No. 10 prospect Oakie charting own path as flamethrowing righty

TEMPE, Ariz. -- During his childhood in Iowa, Guardians pitching prospect Joey Oakie made it appointment viewing when he could watch baseball royalty take the mound.

“I loved Jacob deGrom, Max Scherzer,” Oakie said. “Those two guys I always loved watching on TV. Now, I like watching [Paul] Skenes. He’s a good guy to watch.”

Oakie is now charting his own path as a flame-throwing right-hander -- and a rising talent in Cleveland's farm system. That was on display Thursday, when the 19-year-old took the mound in the Guardians’ 4-2 win over the Angels in the third annual Spring Breakout game.

Oakie, ranked as the Guardians’ No. 10 prospect by MLB Pipeline, tossed two scoreless innings in which he allowed two singles and one walk and struck out three batters. He threw 34 pitches (19 strikes), and 17 were at least 97.0 mph. He maxed out at 99.1 mph, with his sinker.

“It's fun to see him,” said Erlin Cerda, the Guardians’ Spring Breakout manager who’s entering his first season as skipper of Single-A Hill City (formerly Lynchburg). “He was [around] 94, 95 [mph] last year, and then he just started getting up, getting up. That means he's doing what he needs to do to put himself in a really good position.”

Cerda would know; he was Hill City’s bench coach in 2024 and ‘25. Oakie (who was the Guardians’ third-round Draft pick in 2024) split last season between the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League and Single-A.

Oakie made his pro debut on May 6 last season in the ACL, and only turned 19 three days later. Coming straight out of high school, there was a natural acclimation process he experienced in the pro ranks, in which there are more resources. He logged a 7.46 ERA with 23 walks and 47 strikeouts in 35 innings over 12 games (including nine starts) in the ACL.

“It was a big learning curve,” Oakie said. “It took me until halfway through the season to really get good routines and really understand how to use all those resources to my advantage. I feel like I'm in a better spot than I was at the start of last year.”

We saw that play out after Oakie was promoted to Single-A on July 28. Over six starts, he recorded a 2.22 ERA with 31 strikeouts in 24 1/3 innings. Oakie (who also throws a sweeper, slider and changeup with his four-seamer and sinker) noted he hit 90 mph as a freshman in high school and continued to gain velocity. It’s continued to increase as he’s worked with the Guardians' staff and developed routines that work for him.

Oakie’s first pitch on Thursday was a 98 mph four-seamer below the zone to first baseman Ben Gobbel. Oakie came back with three more four-seamers in the zone, up and outside. Gobbel swung through each.

Catcher Juan Flores (the Angels’ No. 21 prospect) followed Gobbel and suffered a similar fate. Oakie threw Flores a 99 mph four-seamer up and outside for a ball. He then got Flores to chase a slider outside, watch a four-seamer over the heart of the plate for a strike, and chase another four-seamer outside for strike three.

Oakie worked around a single and a walk to get through the sixth inning. He needed just 14 pitches to get through the seventh, when he worked around a two-out single by striking out designated hitter Lucas Ramirez with a 98.4 mph fastball at the letters.

Oakie will likely begin this season with Hill City. He has a few steps to reach before the Majors, but Thursday’s performance combined with his finish to 2025 inspires confidence in what ‘26 could hold.

“It’s great because I feel like there were two parts of last year,” Oakie said. “I got a lot better in between it, and now I feel like I've taken another step since last year. I'm really excited to get out there this year.”

Gómez sharp, Antunez slugs

Yorman Gómez started on Thursday and allowed one hit over three scoreless innings. He struck out one batter. Wuilfredo Antunez provided the Guardians’ offense some thump when he belted a three-run homer in the fourth inning. The blast had a 102.6 mph exit velocity.

The Guardians added Gómez to their 40-man roster in November. He recorded a 2.96 ERA over 27 games (15 starts) between High-A Lake County and Akron last year. Antunez slugged 18 homers between Lake County and Akron last year.

“It felt good. It was a great opportunity [to start],” Gómez said through interpreter Anna Bolton. “I was able to give my best and show that I’m ready for the season.”