Ralphy Velazquez is on some kind of heater.
MLB's No. 1 first base prospect hammered his 23rd and 24th homers of the year in Triple-A Columbus' two-game set against St. Paul on Thursday at Huntington Park, building on a stretch in which he has been nearly unstoppable.
In August, Velazquez -- MLB's No. 32 prospect -- has mashed a Minors-leading 11 homers across 14 contests. He has collected knocks in 13 straight games, and multiple hits in six games during that span. Furthermore, the 21-year-old's 1.408 OPS is third-best in the Minors this month, and his .964 slugging percentage ranks second.
Dating back to July 28, Velazquez has slugged 13 homers across 18 games.
COMPLETE GUARDIANS PROSPECT COVERAGE
Thursday's first game was a resumption of Columbus' contest Wednesday night. The Guardians' affiliate was able to get through three frames before Mother Nature put the kibosh on their plans, pushing the game to the next day.
The contest resumed in the fourth, and Velazquez -- the first batter in the bottom of the inning -- kicked off the home half with fireworks. He jumped on the fourth pitch of the at-bat -- a 93.4 mph fastball from right-hander Trent Baker (Twins) -- and launched it 418 feet to center field. The laser had an exit velocity of 106.4 mph.
Velazquez added a knock in the sixth, finishing 2-for-4 in Columbus' 10-2 loss in the first leg.
The second homer of the day came in the third inning of Game 2. In a 2-1 count with nobody on, Velazquez hammered a 103.2 mph, 414-foot wallop high off the batters' eye -- just a few feet to the right of his first one. The mash came off a 92.4 mph four-seamer from Jack Anderson. Velazquez notched a single in the seventh, once again going 2-for-4 -- his third consecutive multihit game. Columbus fell 8-6.
Velazquez's recent offensive outburst is a microcosm of his season as a whole. The California native earned a promotion to Triple-A in mid-May after slashing .317/.414/.566 with seven homers across 36 games for Double-A Akron. Since the move, he's been a force in the middle of Columbus' lineup with 17 homers in 66 games and an .887 OPS.
In the latest episode of the MLB Pipeline Podcast, Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo tabbed Velazquez as one of 10 prospects who could be impact callups down the stretch.
More from MLB Pipeline:
• Top 100 prospects | Stats | Video | Podcast | Complete coverage
While the 2023 first-rounder's offense alone is a strong case for his callup, the dire first baseman situation in Cleveland compounds the need. Through Aug. 3 (prior to Trade Deadline acquisition Nathaniel Lowe joining the fray), Guardians first basemen ranked last in the Major Leagues with a .681 OPS. Entering Thursday (with Lowe in the lineup), their OPS is a mere six points higher (.687), which ranks as the 11th-worst in baseball.
The Guardians' brass has shown a willingness to give their prospects big league opportunities this season. Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana have become key pieces in Cleveland's lineup, and Angel Genao (CLE No. 1) is getting everyday opportunities in the infield. On the grass, Cooper Ingle (CLE No. 5) and Kahlil Watson (CLE No. 16) each had shots in the bigs, but didn't earn a permanent spot.
Following Thursday's win over the Giants, Cleveland is one game back of a Wild Card spot and 4.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central.
The big league club is vying for a playoff appearance, and Ralphy Velazquez is proving worthy of a look.