The whole point of having good prospects in a system is to get them to the big leagues. In a perfect world, teams amass a pool of talent in Triple-A, the proverbial phone call away, to be able to readily call up reinforcements when needed.
If the idea of seeing a large collection of this kind of close-to-the-bigs talent on one field at one time appeals to you, then do we have a game for you. The MLB Pipeline Prospect Showcase heads to Columbus, Ohio for a Triple-A International League matchup between the Columbus Clippers (Guardians) and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders on Saturday night. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m. ET and can be watched live on MLB Network and streamed for free on MLB.TV. The voice of the Clippers, Ryan Mitchell, will be on the call along with MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo.
Viewers have the potential to see as many as six Top 100 prospects in the contest, an equitable three per squad. The Yankees’ trio is headlined by George Lombard Jr., who at No. 18 overall, is the highest-ranked prospect in the Showcase. New York’s No. 1 prospect turned 21 earlier this month and is starting to settle in at Triple-A, having hit the International League for the first time at the end of April. The shortstop, who has also seen time at second and third to give the Major League staff options when they deem Lombard ready, has a .948 OPS over his first 13 games this month.
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Lombard is joined by a pair of exciting right-handers, and there’s a chance of seeing both of them in action. Elmer Rodríguez, No. 60 on the Top 100, is only 22, but he’s already made three big league starts earlier this season. He’s slated to start for the RailRiders on Saturday, his 11th at the level; his 3.00 ERA would place him second and his .215 batting average would land him in third if he had enough innings to qualify. He can run his fastball up to 98-99 mph and backs it up with a trio of secondary pitches in his slider, curve and split-changeup.
It’s hard to miss the Yankees’ third member of the Top 100 who’ll be in Columbus. Carlos Lagrange (No. 73) is 6-foot-7 with the power stuff to match his size. He’d been a starter throughout his career, but recently moved to the bullpen in the hopes he can help out the big league team sooner in that role. Not surprisingly, his fastball that sits 98-99 mph and touched 103 mph plays well in relief, and it’s missed more bats over his first few outings. He’s been throwing his cutter in the 89-90 mph range and it’s been a really good out pitch. The Yankees still see him as a starter long-term, largely because he has a low-80s sweeper and a low-90s changeup that are effective to round out a full repertoire.
Not to be outdone, the Clippers have three Top 100 guys of their own to boast, and all three are hitters. Infielder Angel Genao tops the list at No. 44 overall. He’s a 22-year-old switch-hitting shortstop who joined Columbus at the beginning of May. The Guardians love middle infielders with outstanding bat-to-ball skills, especially ones who can do it from both sides of the plate, and Genao fits that description perfectly. There’s more pop from the right-hand side, but his quick, compact swing is geared for contact at all times.
Ralphy Velazquez (No. 56) made his Triple-A debut on May 20, a little over a week before his 21st birthday. While he’s still finding his footing at the level, his combination of bat speed and strength makes him one of the most dangerous left-handed hitters in the Minors. He’s a very good natural hitter, one who knows the zone and is willing to take what’s given to him, but also has the ability to drive the ball out of the yard (He hit 22 homers last year). The Clippers have mostly employed him as a first baseman, but he continues to see time in left field to give the Guardians options.
Coming in at No. 70 is catcher Cooper Ingle, who reached Triple-A for the first time last year and is having a very solid first full season at the level. He’s also a left-handed hitter and he’s used his super-advanced approach at the plate to post a .936 OPS, the best mark of any catcher in either Triple-A circuit. He draws walks at a tremendous clip – his 19.1 percent walk rate is second in the league and his .423 on-base percentage is third. And he’s getting to his extra-base pop more consistently this year than at any point in his career, already just two shy of his season-best of 11 homers set in 2024.
There’s more beyond the big-name Top 100 guys in this game, too. The Clippers have three additional players from the Guardians’ Top 30: outfielder Kahlil Watson (No. 12), infielder Juan Brito (No. 14) and reliever Andrew Walters (No. 24). The Yankees triumvirate of Top 100 players would normally be joined by right-handed starter Brendan Beck (No. 21) and reliever Eric Reyzelman (No. 28), though the latter is on the injured list.
Paying attention to this game is important because you never know when any of these players will get called up to help the parent club. Just within the past couple of weeks, the Yankees called up Spencer Jones, and activated Jasson Domínguez from his rehab assignment, from Scranton. The Guardians just brought up reliever Daniel Espino to make his Major League debut.