The 2024 MLB Draft lottery on Dec 6. provided a jolt to that idea.

With 2.7% odds to land the No. 1 overall pick, the ping-pong balls pinged and ponged the Guardians’ way after the Washington Nationals drew the top overall pick, but were unable to keep it due to being a revenue payout team that picked in the top 10 the year prior (revenue payee teams cannot pick in the top 10 two years in a row in the new MLB lottery draft format).

The stroke of fortune can be a franchise-changing opportunity for the Guardians, who have never picked No. 1 overall in franchise history.

The 2023 draft had three (Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, and Wyatt Langford) to five (Max Clark, Walker Jenkins) players who could have been considered No. 1 overall picks in any given class. While the 2024 draft may not have that group of top selections, there are potentially impactful options for the Guardians to choose from.

• Wake Forest first baseman Nick Kurtz is poised to be one of the first college bats off the board whether or not he goes No. 1 overall to the Guardians. The 6-foot-5 left-handed hitter has the coveted power Cleveland has been lacking. He swatted 39 homers over the past two seasons for the Demon Deacons, and pairs that with an elite eye at the plate (111 walks compared to 88 strikeouts, and a chase rate of 14.6%), while hitting .345/.499/.708 in his first two collegiate seasons. The track record of taking college first baseman early in the draft is a bit shaky, however, and Wake Forest’s home park is considered to be hitter-friendly.

• Over on the West Coast is infielder/outfielder Travis Bazzana, a native of Australia who is playing his college ball at always competitive Oregon State. The 21-year-old left-handed hitter has posted a .340/.463/.549 batting line over his two seasons in Corvallis, to go along with 17 homers and 56 steals in 60 tries. Like Kurtz, Bazzana rarely chases pitches out of the zone (15.5%). He also put up a huge .375/.456/.581 batting line, with six homers and 18 steals in the Cape Cod League in 2023, taking home MVP honors. He can play second base and perhaps some outfield.

• West Virginia infielder JJ Weatherholt is another bat who could be considered the top pick or could go in the top five. Over two seasons for the Mountaineers, the left-hander has hit .381/.466/.635 with 21 homers and 51 steals. Weatherholt is a bit more aggressive as a hitter (walk rate of 9.7% and strikeout rate of just 8.21%), and there are questions about his ultimate defensive position, but like the two others above him, the bat is what he will be drafted for.

• As for pitching options, right now Kurtz’s newest teammate, 6-4 right-hander Chase Burns appears to be the top option. After posting a 3.54 ERA in 152 2/3 innings with 217 strikeouts and just 47 walks at Tennessee the last two seasons, Burns transferred to Wake Forest, which is considered to have a strong pitching development program, for 2024.

A lot can change between now and July, especially for the high school class, where draft prospects often rise up boards late in their senior years. But the crop of college bats in the 2024 class appears to be the best bet for the Guardians.

At the moment, all four options could be quick risers through the minor-league farm system after playing three years of college ball in strong conferences and at high levels.

In addition to picking first overall in the draft, Cleveland now also holds the 36th (Competitive Balance Around A) and 48th (second-round) picks in the draft. The latter two could move up depending on how free agency plays out this winter.

In addition to landing the top overall pick, Cleveland also benefits from the draft bonus pool associated with those picks. The 2024 draft slots and overall bonus pools for teams aren’t currently known. But in 2023, the team that had the ninth pick (where Cleveland was projected to pick based on the odds) would have added over $4 million to its bonus pool if it had moved up to No. 1 in the draft. In 2023, the Guardians had a bonus pool of $8,736,700.00 allotted to their picks. They ended up spending $9,071,280 to sign 19 of their 21 picks, spreading the bonus pool money down the draft board in an attempt to collect more talent, as they typically aim to do every draft cycle.

Outside of 2020, Cleveland has spent above its bonus pool allotment to the point of paying a fine, but never losing a pick in the draft the following year. This windfall of picks and bonus money available to them in the 2024 draft has the potential to jolt a farm system and franchise in an otherwise stagnant position at the moment.

The draft will be held Dec. 6 at the winter meetings.

Unlike years past, the Guardians’ system does not have a roster crunch of players who are of critical need to be protected from the Rule 5 draft. That is partially due to already having added several young prospects to the 40-man roster the last few seasons, which was somewhat fueled by the lost pandemic season of 2020, and a somewhat down year in the system by some prospects.

Any player signed or drafted in 2019 who was 18 or younger is eligible for the Rule 5 draft in 2023, and any player signed or drafted in 2020 who was 19 years or older is eligible for the Rule 5 draft in 2023. Any player not on the 40-man roster who was previously eligible is also still eligible to be selected.

Cleveland has already added OF Johnathan Rodriguez to its 40-man roster earlier this week before he was eligible to be a minor-league free agent on Nov. 7. Rodriguez, a right-handed hitting outfielder, was previously eligible in 2021, and led the Guardians minor leaguers in batting average (.286), homers (29) and RBI (88). He was Cleveland’s third-round pick in 2017, a former switch hitter who has an aggressive approach at the plate with strikeout issues, but broke out in 2022 and has produced enough to warrant protection from losing him for nothing in the Rule 5 draft.

Notable first-year eligible players for the Guardians:

• RHP Cade Smith: Undrafted free agent in 2020 out of Hawaii. Reached Triple-A in 2023, throwing up to 98 mph with a slider and splitter. Relievers are the most commonly selected players in the Rule 5 draft, and Smith could likely be added to the 40-man roster for these reasons.

• RHP Daniel Espino: Cleveland’s first-round pick out of Georgia Premier Academy in 2019 was considered potentially the best pitching prospect in all of baseball in 2022, armed with a 100 mph fastball and three “plus” pitches. He spent most of 2022 on the injured list with a knee and shoulder issue, then had shoulder surgery in 2023. Still, Cleveland will add the prized pitching prospect to the 40-man roster in hopes he regains his form when he returns, hopefully in the summer of 2024.

• RHP Tanner Burns: A first-round pick out of Auburn in 2020, Burns progressed to Double-A Akron quickly in 2021 but has hit a wall, struggling to regain his 96 mph heater in college along with other quality pitches. Finished 2023 in the bullpen and is unlikely to be added to the 40-man roster, even though other teams may be enticed by his former draft status.

• RHP Mason Hickman: 2020 draft, fifth-round pick out of Vanderbilt is a tall reliever who throws 92 mph with a big breaking ball and misses some bats, but is an unlikely candidate.

• RHP Josh Wolf: 2019 high school draft pick of the Mets, traded to Cleveland in the Francisco Lindor deal. Struggled in 2023 and unlikely to be selected.

• INF Yordys Valdes: 2019 second-round high school pick who is an all-glove, light-hitting infielder unlikely to be selected.

• INF Christian Cairo: 2019 fourth-round high school pick that profile as a utility infielder that is unlikely to be selected.

Notable previously Rule 5 eligible players:

• RP Nick Mikolajchak (2022): On pace to be added to the 40-man after 2021 with sterling minor-league relief stats, had Tommy John in 2023 after a down year in 2022.

• RP Andrew Misiaszek (2022): Similar to Mikolajchak, had a strong 2022 but had arm surgery in 2023.

• RP Nic Enright (2022, drafted by Miami, returned 2023): Selected by the Marlins in the 2022 Rule 5 draft and returned to Cleveland. Diagnosed and beat cancer before returning to pitch in 2022. Throws up to 93-94 mph with good control and a big breaking ball.

• RHP Ethan Hankins (2022): Cleveland’s 2018 first-rounder as a prep arm in Georgia missed 2020 with the pandemic canceling the minor league season, then missed all of 2021 and 2022 with Tommy John. Returned to mixed results in 2023 and hasn’t surpassed High-A, making him a hard candidate to protect or select.

• C Bryan Lavastida (2022: Previously added to the 40-man roster in 2020, Lavastida played his way off the roster in 2023 but cleared waivers. Will be a minor-league free agent on Nov. 7 if not added.

• INF Aaron Bracho (2021): Former high-profile international free agent signing in 2017 struggled until 2023 where he had a modest rebound with 17 homers. Former switch hitter who now only hits left-handed doesn’t have a concrete defensive home and struggles against left-handers, but does have pop.

• INF Dayan Frias (2022): 2017 minor-league free agent and switch hitter had a solid 2023 season on both sides of the ball at High-A Lake County, but is probably too far down the add to the roster right now.

With Rodriguez already added, Espino and Smith seem like the only candidates to be also added next week, and only Espino is guaranteed. A player would have to be dropped in order for any to be added.

The Clippers may not be making the playoffs, like the rest of the Guardians organization in 2023, but they ended the season on a solid note.

After losing the first two games of the series, they came back to win three in a row before losing the final game.

Finally healthy after the trade from Tampa Bay for Aaron Civale, Kyle Manzardo was a force for the Columbus offense in this series, although two of his best games came in losses. He popped two homers on Sept. 19, a total of three hits and three RBI in the 7-3 loss. He homered again Sept. 20, going just 1-4 this time with a walk and an RBI in a 4-2 loss. On Sept. 21, he went 2-for-4 with another homer and two RBI in an 8-3 win.

During his three-day homer binge, Manzardo hit four homers, five in six days, and six in nine games. He hit 11 homers in 73 games with Triple-A Durham for Tampa Bay, and six in just 20 games at Columbus.

103.3 off the bat for Manzardo. 379 feet.

Launch angle of 40. Really got this one up in the air. pic.twitter.com/Skk7H8kyTd

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) September 21, 2023

2nd big fly tonight for Kyle Manzardo. He's got 2 homers, and a double, as well as a well struck lineout.

HR1: 97MPH/325
2B: 99 MPH
LO: 102.5MPH
HR: 98.2 MPH/387 pic.twitter.com/Xv2FaJUDzo

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) September 20, 2023

Notable 40-man roster prospect, infielder Juan Brito, was promoted to Columbus for the final week after starting the year in High-A Lake County, and growing further in his time a Double-A Akron. Brito collected three hits in four games, including a double and six walks, giving him a .450 OBP in the one-week stint. He also made an outstanding defensive throw on Sept. 23.

JUAN BRITO #ThisShipRocks pic.twitter.com/z6Pvu0fujF

— Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) September 23, 2023

Oscar Gonzalez did what he could in Triple-A to save his 40-man roster spot this winter, going 8-for-23 with six doubles and a homer with four RBI. His lone homer came in the Sept. 20 loss. Gonzalez’s approach didn’t improve, however, striking out nine times and drawing one walk.

In five games, Angel Martinez, also on the 40-man roster, doubled, homered, and drove in six on the week. He hit three-run homer on Sept. 22 was the difference in a 4-3 win.

WALK-OFF

Angel Martínez's third knock of the day seals the @CLBClippers' victory. pic.twitter.com/bTziXAqtNM

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 23, 2023

Micah Pries, who was out with a strained quad for a few weeks, came back to play the final weekend after it was thought the leg injury that led to him being carted off the field would end his season.

Joey Cantillo struggled in his final start of 2023, walking six in five innings on Sept. 21, but only allowed three hits and two runs. The left-hander racked up a career-high 119 innings and finished his first season since 2019 fully healthy from spring training to September.

Cody Morris had his best performance of the year, striking out five in 3 1/3 relief innings on Sept. 20. He followed that up with three strikeouts and a walk in one inning of work Sept. 24. Fellow reliever Nic Enright started the year off in Miami as a Rule 5 pick and went on the injured list as he underwent treatment for Hodgkins Lymphoma. Miami eventually let Enright go and he returned to Cleveland, with his results waning throughout the year. His outing on Sept. 22 was one of his best all season, striking out four in two perfect innings. He stuck out two and walked one in his final inning of work on Sept. 24.

Triston McKenzie made his final rehab start on Sept. 19, going 3 2/3 allowing three hits and three runs, two homers, walked one and struck out one. He returned to the Guardians to pitch on Sept. 24.

Triston McKenzie goes 3.2IP, allowing 3 hits, 3 runs, walks 1, and strikes out 2. Allowed 2 homers.

Got plenty of whiffs on his heater at 91-94. Savant has one of those on a cutter saying he threw 9 of those. That would be new or a mis-tracked pitch. pic.twitter.com/c1uvyDfoCk

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) September 19, 2023

Columbus’ next game will also come against Omaha at home, starting April 2, 2024.

Guardians Minor Leaguers in Arizona Fall League

The Guardians will send eight prospects to the Arizona Fall League to play for the Peoria Javelinas starting Oct. 2, running through Nov. 9 (the AFL Fall Stars game is Nov. 5 and playoffs are Nov. 10-11).

Most notable is 2022 first-round pick, OF Chase DeLatuer (age 21), who played just 57 games this year between his rehab stint in Arizona and 42 with High-A Lake County and six in Double-A Akron due to a foot injury. The extra month should help DeLauter prepare for Double-A Akron in 2024 and possibly propel him to earn a promotion to Triple-A Columbus.

Manzardo (age 23) will look to continue his home run tear in Arizona. He missed five weeks with a shoulder injury and played in only 54 games, and the time in Arizona will hopefully get him missed repetitions that will prepare him to break camp in 2024 with the Guardians’ major league roster.

Other notable names joining DeLauter and Manzardo in Arizona:

RHP Ross Carver (Age 24): Double-A Akron — 71 2/3 innings, 81 K/34 BB, 6.15 ERA/4.32 FIP missed six weeks with a hamstring strain; acquired for RHP Carlos Vargas November 2022

RHP Bradley Hanner (24): Double-A Akron — 64 2/3 innings, 70 K/34 BB; acquired via minor league Rule 5 draft December 2022

LHP Erik Sabrowski (25): Double-A Akron — 21 2/3 innings, 28 K/18 BB, 2.49 ERA; acquired in December 2021 via minor league rule 5 draft; didn’t pitch until June due to recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery

LHP Ryan Webb (25): High-A Lake County — 82 innings, 83 K/34 BB, 3.29 ERA, 2021 fourth-round pick; missed half of 2022 recovering from Tommy John elbow surgery

RHP Jake Miller (23): High-A Lake County — 18 innings, 5 K/8 BB, 2021 20th round pick was recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2022, made season debut 7/29

INF Christian Cairo (22): High-A Lake County —.239/.376/.351, three homers, 10 SB in 61 games, season ended 7/23 due to injury; 2019 fourth-round pick

Guardians minor league pitching coordinator Joel Mangrum will serve as Peoria’s pitching coach for the fall season.

The Clippers’ offense didn’t have a ton of consistency even though they hit several homers in their series at Toledo this week.

Oscar Gonzalez had the best week of any hitter, furthering his reputation to hit Triple-A pitching amid his struggles to carry it over into the majors and showing the large gap between the two. His homer as part of a 3-for-4 day led to a 6-0 win on Sept. 17. He also went 2-for-4 with a homer on Sept. 12 in the Clippers’ other win, 11-5.

First baseman Kyle Manzardo continued his solid run in Columbus by driving in four runs on the week despite an overall down series at Toledo. He hit his second homer with the Guardians org in a 1-for-3 performance on Sept. 14, an 8-3 loss for Columbus. He drove in a run on Sept. 12, 14 and 16.

2⃣ run Homerun from MANZARDOOO to tie the game!! #ThisShipRocks pic.twitter.com/xaziWNY4Bq

— Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) September 15, 2023

George Valera hit one of the Clippers’ eight homers in the Toledo series, a 107 mph shot off the bat on Sept. 15, the only highlight of his and Columbus’ day in a 5-1 loss.

VALERA WITH A #ThisShipRocks pic.twitter.com/AmNnfXonjA

— Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) September 16, 2023

Now well past his 2022 workload, Joey Cantillo allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings on Sept. 14 to go along with four walks. He did fan eight batters in the start, though his fastball velocity sat closer to the 92-94 range than the 94-95 range he was getting to earlier this summer. Cantillo’s 114 innings pitched this year are a new career high for him, almost doubling his 60 2/3 a year ago. His previous high was 111 2/3 in 2019 while in Low-A/High-A in the Padres organization.

Shane Bieber made what should be his final rehab start before rejoining the Guardians for an appearance before the offseason. Bieber struck out seven and walked three in 3 2/3 no-hit innings on Sept. 17. He averaged 90-92 with his fastball and got Toledo hitters to swing and miss 11 times on 64 pitches.

7 strikeouts for Shane Bieber in what should be his final rehab start. He did walk 3 in 3.2IP.

Threw 64 pitches, 11 whiffs and averaged 90-92 with the fastball. Even got to try out the ABS challenge system (and won). pic.twitter.com/ZR36DeqkG6

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) September 17, 2023

Columbus will be the only show in town in the Guardians minor league system starting next week as it wraps up its 2023 season by hosting Omaha (Royals) Sept. 19-24.

Double-A Akron RubberDucks (2-2) vs. Altoona Curve (Pirates)

Shane Bieber also rehabbed at Akron earlier in the week, throwing 3 2/3 innings for the ‘Ducks on Sept. 12 in a 3-2 loss. He threw 66 pitches in that game and struck out four, walking one and hitting two batters. He also didn’t allow a hit in that outing and was generally around 90-92 again.

Strong rehab outing for Shane Bieber. 3.2IP, 2R (1ER),
2HBP, BB, 4K. 90-91MPH and saw a lot of the breaking stuff that hadn't been there at times. 50P-32K

Walked and hit a batter at the end

/Courtesey @AkronRubberDuck /MILB TV pic.twitter.com/YdLnv9uu0z

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) September 12, 2023

Triston McKenzie followed him to the mound the next night with three innings of rehab work where he allowed a run on a hit and a walk, while striking out four. His fastball reached 94 in the outing. His next rehab outing will come Sept. 19 for Columbus. He should rejoin the Guardians after that if all goes well.

Bieber was 90-91 t92 last night, McKenzie was 90-93 t94 tonight.

courtesy @AkronRubberDuck https://t.co/MUCIVjgRbw pic.twitter.com/lA1dZQmsPv

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) September 14, 2023

The other name all eyes were on in Akron this final week was outfielder Chase DeLauter, making his Double-A debut before the end of the year and his AFL appearance.

He acclimated himself well in his one week of Double-A action in 2023, going 6-for-19 (.316/.391/.368) with a double, three RBI and three walks against three strikeouts through games on Sept. 16.

Future!!!@Chase_DeLauter1 singles home @connorkokx!!!

BOT 7: Akron 7 | Altoona 2 pic.twitter.com/A0IZVTw1v5

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) September 17, 2023

Lefty Will Dion tossed six shutout innings in his final start of 2023 on Sept. 15 and struck out eight. He also appeared to have ditched his throwing motion that emulated Clayton Kershaw, though the results continue to be good no matter what for Dion and his 91 mph fastball.

Looks like Will Dion has deviated away from the full Clayton Kershaw mechanics. There are still some remnants there but no more high leg kick and a vertical move. More of hip tilt/back turn then before. pic.twitter.com/xZWImJdfsE

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) September 15, 2023

Reliever Franco Aleman ended his season on a strange note. He struck out 35 in 24 innings at Double-A and didn’t allow an earned run. However, in his final outing on Sept. 15, he made a pair of throwing errors, and the ‘Ducks made an error behind him as well, leading to three unearned runs allowed against the big right-hander. He allowed five unearned runs in those 24 innings, but three of those five were thanks to his own fielding errors, something he might need to clean up next season if he pushes himself into the conversation in the Guardians’ bullpen.

Akron ended its season on Sept. 17 against Altoona and none of Cleveland’s minor league affiliates made the playoffs in 2023.

Arizona Fall League rosters will be released this week with Guardians prospects playing for the Peoria Javelinas. Chase DeLauter is expected to be one of the prospects participating in the offseason league.

While the minor-league season is winding down at the lower levels, at Triple-A, there are two weeks to go in the season. The Clippers are out of the playoff race but that hasn’t stopped Jhonkensy Noel from having a big September. He had two homers in the final month of the year coming into this series against Scranton, then hit a 446-foot homer and added two RBI in the Clippers’ 10-5 win on Sept. 8. He hit two more, including a walk-off two-run homer on Sept. 9 in a 5-3 win. For the week, Noel had three homers and seven RBI despite going hitless in the finale on Sept. 10. The 6-foot-3 right handed hitter has a .752 OPS on the year despite 26 homers.

JHONKENSY NOELLLLL FOR THE WIN!!!!#ThisShipRocks pic.twitter.com/GGCi3pwQTt

— Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) September 10, 2023

With the addition of Kyle Manzardo, Noel has mostly seen time in the outfield, and Manzardo hit his first homer as a member of the Guardians organization this week as well on Sept. 8 in the 10-5 win. Manzardo only went 4-for-18 on the week (.222/.318/.500), but homered, doubled twice and drew four walks, compared to three strikeouts. Since joining Columbus, Manzardo is hitting .267/.364/.467 through 12 games.

Back to back homers with another from Manzardo #ThisShipRocks pic.twitter.com/vmFB6Jw4P1

— Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) September 9, 2023

George Valera was part of the homer brigade in the Sept. 8 win, because three homers in a game usually helps you win. It was the only impact game Valera had all week, but he did draw four walks and he’s having a solid September after a rocky year between injuries and earlier struggles, hitting .241/.371/.517.

VALERA HITS A BOMB!!!#ThisShipRocks pic.twitter.com/hx0UzsNQ78

— Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) September 8, 2023

Offense carried the Clippers most of the week, though Zach Plesac threw eight innings of one-run ball on Sept. 7 in a 2-1 win, as he tries to pitch himself into some team’s plans in 2024. Emerging relief prospect Cade Smith made one appearance all week, giving up a run in two innings of work but striking out five in those two innings.

Columbus starts its final trip of 2023 on Sept. 12 at Toledo (Tigers).

Double-A Akron RubberDucks (1-5) at Richmond Flying Squirrels (Giants)

Pitching was an issue much of the week for Akron until the series finale, when they shut out Richmond. Will Dion gave the ‘Ducks plenty of chances to win. He allowed just one run in five innings on Sept. 5 in a 4-2 loss and struck out eight. On Sept. 10, he came in behind Jack Leftwich and threw 3 2/3 scoreless innings in the win to cap off the series.

Out of the bullpen, relievers Tyler Thornton and Franco Aleman continued their success for the most part for the better pitching performances on the week. Thornton went 3 1/3 innings across two outings, struck out four, and allowed just a hit, walk, and a hit batter. Aleman continued his streak of not allowing an earned run. He did allow an unearned run on Sept. 6 in a 6-5 loss. He struck out three batters in an inning, but in extra innings, Aleman made two errors and the runner on second scored the winning run. He stuck out the only batter he faced for a save in the 1-0 win on Sept. 10.

Franco for the finish!

Franco Aleman is 7-for-7 in saves w/ 23.2 IP, 0 ER as a RubberDuck

FINAL | Akron 1 | Richmond 0 pic.twitter.com/bDdwx1qZNU

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) September 10, 2023

@WDion22

3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 K

BOT 9 | Akron 1 | Richmond 0 pic.twitter.com/m5nNIjaATY

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) September 10, 2023

Bryce Ball did a lot of the heavy lifting for Akron offensively in a tough week. He had a pair of homers on Sept. 9 in the 5-4 loss, driving in all three runs on the week for him. He had two other hits in the series.

A 2-homer night for @bryceball_05

396 feet, 103 mph to TIE THE GAME!

4th RubberDuck w/ multi-HR game this season (Bracho, Holland, J. Rodríguez-2)

TOP 8 | Akron 4 | Richmond 4 pic.twitter.com/fqvnJUc5Ls

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) September 10, 2023

Juan Brito did just enough to help Akron pull off a 1-0 win on Sept. 10 with a double and homer. Brito did have six hits and three RBI in the six-game series at Richmond.

TOP 9 | JUAN BRITO 1 | Richmond 0 pic.twitter.com/Syqp9MNOBj

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) September 10, 2023

Akron will host one final homestand next week against Altoona (Pirates). There’s a chance it may get some reinforcements from Lake County as the Captains’ season wrapped up over the weekend. Erie, meanwhile, will not have 2023 first overall pick Paul Skenes drawing tickets in Akron as the Pirates decided to shut him down for the remaineder of 2023.

High-A Lake County Captains (5-1) vs. Lansing Lugnuts (Athletics)

Despite making it tough to chase down a playoff spot last week at Cedar Rapids and just one loss all week, the Captains ended the season on a strong note. Jake Fox had a massive July and cooled off in August, but had a fantastic September finish. He had two homers in the series, one while going 3-for-5 with three RBI in a 13-1 on Sept 6. He hit a massive three-run homer while going 3-4 and driving in four runs in a 5-1 win Sept. 9.  Fox had five extra-base hits and eight RBI in the series against Lansing.

DEEP INTO THE NIGHT

JAKE FOX WITH A 3-RUN MOOOOOON SHOT!! pic.twitter.com/H9lpVSUq4Y

— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) September 10, 2023

Chase DeLauter missed half the year with a foot injury going back to college and had some foot problems early in his time at Lake County. But on the field, he showed why he was a first-round pick in 2022. DeLauter was 8-for-18 in the final series, playing five games. He homered in the 4-0 win on Sept. 7, and he drove in seven runs, pushing a run across in four of the five games he plate. The 21-year-old outfielder who turns 22 next month finished his Captains career hitting .366/.403/.539 with 18 doubles and four homers. There’s a chance DeLauter could join Akron for its final homestand this week. But he is reportedly going to represent the Guardians in the Arizona Fall League next month.

WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED TO SEE #Guardians no. 4 prospect Chase DeLauter hits a 2-run HR in the bottom of the 7th. Captains up 4-0. pic.twitter.com/8Tq6Qm1piX

— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) September 8, 2023

Kahlil Watson only played in the first two games of the series and was a late scratch in the third, but was 3-for-5 in his final game of the season with a homer and three RBI in the 13-1 win Sept. 6. In 23 games with Lake County, Watson hit .233/.306/.442 with five homers and 11 steals, compared to seven homers and 14 steals in 58 games for Beloit before he was traded over from Miami.

putting you on notice #Guardians no. 16 prospect, Kahlil Watson sends this one to lawn! Captains up 13-1 pic.twitter.com/xTjJLHrKlC

— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) September 6, 2023

Lake County had plenty of strong starting pitching in the final series. Ryan Webb had a great September, going six innings, allowing one unearned run only on Sept. 5 in a 3-2 win. He fanned six and walked one. Webb started the series finale and went six more innings, allowing an earned run this time and struck out four in another 3-2 win.

Parker Messick struck out seven in six innings while giving up just one run in the 5-1 win on Sept. 9. Aaron Davenport tossed six shutout innings in the 4-0 win on Sept. 7. Ethan Hankins was on his way to a good start on Sept. 6, throwing 3 1/3 shutout innings in the Captains 13-1 win, but Hankins was knocked out by a comebacker hitting his right wrist and ending his season.

Lake County opens its 2024 season at home on April 5, hosting West Michigan (Tigers).

Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (3-3) vs. Kannapolis Cannonballers (White Sox)

After losing the first two games of the season finale series and homestand, the Hillcats played much better to split the series to end the year.

2023 draft pick, first baseman/outfielder CJ Kayfus had a strong, short stint in Lynchburg and had three hits, including a homer Sept. 7 in a 9-8 Hillcats win. He was 2-3 with four more RBI Sept. 9 in a 6-5 win. The soon-to-be 22-year-old left-handed hitter posed a .271/.429/.542 line at Single-A in 17 games to start his pro career.

Outfielder Wuilfredo Antunez came into the year as a prospect to watch, and had an up-and-down season as a 20-year-old. He finished the season going 4-for-14 in the final series with a triple and a homer.

Infielder Angel Genao finished a strong second half off with a four-hit series against Kannapolis, including a 2-for-2 day with a double and two walks in the Hillcats’ 4-3 win on Sept. 10.

It was a mixed bag of pitching all week for the Hillcats, but lefty Adam Tulloch went six strong innings allowing two earned runs (three total) Sep.t 9 in the 6-5 win. Despite a 7-0 loss on Sept. 5, righty Yorman Gomez allowed just one run in four innings on two hits and a walk while striking out six in the other top pitching performance of the week.

Kayfus’ final RBI hit on Sept. 9 gave the Hillcats the win and the franchise’s first winning record since 2018.

The hit that delivered the @LynHillcats their first winning record since 2018. pic.twitter.com/1NFu87x1FR

— Jason Prill (@JasPrill19) September 10, 2023

The Hillcats 2024 season starts on April 5 at Down East (Rangers).

Injuries and pitching needs at the major-league level greatly impacted the Clippers’ roster while playing at St. Paul, thankfully not far from where the Guardians were playing at Minnesota in the middle of last week.

The Clippers’ offense for the most part produced at St. Paul. Through games on Sept. 2, Kyle Manzardo was carrying a five-game hitting streak, adding a double, RBI and a walk in Columbus’ 8-5 win on Sept. 1, then two more doubles in the 4-1 win on Sept. 2, and another walk. While he is now unlikely to see major-league time in September with Kole Calhoun and Josh Naylor playing regularly, Manzardo is hitting .348/.444/.522 in six games at Triple-A.

Jose Tena played a big role in the Guardians’ comeback win on Sept. 2. But before he was recalled to join the team for September call-ups, he went 5-for-12 with a homer in the series at St. Paul, with the homer coming in Columbus’ 8-7 loss Aug. 31.

Despite a slow start to the week, George Valera ended up with two of his five hits through games on Sept. 2 going for homers. He added three hits in the series finale. He homered in Columbus’ 8-7 loss on Aug. 31 and had three RBI and a walk, and his ninth-inning homer on Sept. 2 helped the Clippers to a 4-1 win. Valera is also now unlikely to see time in September in the majors this year.

Angel Martinez was called back up from Akron to take Tena’s spot on the roster. The Clippers also received Oscar Gonzalez back from Cleveland on September 3, as Josh Naylor was activated. The Clippers are in need of outfielders as Chris Roller was traded to Milwaukee for cash on Aug. 31 and Micah Pries was unfortunately carted off the field on Aug. 30 after trying to catch a fly ball and may no come back this year.

Joey Cantillo turned in another fine start in the midst of a bunch of spot starts in other rotation spots this week for Columbus. He held St. Paul to one run in six innings, allowing a hit and three walks, punching out five in the 4-1 win on Sept. 2.

Cade Smith was unfortunately on the mound during the Clippers 8-7 extra-inning loss on Aug. 31, but he struck out seven in four innings in which he didn’t allow an earned run, while walking three.

Columbus will host Scranton-Wilks Barre (Yankees) starting Sept. 5.

Double-A Akron RubberDucks (4-2) vs. Bowie Baysox (Orioles)

Aaron Bracho’s resurgence continued, with big blasts in back-to-back games on Sept. 1-2. His homer on Sept. 1 gave Akron a 6-5 lead and eventual win. The infielder has 17 homers now, six in August, and  healready has two homers and five RBI in September through two games played.

BRACHO

A two-run home run for Aaron Bracho cuts the Bowie lead in half!!

BOT 1: Bowie 4 | Akron 2 pic.twitter.com/skjsiOlZGC

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) September 2, 2023

BRACHO

Aaron Bracho launched a go-ahead two-run home run!!!

BOT 8: Akron 6 | Bowie 5 pic.twitter.com/2QwQxuNWon

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) September 2, 2023

Juan Brito’s batting line through games on Sept. 2 wasn’t impressive, but he still managed to drive in four runs in five games with a pair of doubles and a sac fly. Though he was just 3-for-15, he also worked four walks.

That will bring him in!!

Juan Brito gives us the lead with a sac fly!

BOT 5: Akron 4 | Bowie 3 pic.twitter.com/BQOjqaGOu5

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) September 2, 2023

Despite not having much prospect status, OF Korey Holland has played a lot in 2023 due to injuries and ineffectiveness affecting the Guardians’ minor-league outfield availability. He added a triple, homer and four RBI on the week along with a steal. His Sept. 1 homer helped Akron to a 6-5 win.

Doug Nikhazy was on the mound for that Sept. 1, 6-5 win and struck out 10 batters. Nikhazy also walked four, hit a batter, but only allowed three hits and two runs in 4 1/3 innings.

Nine strikeouts through 3 innings for @Dougnikhazy pic.twitter.com/rvaCKXTTVC

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) September 1, 2023

Due to innings limits and piggyback roles, Akron’s starting pitching isn’t going as deep in games. But the bullpen continues to play a big role. Franco Aleman, the biggest weapon of them all, continued to run his scoreless streak at Double-A up, now at 21 1/3 innings thanks to two scoreless innings during the week. He fanned three and walked two without any hits allowed. He slammed the door on Sept. 2.

Tanner Burns has moved to the bullpen late in the year and picked up his first career save, throwing two perfect innings this week with three strikeouts.

Tyler Thornton added to the bullpen’s strong work with 3 1/3 scoreless innings, though he walked one and hit two batters, while striking out four.

Akron will play at Richmond (Giants) Sept. 5-10 on its last road trip of 2023.

High-A Lake County  Captains (2-4) at Cedar Rapids Kernels (Twins)

The Captains could not muster much offensively early in the week and late in the week when they did, the pitching struggled, hurting their playoff race chances. Chase DeLauter went 4-for-5 on Aug. 30 with a double and an RBI, the Captains lost, 3-2. He added two more hits, including another double, on Aug. 31, which the Captains also lost, 12-1.A six-game hitting streak raised the 2022 first-round pick’s line to .366/.400/.556 through 142 at-bats.

Chase DeLauter now 4-4 tonight. After three singles, this is a 107 mph double and RBI. Worked his way to a 3-1 count to get a pitch he could drive. pic.twitter.com/AkHc6BrFcD

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 31, 2023

Shortstop Kahlil Watson had just three hits this week, but two were big-time homers. He hit a pair of dingers over 400 feet, one Sept. 1 in an 11-7 loss. He homered again Sept. 2 in the Captains 8-3 win, but left the game after just two plate appearances and didn’t play again in the finale, Sept. 3.

we heard the crack of the bat all the way in Lake County #Guardians no. 16 prospect, Kahlil Watson hits a 2-run homerun in the top of the 1st. Captains lead, 2-0 pic.twitter.com/wtdaxq3ZkE

— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) September 3, 2023

consider us VERY entertained, Mr. Watson #Guardians no 16. prospect Kahlil Watson hits a solo homerun in the top of the 3rd. We now lead 3-1. pic.twitter.com/4iahwoTZwp

— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) September 2, 2023

After slowing down a bit, Dayan Frias did his part offensively with a 6-16 week through Sept 2, including two doubles.

2023 draft pick Cooper Ingle continued his hot start to his career, going 4-for-10 with seven RBI. The catcher from Clemons also drew four walks and struck out just once.

Despite the lopsided loss Aug. 31, Ethan Hankins threw four scoreless innings, allowing two hits but walking two and fanning six. Ryan Webb’s start on Aug. 30 was easily the best pitching performance of the week, allowing two runs in five innings, but included eight strikeouts and just one walk.

The Captains are 3 1/2 games out of the playoff race and wrap up their regular season at home, hosting Lansing Sept. 5-10.

Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (3-3) at Fredericksburg National (Nationals)

The Hillcats put up most of their offense this week in a 13-1 win Sept. 1. Outfielder Guy Lipscomb was 3-for-5 with a walk, two RBI and a steal. That steal was his 45th of the year in 51 attempts. He had six hits and five walks overall on the week in 21 plate appearances (.375/.524/.500). Shortstop Jose Devers had three hits and his 11th homer of the year in that Sept. 1 win. He also had six hits and five walks on the week. Two of Angel Genao’s eight hits game in that Sept. 1 blowout win. He also drove in two runs throughout the week.

2023 draft pick, first baseman/outfielder CJ Kayfus also had a big week with two homers, a double and six RBI. His two-run homer on Sept. 3 helped power the Hillcats to a 5-3 win. He

Outfielder Wuilfredo Antunez socked his fifth homer of the year in the Hillcats 6-4 win on Aug. 31. He had four RBI on the week total.

Jackson Humphries was on his way to an outstanding start on Aug. 30. The 2022 draft pick fanned nine in four innings, walked one and hit a batter, but he allowed a three-run homer in the last inning of his start and gave up four runs total in the four innings.

Fellow 2022 draft pick and lefty Adam Tulloch tried to pitch the Hillcats to a win on Sept. 2 with five innings of one hit, one run ball and six strikeouts. Lynchburg however went on to lose, 4-3.

The Hillcats are 3 1/2 games out of a playoff spot and host Kannapolis (White Sox) Sept. 5-10 in the final regular season homestand of 2023. Carolina sits ahead of them in the standings.

The Columbus lineup is now deep with 40-man roster and interesting position player prospects. The Guardians must find out about their futures soon thanks to first baseman Kyle Manzardo finishing his rehab and being activated on the Clippers’ roster this past week. The first baseman who came over from Tampa Bay in the Aaron Civale trade made his non-complex league Cleveland system debut on Aug. 24. As the DH, Manzardo walked, struck out and went 0-for-3 as Columbus lost 8-4.

Manzardo, a left-handed hitter, doubled off a lefty in his first at-bat and later added an RBI single on Aug. 26, a 4-2 Clippers win. He did strike out in his other at-bat on a 2-4 day. He added a nice diving play at first base in his first start there.

Nice opposite field 2B for Kyle Manzardo in Columbus off a lefty in his first at bat tonight. Platoon splits with him are one of the things that would be good to prove arent an issue. pic.twitter.com/SfppBxYI8p

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 26, 2023

Bryan Lavastida is trying to prove the Guardians should take another chance on him as part of their future with his strong resurgence in the last few months in the minors. The backstop went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI in the Aug. 24 loss, but then added a double and homer in the Aug. 25 8-7 win. He’s now hitting .263/.346/.444 at Columbus as he now contends with Eric Haase and David Fry for backup catcher reps in the system.

Speaking of Fry, he appeared in a game as the DH in a rehab start on Aug. 26, and went 2-for-3 with a homer as he comes back from a hamstring strain.

For a while, the bench was thin in Columbus and gave Angel Martinez an opportunity in Triple-A after a slow first half in Double-A. The switch-hitting infielder turned it around and earned the promotion. He went 8-for-16 in four games with a homer, but was sent back to Double-A over the weekend.

Brayan Rocchio being sent back to Triple-A might have soaked up some of Martinez’s playing time. He was struggling in the majors and hit for no power before his promotion, but in his first two games back in Columbus he added a homer and a double.

Cal Quantrill also appeared in a rehab outing on Aug. 26, going 7 1/3 innings and allowing two runs on five hits while striking out six and walking two. He threw 83 pitches and may be ready to rejoin Cleveland when rosters expand in September for his next start.

Finally, outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez hasn’t stopped hitting. Through games on Aug. 26, he went 5-for-17 with a homer, and has nine homers in Triple-A, giving him 27 on the year overall. However, he does have 40 strikeouts and just nine walks in Triple-A so far.

Columbus starts a road series at St. Paul (Twins) Aug. 29.

Double-A Akron RubberDucks (2-4) at Altoona Curve (Pirates)

At one time, Aaron Bracho was a top international free-agent prospect in Cleveland’s signing class in 2017. A poor 2021 and 2022 season left him as a potential bust. He’s had a resurgent year, including a 6-for-18 week this past week with a homer, double, four RBI and seven walks (.313/.476/.563). However, he was charged with four errors on the week between second base and third base.

A hot start!

Aaron Bracho gives us the lead!

TOP 1 | Akron 1 | Altoona 0 pic.twitter.com/IIWPoRxdgF

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 26, 2023

Akron didn’t boast much offensively this week outside of Bracho, but it did manage to put eight runs on the board August 26, though they lose 9-8. They put four runs on the board in the first inning against 2023 first overall pick Paul Skenes, in his Double-A debut, a game that was a sellout. Petey Halpin was the catalyst in that one with a leadoff single and a steal.

In a tough week for pitching as well, but Will Dion kept it close on August 24 in a 2-1 loss by shutting the Curve out through 4 2/3 innings on five hits, a walk and struck outt five. In relief, Mason Hickman this week pitched six innings over two appearances with just an unearned run allowed while fanning six and walking two. The tall Vanderbilt pitcher from the 2020 draft now has 71 strikeouts in 54 1/3 innings this year.

Jack Leftwich is ending the season on a strong note as he turned in an outing where he allowed one earned run (two total) in 4 1/3 innings with six strikeouts and no walked on August 24 behind Dion in the 2-1 loss.

Reliever Franco Aleman continues to pitch like Cleveland’s next big time bullpen prospect, striking out three in two more scoreles innings this week only surrendering a walk. He now has 29 strikeotus in 19 1/3 innings at Double-A with five hits, three walks in 13 innings.

Franco Aleman throwing for the save!

His AA number: 19.1 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 29 K, 2-0, 4/4 saves

He's GOOD

FINAL | Akron 5 | Altoona 4 pic.twitter.com/jerUp8gpPb

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 26, 2023

Infielder Martinez added a grand slam in his first game back in Akron.

A GRAND return to the RubberDucks by Angel Martínez!

His 11th EL homer, 60th RBI in AA this season

TOP 3 | Akron 5 | Altoona 1 pic.twitter.com/Z6joQzUgdq

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 27, 2023

Akron comes home to face Bowie (Orioles) and top prospect Jackson Holliday, in what could drive more high attendance numbers, on August 29.

High-A Lake County Captains (4-2)

Lake County continues to play hot with offense sparking the run. 2023 first-rounder Chase DeLauter didn’t have a ton of hits this past week, but four of his six hits went for extra bases, two doubles and two homers. His two-run homer helped the Captains to a 9-6 win on Aug. 22 that took extra innings to lock in. He hit a three-run homer in a 6-3 for Lake County on Aug. 26. He added two doubles in a 1-0 win on Aug. 27, and totaled seven RBI for the week.

Chase DeLauter has no issues doing what hitters should do with 2-0 meatballs. Some question about how he gets in done, but so far it has worked against High-A pitching without a ton of challenges. Really gets those hips cleared. pic.twitter.com/vhpF6CDV4D

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 27, 2023

Jake Fox continued his torrid August, going 7-for-21 with two doubles, three RBI, and five walks, despite going 0-for-4 in the finale. Fox also had a big catch and an outfield assist at home to keep the Aug. 22 game tied in extra innings before Lake County could pull it out. Through Aug. 26, Fox is hitting .314/.392/.471 and has played strong defense in the outfield.

Wild game in Beloit tonight for the Captains. Jake Fox comes up with a catch and throws a runner out at the plate to keep the Captains in the lead and hold on to the win in the 13th. pic.twitter.com/AqFjdA6s7k

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 25, 2023

Infielder Kahlil Watson was also held hitless in the finale but did have a pair of three-hit days on Aug. 24 and 26, adding three doubles and two RBI across those two games.

On the ledger for Captains pitching, lefty Steven Hajjar sure had an interesting week. In his first start on Aug. 22, Hajjar walked nine batters in 3 1/3 innings, but only allowed one run and one hit while striking out five.Hajjar started the finale on Aug. 27, and walked only two in five innings, allowing just two hits and struck out five in the 2-0 win.

Ethan Hankins turned in the longest outing of his career on Aug. 25, going six innings and allowing two runs on five hits, walking three and striking out three in a 3-2 loss.

Lake County will stay on the road to face Cedar Rapids (Twins) starting Aug. 29.

Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (3-3) vs. Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles)

Pitching gave Lynchburg the chance to split the series with Delmarva this past week, but the biggest story coming from the Hillcats was the addition of outfielder Jaison Chourio to the roster. The 18-year-old was a member of the Guardians 2022 international signing class and hit .349/.476/.463 in the Arizona Complex League this summer, which wrapped up this week. In Chourio’s first two games outside of the rookie leagues, he doubled for his only hit but walked four times, struck out twice and walked once.

Jaison Chourio 2B in his first Low-A plate appearance. For 1 AB in Low-A, this was pretty impressive. Didn't look overmatched at all. Took a close second pitch, fouled some pitches off, worked the count, ended up driving the ball and can really glide. pic.twitter.com/quLaqPjsIz

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 26, 2023

Outfielder Guy Lipscomb came off the IL from a fractured wrist to go 5-for-14 with four triples on the week, six RBI and a steal.

There wasn’t a lot of other offense but Wuilfredo Antunez was 5-for-19 on the week and Angel Genao added the only homer on Aug.24 in the Hillcats’ 4-3 win, which was tied for the most runs they scored all week.

Lefty Adam Tulloch had two starts on the week, but the strongest came in the 4-3 Aug. 27 win where he allowed two runs (one earned) in five innings with a walk and five strikeouts.

Austin Peterson turned in another strong start allowing a run in five innings with six strikeouts and three walks in a 4-3 loss on Aug. 25.

Lefty Jordan Humphries continued to move on from his disastrous first start by throwing four innings in the 4-3 win Aug. 24, allowing a run on three hits with two walks and three punchouts.

Lynchburg heads to Fredericksburg (Nationals) this week to start a series on Aug. 29.

It has been a disappointing season of offensive production in the Cleveland outfield, and it has been a mostly disappointing season for outfielder George Valera, who many hoped would knock on the door for a major-league callup this year. This week could at least start a campaign to get Valera a look before the end of the 2023 season. He has started to hit the ball harder lately, and had back-to-back two-homer games this week, both Clippers wins, 6-5 on August 17 and 9-4 win on Aug. 19. Valera also added two hits, including a double on Aug. 16 in a 7-3 loss. While he was held hitless in the series finale with Syracuse on Aug. 20 and is still hitting under .200 this year, he had an .874 OPS in August coming into Aug. 20, which both Valera and Cleveland needs.

Valera wasn’t the only Clipper with a multi-homer game in Columbus’ 9-4 win on Aug. 19. Jose Tena has turned his season around in the second half, earning him a promotion to Columbus and his big-league debut. He was hitless in the finale against Syracuse as well but his two-homer game was part of a 4-for-5 effort overall, giving him six hits in the series overall.

2nd homer of the night for George Valera, another 99 mph shot off a lefty. pic.twitter.com/C8tAEnOgPX

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 18, 2023

Though he didn’t have a multi-homer game this week, Johnathan Rodriguez did have two more homers, with solo blasts on Aug. 15 in a 6-4 loss and one on Aug. 19 himself. He had one hit in all five games of the series and has six homers in August, and eight since he got to Columbus overall. He’s still running a 34-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio that will likely catch up to him at some point.

The one thing Joey Cantillo has needed to refine in order to get a big-league opportunity, aside from pitching a full healthy season for the first time since 2019 is his control. In August, he started to show improved control. He struck out five and walked just two in five innings in Columbus’ 7-3 loss on Aug. 16. This month, he has just five walks in 15 2/3 innings and 18 strikeouts. He walked 10 in in 14 1/3 innings in July. Cantillo has been pitching on the same day as Noah Syndergaard, and appears to be lined up to do it again next week, if Cleveland wants to make a change. But would they put a fifth rookie in the rotation with Xzavion Curry joining Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen?

A lot of attention has been given to Joey Cantillo's velo gains to his fastball (understandably so) and you should already know about his vulcan-change.

But the added velo has done wonders for his curveball, which now looks as sharp as ever, giving him a legitimate third pitch. pic.twitter.com/8mz9ptzRat

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 17, 2023

Speaking of rookie pitchers, it looks like Cody Morris is back to pitching out of the bullpen after Cleveland had briefly taken steps to stretch him out as a starter in the wake of injuries and trading Aaron Civale. He tossed two scoreless innings with three strikeouts on August 19 and should get innings in the bullpen in Cleveland when rosters expand in September.

Columbus will host the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp (Marlins) Aug. 22-27.

Double-A Akron RubberDucks (2-4) vs. Erie SeaWolves (Tigers)

Beyond graduating Peyton Battenfield, Allen, Bibee and Williams to the major-league rotation at points this year, there hasn’t been any breakout development in Cleveland’s pitching factory below Triple-A. Cantillo staying healthy has been a good sign, but Ross Carver may have turned in the pitching performance of the year in the system on Aug. 19. He struck out 12 in six innings while allowing just a hit in and a run against no walks, and he only needed 83 pitches to do it. Carver’s ERA at Akron is 6.85 for the year, but he now has 27 strikeouts in 18 1/3 innings in August and eight walks, showing more swing-and-miss stuff lately. Cleveland acquired Carver in November from Arizona for Carlos Vargas in a 40-man roster clearing move.

Interesting outing from Ross Carver for Akron. He did walk three and gave up a three run homer, but he did miss some bats against a good Harrisburg lineup. 93-95 FB with some ride, CH is a good weapon vs. LHH, good fade. Slider is OK. Delivery reminds me some of Civale. Sleeper. pic.twitter.com/SBbsepXAQl

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 13, 2023

10 K's through four!!@RossCarver11 is dealing tonight pic.twitter.com/l1PuhKywZc

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 20, 2023

Staying on the pitching side of things, Jack Leftwich’s success in 2022 was another promising arm from the 2021 draft class. He’s struggled to stay healthy and consistent this year but did strikeout six in four innings, walking two and allowing two runs in game two of the doubleheader with Erie on Aug. 18, a 6-4 loss.

Juan Brito continues to be a model of consistency this year, especially in Akron. Through Aug. 19, he had an .852 OPS, adding five hits for the week, including a homer in the 9-2 loss to Erie on Aug. 19.

Brito

Juan Brito with a two-run shot to the pitch clock in center to put us on top!!

BOT 1: Akron 2 | Erie 0 pic.twitter.com/lDyreWpG7o

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 19, 2023

Bryce Ball is 25 and was released by the Cubs organization when Cleveland signed him to take at-bats at first while Joe Naranjo was out with an injury. Ball had a hit in all six games against Erie, including three hits in the 4-2 on Aug. 15 and a homer on Aug. 18 in the win in the first game of the doubleheader over Erie. He’s shown some power but not much else.

And just like that…we are tied!!!@bryceball_05 launches a solo homer to bring this game back to even!

BOT 5: Akron 1 | Erie 1 pic.twitter.com/ckcfiFPbVA

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 18, 2023

Finally, Franco Aleman continues to dominate in Double-A, striking out five in two innings on Aug. 16. His outings are becoming more spread out with his last appearance coming with three days of rest in between. The 2021 draft pick now has 26 strikeouts in 17 2/3 innings since his promotion to Akron with just two walks and five hits coming against him.

Another perfect outing from Franco Aleman, 2IP, 5K. He struck out the first five hitters he faced tonight.

26 strikeouts in 17.1 innings since he got to Double-A. 2 walks and just five hits.

He hasn't walked a batter since July 6, he's allowed just one hit since August 6 pic.twitter.com/apqHB4lFlr

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 17, 2023

Akron heads to Altoona (Pirates) August 22-27.

High-A Lake County (4-2) vs. Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals)

Lake County rattled off four straight wins to start the series with Peoria, even though mother nature forced them to play two double-headers in the series with a pair of rainouts.

Steven Hajjar, one of two players to come over in the Will Benson trade from the Reds, turned in maybe his best performance of the year, striking out eight in six innings, allowing a run on two hits and walking three as the Captains won, 5-1.

Parker Messick followed up his 11-strikeout performance last start with a 10-strikeout performance on Aug. 18 over six innings with two runs allowed on three hits. He didn’t walk a batter but he did hit two batters in the outing, a 4-3 walkoff win for Lake County.

Messick gets strikeout #10 tonight. Allowed back to back hits after a HBP in the 6th but before that hadn't allowed a hit since the first inning pic.twitter.com/5uFrIeRDSC

— Justin L. (BlueSky – jlbaseball.bsky.social) (@JL_Baseball) August 19, 2023

In that walkoff win, Chase DeLauter had a game-tying double in the ninth and came around to score on an error for a little league homer to win the game. The Guardians 2022 first-round pick went 7-for-16 in five games played with a double, two RBI, a walk and a strikeout. He’s hitting .382/.311/.539 in 27 games at Lake County so far.

TELL A FRIEND TO TELL A FRIEND

CHASE. DeLAUTER. WALKED. IT. OFF. pic.twitter.com/TxZPZ6UxbM

— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) August 19, 2023

Jake Fox used the Peoria series to continue his strong second half, going 5-for-18, adding a triple and then a homer in the 12-2 loss in the August 20 finale. Fox is hitting .283/.333/.453 in August.

LEAD OFF HR … SAY LESS JAKE #Guardians no. 12 prospect Jake Fox hits a solo @nopec HR! pic.twitter.com/beu2fxqEBX

— Lake County Captains (@LCCaptains) August 20, 2023

Dayan Frias was held hitless in the August 20 finale but had hits in the first four games he played, including a triple.

Ethan Hankins picked up his first professional win in game one of a doubleheader Aug. 19, striking out five in five innings, allowing a run on two hits and walking just one. He was up to 97 mph with his fastball in that one.

The Captains concluded a 12-game home stand and now hits the road for a 12-game stint, Aug. 22 through Sept. 3 at Beloit and Cedar Rapids.

Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (5-1) at Fayetteville Woodpeckers (Astros)

Shortstop Jose Devers’ surprising power surge continued this week. He now has 10 homers this season, homering on Aug. 16 in a 4-0 Hillcats win, and then again on Aug. 19, a 6-4 win. Devers has three homers in August and eight since July overall. He came into Aug. 20 hitting .259/.336/.413. He had a .909 OPS in June, .819 in July and .944 in August.

Catcher Robert Lopez has had some good moments this year and added a homer and five RBI on the week, the homer coming as part of the Hillcats’ 15-7 win on Aug. 17 where they scored eight first-inning runs. Lopez is hitting .350/.471/.625 in 40 at-bats this month through Aug. 19.

2023 draft pick Alex Mooney didn’t have a strong week but in that 15-7 win on Aug. 17, he doubled twice in the first inning.

Fellow 2023 pick, CJ Kayfus,was 3-10 in three games played with a double, two RBI and five walks compared to two strikeouts.

The Hillcats got plenty of strong pitching this past week as well, with 2022 draft pick Adam Tulloch striking out eight and walking three, while not allowing a hit in five innings in a 4-0 win Aug. 16.

2022 draft pick Jackson Humphries made his non-complex league debut last week and didn’t get out of the second inning. In his second start on Aug. 18, the left-hander struck out six in five innings and allowed a run on two hits as the Hillcats won, 3-1.

2023 draft pick Jay Driver made his non-complex debut on Aug. 17 and allowed a run in two-thirds innings thanks to four walks. He allowed two more runs on three hits in an inning pitched on Aug. 20. Fellow 2023 pick Zane Moorehouse gave up five runs on two hits while walking two in 1/3 of an inning in his non-complex debut Aug. 17. He threw a scoreless inning on Aug. 20.

Lynchburg comes home to host Delmarva (Baltimore) August 22-27.

Notes from Arizona

1B Kyle Manzardo made a pair of rehab appearances in Arizona this past weekend. Manzardo came to Cleveland in the Aaron Civale trade to Tampa Bay back on Aug. 1. 2023 first-round pick Ralphy Velazquez made his first appearance in the field this past week, first base and catcher, and hit his first pro homer on Aug. 19.

Despite the constant roster shuffling due to injuries at the major-league level, the Columbus offense has been consistent thanks to the boost from outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez’s promotion. Cleveland’s 2017 third-round pick now has five homers in his 14 games since the promotion, with three coming this week alone. He homered in Columbus’ 10-2 win on Aug. 10 and accounted for five RBI. He hit a pair of homers in a 10-7 loss on Aug. 12, one of which was 464 feet. Rodriguez also added a triple, two RBI and two walks on August 8, a 5-3 Columbus win. Showing his weaknesses, Rodriguez did strikeout five times in five at-bats on Aug. 9, all on fastballs.

2 HR night from Johnathan Rodriguez, both off FBs. Hit 464 feet, and 368 feet, respectively. pic.twitter.com/zTjjyMKD0l

— Jay L (@JayLVideoBP) August 13, 2023

Jhonkensy Noel’s two homers on Aug. 9 and 10 put him up to 20 on the year. The 22-year-old has struggled this year but currently has a .805 OPS through August, his best of any month at this point.

The Guardians may have added Ramon Laureano and Kole Calhoun at the major-league level to fill spots, but mostly because Noel and George Valera haven’t been ready to promote this year. In five games this week through August 12, Valera struggled through a 2-for-16 stretch with two singles and eight strikeouts but five walks.

With three rookies already in the rotation, it’s possible the Guardians won’t want to add a fourth, but Joey Cantillo continues to make a strong case for an opportunity. On Aug. 10, Cantillo went 5 1/3 strong innings where he allowed just a run on four hits, a walk and struck out seven. It was the second consecutive start for Cantillo going 5 1/3 innings. Over those two starts, the left hander has struck out 13 and walked just three while allowing a run, and throwing 93-95 and hitting 98.

Despite their bullpen woes, the Guardians continue to try to stretch Cody Morris into more starters like innings. He walked four in 1 2/3 innings this past week and allowed three runs on two hits on Aug. 11, a 4-1 loss for the Clippers.

The Clippers stay on the road next week to visit Syracuse (Mets) on Aug. 15-20.

Double-A Akron RubberDucks (1-5) at Harrisburg Senators (Nationals)

Akron’s offense struggled most of the week at Harrisburg, but Aaron Bracho homered in three straight games, Aug. 10-12, giving him four in August and 13 overall this year. The Ducks won just one of those games, 5-3 on Aug. 11. In the first two games, the homers were Bracho’s only hits. He went 3-for-4 on August 12 in the Ducks’ 5-4 loss and 0-for-2 with two walks in the finale loss Aug. 13.

Aaron Bracho's 3⃣rd straight game with a HOME RUN!

TOP 6 | Harrisburg 5 | Akron 3 pic.twitter.com/703OPZUCq5

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 12, 2023

Juan Brito returned this week after missing a few games with a minor finger issue and drove in five runs, going 6-for-23 with two doubles and a homer for the week.

This was a hell of a homer last night for Juan Brito. He does not have above average raw power. But he's adept at getting the barrel to pitches like this, which wasn't even a strike, and pulling it in the air. pic.twitter.com/b3fXTH9Xb9

— Justin L. (@JL_Baseball) August 12, 2023

Connor Kokx had a good week serving as the leadoff hitter and the ninth hitter in the lineup at times. He went 7-for-19 with two doubles, a homer and three RBI.

The 6th @connorkokx hit this week has us on the board!

TOP 5 | Harrisburg 4 | Akron 1 pic.twitter.com/Y7aIo1BQwo

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 12, 2023

Akron didn’t get a lot of great pitching against a tough Harrisburg lineup, but Jack Letwich did strike out four and allowed a run in four innings following Will Dion’s five innings of two run ball on Aug. 11 in the Ducks’ only win.

Franco Aleman continued his dominance at Double-A, throwing two perfect innings Aug. 12 and striking out two hitters, throwing 94-99 again.

Same game, Franco Aleman K'd 2 more in 2 innings. Up to 15.1 scoreless innings in Double-A with 21 K's and just two walks. This was his first appearance since last Sunday. There were points where he was 93-95, but he did get to 97-99 again in this outing. pic.twitter.com/54Mt9U0NK6

— Justin L. (@JL_Baseball) August 13, 2023

Akron comes home to host Erie (Tigers) August 15-20.

High-A Lake County Captains (2-1) vs. South Bend Cubs (Cubs)

Mother nature didn’t cooperate with the weekend slate of games this series, cancelling one game and forcing a doubleheader Aug. 13.

Ryan Webb came back to pitch two innings in the suspended game Aug. 11, striking out two after missing time with an oblique injury.

Parker Messick didn’t cooperate with the South Bend Cubs talented lineup, striking out a career-high 11 in five shutout innings Aug. 9 in the Captains’ 10-4 win. Messick allowed just three hits, but did walk a batter and hit two. He’s thrown 10 straight shutout innings now between his last two starts.

Parker Messick with a new career high 11 K's today. Gets James Triantos for K11, up to 93 today and worked well with new catcher Cooper Ingle pretty well it seems. pic.twitter.com/hzOaKxox2o

— Justin L. (@JL_Baseball) August 9, 2023

The Captains’ bullpen struggled in a 9-1 loss Aug. 10, but Ethan Hankins allowed just one run in four innings, striking out five and walking two. Hankins has now allowed just one earned run in his last three starts, spanning 11 2/3 innings.

Chase DeLauter backed Messick’s strong start with a 4-5 afternoon Aug. 9 and drove in three runs, all on singles. Jake Fox added three hits and two RBI in that win and also had an RBI in the Captains’ 7-5 win on Aug. 8.

Newcomer Kahlil Watson went 0-for-7 with five strikeouts last weekend to end the Captains’ series with Wes Michigan. He had a single and two RBI on Aug. 8 and then went 1-for-3 with two walks on Aug. 9.

In an aggressive move, the Guardians assigned 2023 draft pick, catcher Cooper Ingle, to High-A to make his debut. He fit right in right away going 2-for-2 with two walks in two games played.

Cooper Ingle RBI double. Good approach to fight back from down 0-2. First career RBI. pic.twitter.com/ojmF8CFgP8

— Justin L. (@JL_Baseball) August 11, 2023

Lake County will continue its homestand, hosting the Peoria Chiefs (Cardinals) on Aug. 15-20.

Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (3-2) vs. Fredericksburg Nationals (Nationals)

The Hillcats got most of the reinforcements this past week with several 2023 draftees being assigned to Lynchburg. 1B/OF CJ Kayfus went 3-for-12 in his first three pro games and popped his first homer Aug. 12 in the Hillcats’ 8-6 win. Infielder Alex Mooney went 4-for-14 in his first four contests. Catcher Johnny Tincher started two games and went 1-5, but came out of his second game early and hasn’t played since.

1st career pro homer for Guardians 2023 draft pick CJ Kayfus, a 2 out, 2 run homer to give @LynHillcats the lead and eventual win. pic.twitter.com/7RtaY5xeae

— Jay L (@JayLVideoBP) August 13, 2023

The only pitcher from the 2023 class promoted up from Arizona, RHP Matt Jachec, made his High-A debut August 11 and gave up three runs in 1 2/3 innings, but did strike out three.

2022 eighth-round pick, lefty Jackson Humprhies, was also promoted to Lynchburg, but his debut on Aug. 12 lasted just 1 2/3 innings, as he allowed three runs on two hits and two walks.

Infielder Angel Genao broke out of an 0-for-12 snap going 2-for-5 with a homer in the Hillcats’ 6-5 loss on Aug. 9. He followed that up by going 3-for-5 with two doubles and an RBI in a 7-6 win on Aug. 11. Genao added two more doubles in the finale on Aug. 13.

Fellow infielder Jose Devers has been hot and cold at times this year, but drove in four of the Hillcats’ runs this week though Aug. 12. He went 3-for-5 with a homer on Aug. 9 in the Hillcats’ 6-5 loss. He added an RBI single on August 10, then a 2-for-4 performance Aug. 11 with a double and two RBI.

Yorman Gomez turned in the best pitching performance of the week for the Hillcats, allowing two runs (one earned) in six innings on August 11 in a 7-6 win for Lynchburg.

The Hillcats head out on the road August 15-20 to face the Fayetville Woodpeckers (Astros).

Thanks to trades, call-ups and injuries, the Clippers roster was again in flux.

Infielder Jose Tena was sent up to Columbus in the stead of Brayan Rocchio, who was up in Cleveland due to trades. Tena went 1-3 with a walk and two-run double on Aug. 3, a 6-3 win for the Clippers. Then Tena was up in Cleveland due to Tyler Freeman’s injury and made his debut on Aug. 5 after Jose Ramirez was ejected for knocking out White Sox infielder Tim Anderson when he challenged Ramirez to a fight.

Welcome back, José. pic.twitter.com/tasQcnm5Hc

— Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) August 3, 2023

Angel Martinez got the bump from Akron to Columbus due to Tena’s callup and has gone 1-for-5 in his first two games with a double and a walk.

Since his own promotion, outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez has done nothing but hit. Through Aug. 6, he was 5-for-16 with three doubles and four RBI. He did have nine strikeouts and just one walk, however. Two of those doubles came on Aug. 5 in the Clippers’ 7-3 loss.

Offensively, Cleveland is waiting for George Valera to get things going in the right direction. He added two doubles and three RBI this past week, along with five walks, but was only 3-for-17 overall.

Perhaps Joey Cantillo is working toward earning himself a start in Cleveland sometime in September. He struck out six in 5 1/3 innings, walking just two and allowing three hits in the Clippers’ 7-0 win Aug. 4. He got 19 swings and misses and ran his fastball up to 98 mph in the start.

Speaking of brawls, former Reds and Royals reliever Amir Garrett, who was involved in a fight while with Cincinnati, made his Clippers debut on Aug. 5, striking out two and allowing a walk and hit in the process.

Pitcher Cody Morris has not appeared in a game since July 30, when he threw 28 pitches

Columbus will be making a trip north in Ohio to Toledo (Tigers) for a series starting Aug. 8.

Double-A Akron RubberDucks (4-2) vs. Somerset Patriots (Yankees)

Due to all the system movement, infielder Milan Tolentino joined the ‘Ducks this past week. After a 1-for-8 debut in his first two games, he doubled twice in Akron’s win on Aug. 6 and drove in three runs. In part of that win, outfielder Connor Kokx also made some noise by hitting a single, drawing a walk and stealing home.

HE STOLE HOME!!!!!@connorkokx swipes home!!

BOT 7: Akron 10 | Somerset 4 pic.twitter.com/92t83LYckU

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 6, 2023

BALL @bryceball_05 with a shot into the bullpen to stretch the lead!!

BOT 5: Akron 5 | Somerset 3 pic.twitter.com/0AXR9NQFed

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 6, 2023

Aaron Bracho, who was the Eastern League Player of the Week last week, was 6-for-19 through games on Aug. 6 with a homer and three RBI. He added two more hits and an RBI on Aug. 6 as well.

He is on

Aaron Bracho launches one off the batter's eye for a two-run

BOT 6: Akron 8 | Somerset 1 pic.twitter.com/fpGjJv5vLy

— Akron RubberDucks (@AkronRubberDuck) August 4, 2023

Juan Brito hasn’t appeared in a game since Aug. 3 due to a small fracture in his finger after a ball in fielding practice hit the tip of it. He’s not expected to miss much time, but Akron currently is already without Martinez and Tena.

Franco Aleman continues to be untouchable in Double-A, tossing a single scoreless outing this past week with a strikeout.

Lefty Will Dion shut down the Somerset lineup on Aug. 5, striking out five and walking two with four hits in 5 1/3 innings. Despite topping out at 90-91, Dion continues to find success against lineups in Double-A thanks to his command and strong offspeed stuff.

Fellow lefty and 2021 draftee, Doug Nikhazy, walked three and struck out four in his five-inning start on Aug. 2. He allowed two runs as Akron won, 4-2.

Akron heads to Harrisburg (Nationals) to start a series Aug. 8.

High-A Lake County Captains (0-5) at West Michigan Whitecaps (Tigers)

Losing Milan Tolentino apparently had a big effect on the Captains, scoring just five runs in five games and getting shut out twice in the rain-shortened five-game series.

The biggest highlight of the week was Kahlil Watson’s debut on Aug. 3. The 2021 first-rounder was acquired from the Marlins at the deadline, and he went 2-for-4 with a homer on Aug. 3 in his first game in the Cleveland system. Watson, however, went 0-for-7 with five strikeouts over the next two games as Cleveland has some work to get Watson to be the player he has the potential to be.

Kahlil Watson also now has his first home run in the Guardians system too. pic.twitter.com/D8beOFOMcY

— Justin L. (@JL_Baseball) August 3, 2023

Dayan Frias cooled off big time this week, going 1-for-14 with a homer.

Parker Messick did his part, firing five shutout innings on August 3 with six strikeouts, a walk, hit batsmen and a hit, until the Captains fell, 6-3.

Ethan Hankins turned in one of his better starts on Aug. 4, allowing only two unearned runs in 3 2/3 innings, striking out four and walking one and giving up four hits.

Aaron Davenport went a strong seven innings on Aug. 5, hitting a surprising 100 pitches for a starter at this level, and allowed three runs (two earned) while fanning six and walking three in the Captains’ 3-1 loss.

Lake County comes back home to host the South Bend Cubs on Aug. 8.

Low-A Lynchburg Hillcats (3-2) at Delmarva Shorebirds (Orioles)

20-year-old outfielder Wuilfredo Antunez had himself nearly a good week on Aug. 5 alone. Despite a 6-3 loss by the Hillcats, Antunez was 5-5 with two doubles, two RBI and a steal. He raised his season slash line from .265/.351/.396 to .280/.362/.416 in one game. He had a hot week, though, with five hits in the three other games he played, including a homer, double, triple and three RBI. He entered the week hitting .261/.354/.374.

Angel Genao didn’t have a strong total week, but had a couple of good games in a row. He was held hitless in three other contests, but had four hits between Aug. 2 and 3 with a homer, three doubles, and five RBI. The homer was his first of the year.

Shortstop Jose Devers had a similar week, going hitless in the first two games but had three hits between Aug. 3 and 4, adding a double and an RBI.

19-year-old catcher Robert Lopez homered in the Hillcats’ 8-2 win on Aug. 2 and again on Aug. 4, a 7-6 loss for Lynchburg.

2020 first-rounder Carson Tucker went back on the injured list this past week with a wrist sprain.

2022 draft pick out of UConn, Austin Peterson, continued to be the most reliable Hillcat in the rotation. He threw six shutout innings in the Aug. 2 win, allowing just a hit and striking out six.

Swingman Wardqulein Vazquez threw four no-hit innings on Aug. 5 and struck out seven while walking two as a tandem starter.

The Hillcats come home to host Fredericksburg (Nationals) on Aug. 8.

Complex League

18-year-old OF prospect Jaison Chourio is hitting .358/.494/.444 in 32 games in the Arizona Complex League. Jaison is the younger brother of 20-year-old Brewers prospect Jackson Chourio, widely considered a top-five prospect in baseball. The younger Chourio was 2-for-3 on Aug.5 in Arizona, walked twice and stole three bases.