SEATTLE -- Chase DeLauter is here, Cleveland.
And he might be pretty special.
DeLauter made his regular-season MLB debut in Thursday’s Opening Day matchup against the Mariners, and ushered in the new season in grand fashion. The 24-year-old (who’s ranked as MLB Pipeline’s No. 46 overall prospect) crushed a home run off Mariners right-hander Logan Gilbert to give the Guardians an early 1-0 lead.
DeLauter’s blast went a Statcast-projected 358 feet and had a 102.2 mph exit velocity. It was just enough to get over the outstretched glove of right fielder Luke Raley.
Thursday technically marked DeLauter’s big league debut, but not his first taste of the Majors. He, of course, became only the sixth player to make their MLB debut in the postseason this past fall, after a Minor League career in which he dealt with a host of injury setbacks following his selection in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft.
Now, he can add another accolade to his resumé; DeLauter is only the fifth player in Cleveland franchise history to hit a home run in their regular-season debut. He joins Earl Averill (April 16, 1929) Jay Bell (Sept. 29, 1986), Kevin Kouzmanoff (Sept. 2, 2006) and Jhonkensy Noel (June 26, 2024).
COMPLETE GUARDIANS PROSPECT COVERAGE
“It’s unbelievable,” said DeLauter’s dad, Jason. “I know the debut in the playoffs, he was super excited about that. We were blindsided by it, to be able to get called up like that. He's just worked. He's continued to work. None of this was guaranteed.”
Jason was one of a flurry of DeLauter’s loved ones in attendance on Thursday, along with his mom, stepdad, brother and friends.