EASTLAKE, Ohio – On Monday, Aug. 10, Minor League Baseball (MiLB) announced that Lake County Captains INF Welbyn Francisca, MLB Pipeline’s No. 13 Guardians prospect, has been named the Midwest League Player of the Week for the week of Aug. 3-9.
The 20-year-old had a powerful showing at the plate, hitting four home runs in his final three games played during the six-game set.
Francisca hit safely in each of his five games played this past week, with seven of his nine hits going for extra bases. For the week of Aug. 3-9, the switch-hitter tied the MiLB lead with seven extra-base hits, led High-A with 24 total bases and four home runs (tied), and tied the Midwest League lead with three doubles.
Additionally, Francisca ranked top-10 in the Midwest League with a 1.091 slugging percentage (second), a 1.549 OPS (third), nine hits (tied for third), a .409 batting average (tied for sixth), and six RBI (tied for seventh) during the week of Aug. 3-9.
Francisca hit two home runs on Sunday, Aug. 9 in Lake County’s series finale at Lansing, logging the second multi-homer game of his pro career (also June 19 at Great Lakes in Game 1 of a doubleheader) and helping guide the Captains to an 11-9 win in 10 innings. He also tallied a season-high two doubles on Tuesday, Aug. 4 in Lake County’s series opener.
Francisca has been one of High-A’s premier power hitters since his promotion to the Captains from the Single-A Hill City Howlers. Since his High-A debut on June 5, he is tied for the Midwest League lead with 13 home runs in just 44 games. The La Romana, Dominican Republic native is also one of just four High-A players with at least 13 home runs, 39 RBI, and a .558 slugging percentage during this span.
Francisca was signed by the Cleveland Guardians as an international free agent on Jan. 15, 2023 out of the Dominican Republic. Last season, he ranked seventh in the Carolina League with 45 stolen bases and helped the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats (now Hill City Howlers) win the 2025 Carolina League Championship. The infielder was named an Arizona Complex League Post-Season All-Star in 2024 for the ACL Guardians and a Dominican Summer League Mid-Season All-Star for the DSL Guardians Blue squad in his pro debut season in 2023.
Francisca is the fifth Lake County player to earn Midwest League Player/Pitcher of the Week honors this season, joining LHP Franklin Gómez (week of April 27-May 3), INF Luke Hill (week of May 11-17), OF Jace LaViolette (week of May 18-25), and 1B/OF Nolan Schubart (week of June 29-July 5).
The Captains will return to Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake for a seven-game home series versus the Dayton Dragons from Tuesday, Aug. 11 through Sunday, Aug. 16 with a variety of exciting promotions in store.
Lake County will begin the homestand with Community Champions Night for utility workers on Tuesday, Aug. 11, where the Captains will also celebrate 811 Call Before You Dig Night presented by Northeast Ohio Natural Gas. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, Lake County will host Senior Day and Ditch Work Day.
Then, on Thursday, Aug. 13 (doubleheader), the Captains will celebrate Dawg Night presented by Thirsty Dog, where Lake County will pay special tribute to Golden Retrievers. From 6-7 p.m., the Captains will host a meet-and-greet event with Charlie the Golden Retriever, who will portray Buddy in the upcoming movie “Air Bud Returns,” and Mokoro the Bat Dog. It will also be Strikeout the Stigma Night at the ballpark, where Lake County will partner with the Radical Hope Foundation to celebrate the importance of mental health in baseball, as well as Jewish History Night.
On Friday, Aug. 14, the Captains will host Stand Up to Cancer Night, with a postgame Fireworks Friday show presented by Minutemen. Then, on Saturday, Aug. 15, Lake County will celebrate Random Jersey Night, where the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Captains Fleece Blanket presented by Stanley Steemer. There will also be a postgame fireworks show presented by Coca-Cola.
Finally, on Sunday, Aug. 16, the Captains will celebrate 2016 AL Champions Day, where the first 1,000 fans through the gates will receive a Jason Kipnis Bobblehead Box presented by Minutemen. It will also be I Love Art Day, with a dedicated craft ticket package available for fans presented by Busy Bees Pottery & Arts Studio, as well as Wellness Day presented by Power Yoga Collective. Additionally, it will 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. Lake County’s Wednesday, Aug. 12 game will also be broadcast on the Rock Entertainment Sports Network (RESN).
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.