 2024 rehabbing from a hamstring strain, then split the last four months of the season between Triple A and the majors, with modest success but too many walks. He’s a big deception guy, with top-of-the-scale extension over his front side so his average fastball plays up a little, working with a 55 changeup and average curveball that’s got huge vertical break but doesn’t generate a lot of whiffs. He pitches away from contact to some extent, and the ABS (automatic ball-strike) system in Triple A appears to have particularly hurt his control numbers. He’s probably a fifth starter in the end, or maybe best suited to long relief or bulk duty where he doesn’t face any hitter more than twice in an outing.

17. Joey Oakie, RHP
Height: 6-3 | Weight: 200 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 19
Oakie was 93-97 to start his season last year but was worked way too hard and tapered off to 91-92 before the draft. Cleveland took him in the third round and gave him a $2 million bonus. He raised his arm slot last year, previously coming from a low three-quarters slot that gave him that low attack angle teams love and gave the fastball more carry. He’s a good project for a team that has had a lot of success tweaking pitchers’ deliveries and arsenals, just not without risk given how quickly he went backward last spring and summer.

18. Chase Mobley, RHP
Height: 6-5 | Weight: 205 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 19
Mobley was a surprise pick and signing in the 10th round last season, as it appeared by then that he’d end up at Florida State. He’s tall but his arm slot is down below three-quarters, getting big sink on his fastball, which can bump 99 but tapers off over the course of games. He’s throwing a curveball now, despite a slot that is more suited to sliders. Cleveland targeted several high school pitchers last year and one thing they all have in common is that they have something specific that Cleveland can fix or address to try to get some rapid improvement.

19. Petey Halpin, OF
Height: 6-0 | Weight: 200 | Bats: L | Throws: R | Age: 23
Halpin repeated Double A and didn’t improve like a league repeater should; in his defense, he played through a wrist injury most of the year and as a result he posted a career-low BABIP of just .281. He’s still a 55 defender in center and 55 runner who gets raves for his playing style and instincts, and while the year was a disappointment, he did achieve some modest gains in his walk rate, strikeout rate, and even his power output, hitting a career-best 12 homers in 90 games. If he can hit 15-plus homers this year with his more typical .320-330 BABIP, which seems well within reason, he’d be a potential regular for someone in center or a high-end fourth outfielder for just about any team.

20. Kody Huff, C
Height: 5-9 | Weight: 198 | Bats: R | Throws: R | Age: 24
Huff remains one of the best defensive catchers anywhere in the minors and continues to make enough contact to project him as a backup in the majors, probably one who plays for a long time because of his receiving, game-calling, and overall baseball IQ. He hit .245/.340/.364 in Double A with a 22.4 percent strikeout rate, nailing a third of would-be base-stealers there and again in the AFL (where he was 3-for-9). Catchers who defend like this are hard to find and teams covet them — that’s why Cleveland picked him up in the trade that sent Cal Quantrill to the Rockies last offseason — and Huff could get a long big-league career out of his present skill set. Sounds like Austin Hedges of the future; or Roberto Perez

Others of note
Lefty Michael Kennedy was part of the trade that sent Spencer Horwitz, who was a Guardian for a hot second, to Pittsburgh. Kennedy is a pitchability guy with an 88-92 mph fastball, 55 command, an average slider and changeup, all from a low release point that gives him a little more deception. He could still have some projection left but hasn’t gained any velocity since he was drafted. … Lefty Josh Hartle was also in that trade, a 55 command/control guy with a 55 changeup whose velocity dropped in his draft year, making him very hittable and homer-prone. He’d be a steal if the velocity loss was a temporary blip. … Left-hander Doug Nikhazy is another junkballer, like Wilkinson and Messick, but without their control or deception. He’s 90-92 with a whole kitchen sink, nothing plus, but enough to get left- and right-handed batters out. He could be a fifth starter but I think major-league hitters will get to him the second time around and he’s better suited to long or short relief. Every time I write his name I hear Das EFX in my head: “I gave a oopsy daisy, now you’ve got Nikhazy.”… Right-hander Andrew Walters got to the majors last year, just a year after Cleveland drafted him in the compensation round B. He’s 94-96, up to 98, with a high-ride four-seamer he likes to throw at or above the top of the zone, with a short mid-80s slider with sharp downward break. It’s straight relief and while he’s gotten lefties out so far in pro ball, I expect some platoon issues to emerge. … Right-hander Cameron Sullivan rounded out Cleveland’s collection of high school arms from the 2024 draft. He’s 92-95 and spins a good slider that might be plus, needing — say it with me — some help with his delivery.

BaseballAmerica adds reports on 10 more prospects per team.

For the Guardians

No. 31: Luis Merejo 1B with power debuted in Dominican and Arizona last summer
32. Ryan Webb LHP, probably a reliever
33. Cameron Sullivan RHP from last summer's draft [in the 21-25 range by Keith Law]
34. A. Rosario RF acquired from Cubs for Eli Morgan
35. Alex Mooney IF, 2023 draftee, didn't do much last year
36. Jordan Humphreys; his velocity was way down; Keith is much optimistic that it will bounce back, ranks him #14
37. W. Antunez OF at both A levels last summer
38. Franco Aleman RHP added to 40 man roster; only his fastball is reliable
39. Nik Enright RHP added to 40 man roster; lots of injury history
40. H. Lopez C no professional experience yet, was our top International signing

On Law's list but not here is Kody Huff, very good defensive catcher, #20 for Law
Other significant differences: Cantillo 10 for BA, 16 for Law
Oakie 13 for BA, 17 for Law
Messick 17 by BA, 11 by Law
Wilkinson 18 by BA, 12 by Law
Mobley RHP 27 by BA, 18 by Law
Espino 15 by BA, Law's given up on him
Sabrowski 20 by BA, not on Law's list which only goes 25 deep

Inevitably, there are players every year who barely miss the cut when we narrow down the list. These players are all worth monitoring for various reasons and it’s likely some will either reach the big leagues in 2025 or enjoy breakout seasons lower in the minors. Last year’s group, for example, included 1B CJ Kayfus, who now ranks among Cleveland’s top prospects.

Here are next 10 players to know in the Guardians system beyond their Top 30. You can find the complete index of players who just missed their teams’ respective lists here.

31. Luis Merejo, 1B/OF. Merejo signed for $340,000 out of the Dominican Republic in Cleveland’s 2023 international class and slashed .263/.400/.439 between rookie ball and Low-A Lynchburg in 2024. He’s a below-average runner who profiles as a first baseman or below-average corner outfielder but has solid contact skills, a solid approach and a chance for plus raw power.

32. Ryan Webb, LHP. Webb signed for $400,000 in the fourth round of the 2021 draft and posted a 2.80 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A in 2024. He sits 89-93 mph with his four-seam fastball and has a good ability to spin both a slider and curveball, but might profile best as a reliever in the majors.

33. Cameron Sullivan, RHP. Sullivan signed an over-slot deal of $525,000 in the seventh round of the 2024 draft. He’s a power-armed righthander who has been up to 97 mph and pairs the fastball with a high-spin slider that gives him a second potential plus offering. Sullivan carries reliever risk and will make his pro debut in 2025.

34. Alfonsin Rosario, OF. The Guardians acquired Rosario in a November 2024 trade that sent reliever Eli Morgan to the Cubs. Rosario is a 6-foot-1 righthanded hitter with great bat speed, raw power and arm strength who slashed .230/.344/.423 with 16 home runs with Low-A Myrtle Beach. He has real strikeout questions and profiles better in right field than center, where he played a majority of his innings in 2024.

35. Alex Mooney, INF. Mooney signed for $1 million as a seventh rounder in Cleveland’s 2023 draft class and slashed .235/.336/.393 with High-A Lake County in 2024. He’s overly aggressive at the plate and lacks power, but can play all over the infield and is an above-average runner who stole 43 bases in 49 tries.

36. Jackson Humphries, LHP. Humphries ranked in the middle of Cleveland’s system a year ago, but in 2024 his fastball velocity fell off significantly. After getting into the mid 90s regularly in 2023, Humphries pitched in the 88-92 mph range in 2024 and posted a 4.56 ERA over 23 starts and 79 innings at Low-A Lynchburg. He missed bats with his changeup and slider but will need to rediscover his velocity in 2025.

37. Wuilfredo Antunez, OF. Antunez was a low-money signee out of Venezuela in 2019 and slashed .264/.326/.458 between Low-A Lynchburg and High-A Lake County in 2024. He has a compact, physical frame with some explosiveness in his swing, above-average raw power, plus speed and solid arm strength that could allow him to profile in right field. He’ll need to become more selective at the plate.

38. Franco Aleman, RHP. The Guardians added Aleman to the 40-man roster after a 2024 season where he posted a 1.99 ERA over 22.2 innings with Triple-A Columbus. He has a two-pitch mix led by a four-seam fastball that averaged 94 and touched 99 but needs to figure out how to land his low-80s slider for strikes more consistently.

39. Nic Enright, RHP. Enright will enter his age-28 season in 2025 but he was added to the 40-man roster after a 2024 season where he posted a 1.06 ERA over 17 innings with Triple-A Columbus. He’s a 6-foot-3 righthanded reliever with a 92-94 mph fastball that features great riding life and got plenty of empty swings with his mid-80s cutter/slider.

40. Hiverson Lopez. C. Lopez was one of the more highly-touted players in Cleveland’s 2025 international signing class. The Venezuelan catcher has a bat-first profile with a short lefthanded swing and strong contact skills, but should be able to stick behind the plate with above-average arm strength.

Guardians Sign Versatile Infielder To Minor League Deal

February 9, 2025

By Andres Chavez

The Cleveland Guardians made an interesting move this weekend.

They signed an undrafted infielder to a minor league contract.

These deals are often lotto tickets: most of them don’t pan out.

It doesn’t hurt to try, though, so 23-year-old Michael Hallquist is now a Guardian.

“Cleveland #Guardians have signed 23-year-old INF free agent Michael Hallquist to a minor league contract for the 2025 season. Hallquist played in 34 games for the Fargo Redhawks of the American Association during the 2024 season after going undrafted out of Ball State,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.

Hallquist still has time to work his way up in the Guards’ system if he can show he is competitive against professional pitchers.

In 2024, he was excellent at Ball State: in 273 plate appearances, he hit .331/.396/.674 with 21 home runs and a 1.069 OPS.

He even pitched in six stolen bases.

Unfortunately, he wasn’t picked in the 2024 MLB Draft.

At that point, he signed for the Redhawks in the American Association, an independent league.

There, Hallquist posted a .775 OPS in 135 trips to the plate.

He added two home runs, eight doubles, and six stolen bases to his line.

Hallquist is capable of playing second base, shortstop, and third base.

The Guardians are well-covered in those positions organizationally, so they will let him develop at his own pace with little outside pressure.

The odds are against Hallquist, but baseball history is filled with underdog stories.

As long as he is healthy and willing to work hard to be one step ahead of the competition, he will have a chance to fulfill that MLB dream every player has.

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Hallquist sounds like an incredible long shot to get anywhere close to Cleveland, well maybe as close as Eastlake if he can make it as high as upper Class A

Then again Daniel Schneemann somehow made it to the majors last season He was a 33rd round draft pick. College OPS 713.

From Baseball America:

Angel Genao Checks Many Boxes For Guardians

At any point along the continuum that is the Guardians’ seemingly endless stable of middle infield prospects, there invariably are a few who seem to check most—if not all—of the boxes. One of the box-checkers is 6-foot, 165-pound shortstop Angel Genao, who shined [shone?] brightly at two stops in 2024 and finished the season with High-A Lake County, the Minor League Team of the Year.

Signed by the Guardians out of the Dominican Republic in 2021, Genao wasted little time in announcing his arrival by slashing .322/.394/.416 in the Arizona Complex League in 2022. Genao scuffled through an injury-plagued season at Low-A Lynchburg in 2023 before mastering the level at the outset of 2024. He continued to torment pitchers in the the Midwest League following his June promotion.

The switch-hitter slashed .330/.379/.499 with 10 home runs and 25 stolen bases in 110 games between the two stops. Genao, who turns 21 this season, also offers defensive versatility. Last season, he started 73 games at shortstop, 19 at second base and 13 at third base.

“His athleticism, quickness and change of direction project best at shortstop,” Guardians assistant GM James Harris said, “but he continues to develop arm strength and touch to play second and third. He has the speed to be a threat on the bases and is developing game awareness and decision-making to add to his toolbox.”

Genao’s power is starting to show as well. After hitting a combined nine home runs in his first three seasons, he hit 10 in 2024. “Offensively, Angel is aggressive in the zone with an elite ability to make contact,” Harris said. “He is gaining strength with our strength and conditioning team and really connected with hitting coach Odomar Valdez to identify pitches that he can drive.”

2024-25 Cleveland Guardians 'Prospect' Offseason in Review - Part 2: The Arizona Fall League

A review of Guardians players performances in the Arizona Fall League 2024

Arthur Kinney

Feb 10, 2025

We end our offseason leagues coverage here at NYIC where we began it: in the Arizona Fall League. Let’s go back to October and November and take a look back at the circuit where the majority of Guardians prospects to see offseason action played.

NOTE: All players played for the Surprise Saguaros

Chase DeLauter (DH): 13 G, .327/.453/.481, 11 RBI, 6:12 K:BB - While DeLauter only played in about half of the Saguaros’ games and only at DH, his unofficial “rehab” stint was the highlight of the fall for the Guards org. Even in Arizona and playing in a league where the caliber of hitters often exceeds that of the pitchers, posting a nearly RBI-per-game pace while striking out only half as often as he walked is a very positive sign for Chase as he enters 2025. Now, if he can just stay healthy…

Milan Tolentino (IF): 26 G, .193/.339/.239, 31:20 K:BB - One look at the slash line tells you that Tolentino walked a lot during his autumnal campaign. In fact, he reached base more times on balls (20) than with his bat (17). Normally, this would be indicative of great plate discipline, except for the fact that struck out a pace greater than once per game. There’s too many provisos attached to Fall League numbers to get too worked up over them, but this statline is definitely a mixed bag.

Kody Huff (C): 11 G. .250/.340/.273, 8 RBI, 4 SB - Huff, whose playing time suffered from the fact of being a catcher in the Fall League (not enough innings to go around - especially on a team with a non-catcher relegated to exclusive DH duty) had a fairly nondescript autumn at the plate but did manage to drive in eight runs despite only one of his eleven hits being of the extra-base variety (a double). Averaging a hit per game with the vast majority being singles certainly didn’t hurt his ability to swipe four bags in the Valley of the Sun.

Dylan DeLucia (SP): 6 G (3 GS), 1-1, 18.2 IP, 6.75 ERA, 1.61 WHIP, 11:10 K:BB, .267 opp. AVG - DeLucia, one of two Guardians hurlers to start games in the AFL, had a rough go of it in the hitter-centric autumnal circuit but improved as the fall went along - something that is not surprising when you consider that Dylan’s belated rookie campaign didn’t begin until June 21 (Independence Day if you don’t count a career-opening rehab stint) due to Tommy John Surgery recovery.

Zak Kent (SP): 5 G (3 GS), 3-0, 16.2 IP, 3.78 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 18:9 K:BB, .140 opp. AVG - The other Cleveland starter on the Saguaro roster likewise improved as the AFL season went along, but did so earlier and better than DeLucia, resulting in a vastly superior fall statline.

Alaska Abney (RP): 9 G, no decisions, 7.1 IP, 4.91 ERA, 1.77 WHIP, 11:2 K:BB, .344 opp. AVG - Abney, who on multiple occasions was called upon to get the final out of an inning, had a much better fall than his ERA (half of which was due to a two-run frame on October 28) would suggest. The K:BB numbers are especially encouraging.

Allan Hernandez (RP): 7 G, 2-0, 10.1 IP, 3.48 ERA, 1.35 ERA, 12:5 K:BB, .231 opp. AVG - Hernandez capped his first uninterrupted full season as a professional with a solid fall that earned him the much-deserved honor of being the lone Guardian to see action in the Fall Stars Game.

Andrew Misiaszek (RP): 6 G, 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0.75 WHIP, 8:2 K:BB, .111 opp. AVG - Saving the best for last, we look at Misiaszek’s dominant fall. Andrew was as close to perfect as one could hope for over the course of a mini-season, allowing only four baserunners out of the twenty batters he faced. While such a performance may be somewhat expected from a more experienced arm like Andrew, it still represented a good finish to his 2024, which can only help him (mentally, if nothing else) as he goes into his “contract year” (eligible for minor league free agency if not rostered on the 40-man after the upcoming season) with a major league camp invite.

There it is, the final column of the 2024-2025 offseason! Spring Training will be here before you know it (The Cubs’ pitchers and catchers are the first to report on the 9th, their Guardians counterparts follow suit on the 13th). If you need me between now and the Spring Training opener on the 22nd, I’ll be busy making the 2025 Next Year in Cleveland Rosters Page the greatest one yet!

ONWARD TO 2025!!!

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