This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins’ Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CLEVELAND -- Buying at the Trade Deadline comes at a cost, as we saw with the Guardians this year. In the hours before the 6 p.m. ET Deadline on Aug. 3, Cleveland shipped away six prospects in a series of win-now moves.
The good news? Cleveland’s buying spree didn’t put much of a dent in their farm system. On MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Prospects list for the Guardians, lefty Josh Hartle was the highest-ranked player Cleveland traded (No. 25).
COMPLETE GUARDIANS PROSPECT COVERAGE
“I do feel fortunate that we have a very healthy and robust farm system, and we were able to make trades like this," Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said on Aug. 3. "Not only have players to be able to trade, but still feel we are in a great position post-trades to have a very healthy farm system that not only will impact us this year, but for years to come.”
Rookies Travis Bazzana, Chase DeLauter, Parker Messick and Angel Genao have been key contributors for the Guardians this season. We’ve also seen Cooper Ingle, Franco Aleman, Daniel Espino and Kahlil Watson make their big league debut.
The interesting prospects storylines don’t stop there. Cleveland’s farm system is full of intriguing position players pushing toward the Majors, and it gained a bevy of promising new faces in the MLB Draft last month.
With the Draft and Deadline behind us, here is a look at Pipeline’s revamped Top 30 Prospects list for the Guardians.
Here’s a look at the Guardians’ top prospects:
1. Angel Genao, SS (MLB 29)
2. Ralphy Velazquez, 1B (MLB 32)
3. Braylon Doughty, RHP (MLB 72)
4. Juneiker Caceres, OF (MLB 82)
5. Cooper Ingle, C
Biggest jump/fall
Here are the players whose ranks changed the most from the preseason list:
Jump: Justin Campbell, RHP (Preseason: Unranked | Midseason: 10)
Campbell, 25, is currently on the injured list with a left oblique strain, but he has been one of the best stories in the Guardians’ farm system this year. The No. 37 overall Draft pick in 2022 made his pro debut this season after he missed the previous three campaigns due to a pair of right elbow surgeries, including a UCL repair prior to the ‘24 season. The Guardians promoted Campbell to Triple-A Columbus on June 30 after he logged a 2.61 ERA in 51 2/3 innings over 15 starts with High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron.
Fall: Welbyn Francisca, SS (Preseason: 13 | Midseason: 21)
Francisca’s placement here speaks more to the depth of the Guardians’ farm system, certainly on the position player side. The 20-year-old has had a quality season with High-A Lake County. Entering Thursday, Francisca was slashing .271/.373/.543 with seven doubles, 15 home runs, 42 RBIs and 32 walks with 52 strikeouts over 55 games. That includes a nine-game stint in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League.
New to the list
Here are the players added to the Top 30 from outside the organization:
7. Liam Peterson, RHP (Drafted in first round)
19. Savion Sims, RHP (Drafted in seventh round)
20. Tre Broussard, OF (Drafted in third round)
26. Kade Lewis, 3B/1B (Drafted in fourth round)
Best tools
Players are graded on a 20-80 scouting scale for future tools -- 20-30 is well below average, 40 is below average, 50 is average, 60 is above average and 70-80 is well above average. Players in parentheses have the same grade. (via Pipeline's Ben Weinrib)
Hit: 60 -- Angel Genao
Power: 60 -- Ralphy Velazquez (Nolan Schubart)
Run: 70 -- Tre Broussard
Arm: 70 -- Alfonsin Rosario
Defense: 60 -- Tre Broussard
Fastball: 70 -- Daniel Espino (Savion Sims)
Curveball: 65 -- Liam Peterson
Slider: 65 -- Daniel Espino (Joey Oakie)
Changeup: 60 -- Justin Campbell
Control: 60 -- Braylon Doughty