EASTLAKE, Ohio – For the week of Aug. 25-30, the Lake County Captains are recognizing LHP Nelson Keljo and INF Dauri Fernández as the 22nd set of Captains of the Week for the 2026 season for their impressive showings against the Cedar Rapids Kernels.
NELSON KELJO, LHP
Keljo made a strong start for the Captains this past week against Cedar Rapids.
On Saturday, Aug. 29, the left-hander threw a pro career-high eight strikeouts across 4.2 innings of work in a 10-4 Captains victory, allowing just two runs on three hits and walking three.
Keljo was promoted to the Captains from the Single-A Hill City Howlers on July 28. The Vancouver, Washington native has made six appearances (five starts) for Lake County this year, going 0-1 with a 5.73 ERA and 34 strikeouts in just 22 innings pitched, holding opposing hitters to a .192 batting average. The 22-year-old made his pro debut for Hill City earlier this season, logging a 4.84 ERA and an impressive 80 strikeouts to just 31 walks in only 57.2 innings pitched across 15 starts. Across Lake County and Hill City, his 12.88 strikeouts per nine innings ranks 12th among MiLB pitchers with at least 79.2 innings pitched this year.
Keljo was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in the 6th round of the 2025 MLB Draft out of Oregon State, where he was teammates with 2024 Captains 2B Travis Bazzana for two seasons. The left-hander made 60 appearances (15 starts) across three seasons for the Beavers, going 8-2 with a 4.24 ERA and 155 strikeouts to just 64 walks in 123 innings pitched, averaging 11.3 strikeouts per nine innings.
DAURI FERNÁNDEZ, INF
Fernández had an impressive series at the plate against Cedar Rapids this past week.
All six of the 19-year-old’s hits went for extra bases, as he logged five doubles and a home run in five games played. He batted .261 with six runs, three RBI, three walks, three stolen bases, a .609 slugging percentage, and a .955 OPS in the series.
Fernández hit safely in four of his five games played this past week against Cedar Rapids. On Tuesday, Aug. 25, he recorded his first career High-A home run, a double, and a stolen base, while scoring three runs in a thrilling 19-18 Captains victory.
Fernández, MLB Pipeline’s No. 22 Guardians prospect, was promoted to the Captains from the Single-A Hill City Howlers on Aug. 11. The Bonao, Dominican Republic native is batting .231 in nine games for Lake County this season, with eight of his nine hits going for extra bases (six doubles, one triple, and one home run), while also logging three stolen bases and a .513 slugging percentage. Additionally, he led Single-A with 51 stolen bases in 78 games for the Howlers year at the time of his promotion, while ranking top-10 in the Carolina League with six triples (third), a .272 batting average (eighth), and 64 runs (tied for ninth).
Fernández was signed by the Cleveland Guardians as an international free agent on Jan. 15, 2024 out of the Dominican Republic. He was named an Arizona Complex League All-Star for the ACL Guardians in 2025 and was eventually promoted to the 2025 Single-A Carolina League Champion Lynchburg Hillcats (now Hill City Howlers) on Aug. 28, 2025. After batting .273 with six hits in seven regular-season games for the Hillcats, he batted .368 with seven hits, five runs, one double, one home run, three RBI, two walks, two stolen bases, and a 1.008 OPS in five games during Lynchburg’s 2025 Carolina League Playoffs.
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, the Captains will return home to Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake for their final series of the 2026 regular season. Lake County will host the Great Lakes Loons for a seven-game set through Sunday, Sept. 6 with a variety of exciting promotions in store.
On Tuesday, Sept. 1, Lake County will begin the homestand with Community Champions Night recognizing Firefighters presented by Universal Auto & Tire. On Wednesday, Sept. 2, the Captains will host Picantes Night, where Lake County will suit up as Los Picantes de Lake County for the final time in 2026. Then, on Thursday, Sept. 3 (doubleheader), the Captains will celebrate Dawg Night presented by Thirsty Dog, where Lake County will pay special tribute to Bulldogs.
On Friday, Sept. 4, the Captains will celebrate Cleveland Sports History Night, featuring 10-cent beer. It will also be Nurses Appreciation Night presented by Coca-Cola. Then, on Saturday, Sept. 5, Lake County will host 9 Innings of Winnings Night with a postgame fireworks show at the ballpark, where the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Skipper Cavs Bobblehead presented by Consumer Tire. The festivities will also feature a pregame first pitch from former Cleveland Cavaliers star Daniel Gibson.
Finally, on Sunday, Sept. 6, the Captains will celebrate Fan Appreciation Day at the ballpark. It will also be Family Fun Sunday presented by Classic Auto Group, which will feature pregame catch on the field and player autographs on the concourse, plus postgame kids run the bases presented by Akron Children’s Hospital.
The series will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.
About the Lake County Captains:
The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.