MLB

Ralphy Velazquez is our No. 1 prospect. 4 Guardians. Who should be Number 5?

ballervisions 2026年1月20日

The people have spoken and Ralphy Velazquez is our No. 1 prospect. 4 Guardians. Velazquez won with 84.4% of the votes despite competing against six other candidates. He moves up five spots from No. 9 last year (and 9 in 2024).

Velazquez was Cleveland’s first round draft pick in 2023, selected No. 23 overall out of Huntington Beach High School. Originally drafted as a catcher, it didn’t take long for Velazquez to convert to a first baseman. His batting was what mattered though, and he has hit every level he has played.

Velazquez made his pro debut in the Arizona Complex League the year he was drafted, hitting two home runs in six games while sporting an impressive 153 wRC+.

In his first full season in Cleveland’s system, Velazquez debuted at Single-A Lynchburg, where he hit 10 home runs while slashing .243/.362.414 with a 131 wRC+ over 82 games, good enough to earn an invitation to represent Cleveland in the Futures Game. While there, he put on a great showing in the home run derby and wowed scouts with his exit velocity. He finished the season with 19 games at High-A Lake County.

The strong prospect got off to a slow start to the 2024 season, starting in Lake County. After a rough first two months where he put up a brutal .212 BABIP, even though all of his other basic data said otherwise. He bounced back from his unfortunate streak with an incredible two and a half months, hitting .287/.357/.522 with 10 home runs and a 143 wRC+. This earned him a promotion to Double-A Akron, where he had his best Double-A game in recent memory, collecting 12 hits in 22 at bats with four home runs, two doubles and four walks, earning Eastern League player of the week honors. In his 28 games at Akron, he slashed .330/.405/.589, posting a career-best 188 wRC+.

Velazquez has a unique combination of strength, athleticism, endurance and coordination. With the improvements in his physical ability made in the last few years, he was able to withstand a full season of baseball in 2025, doing even better in his last month of the season.

Now, it’s time to decide who is the fifth in the full guardian farm system! Your options are below:

Jaison Chourio, WA (20 years)
2025 (CPX) 27 PA, .261/.370/.304, 0 HR, 1 SB, 14.8 BB%, 37.0 K%, 95 wRC+
2025 (A+): 353 PA, .235/.380/.284, 2 HR, 9 SB, 18.7 BB%, 21.8 K%, 103 wRC+

Chourio would have been Cleveland’s top player after a strong 2024, but he was sidelined in 2025 with a nagging shoulder injury and had a mediocre season. He is looking to return in 2026.

Braylon Doughty, RHP (20 years)
2025 (A): 22 GS, 85.1 IP, 3.48 ERA, 2.84 FIP, 27.3%, 6.4%, 1.25 WHIP

Cleveland’s first draft pick in the 2024 round, Doughty played a full season of ball and put up solid numbers in his 19-year-old season in Single-A, showing elite control.

Angel Genao, SS (21 Years)
2025 (CPX) 32 PA, .308/.438/.654, 3 HR, 0 SB, 18.8 BB%, 12.5 K%, 177 wRC+
2025 (AA): 341 PA, .259/.323/.359, 2 HR, 6 SB, 8.5 BB%, 15.8 K%, 103 wRC+

He had a regular season in 2025 after missing the first two months with a shoulder injury, which may have weakened him after returning in June.

Cooper Ingle, C (Age 23)
2025 (AA) 403 PA, .273/.391/.443, 9 HR, 0 SB, 16.1 BB%, 17.4 K%, 148 wRC+
2025 (AAA) 107 PA, .207/.383/.329, 1 HR, 0 SB, 19.6 BB%, 16.7K%, 105 wRC+

Ingle has shown excellent offensive instincts for the catcher. Will his defense and power be enough to earn him a chance in Cleveland this year?

Jace LaViolette, WA (Age 22)
2025 (NCAA) 262 PA, .258/.427/.576, 18 HR, 7 SB, 21.8 BB%, 25.2K%, 120 wRC+

Cleveland’s first-round pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, the 6-foot-6 LaViolette is quickly becoming one of the top power hitting prospects in the program. However, hitting and communication has been a problem.

Alfonsin Rosario, WA (21 years old)
2025 (A+) 354 PA, .268/.362/.490, 16 HR, 12 SB, 10.8 BB%, 25.1 K%, 139 wRC+
2025 (AA): 145 PA, .211/.303/.391, 5 HR, 2 SB, 10.3 BB%, 33.1 K%, 105 wRC+

One of Cleveland’s most impressive hitters in its minor league program when he was 20 years old at High-A Lake County. Rosario has a unique combination of speed and power, but he will need to overcome his hitting.

Khal Stephen, RHP (23 years old)
w/ TOR 2025 (A) 7 GS, 39.1 IP, 2.06 ERA, 1.97 FIP, 31.4 K%, 4.6 BB%, 0.92 WHIP
w/ TOR 2025 (A+): 9 GS, 48.1 IP, 1.49 ERA, 2.70 FIP, 26.6 K%, 5.4 BB%, 0.85 WHIP
w/ TOR 2025 (AA): 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 6.35 ERA, 1.88 FIP, 11.1 K%, 5.6 BB%, 1.68 WHIP
2025 (AA): 4 GS, 11.1 IP, 9.00 ERA, 9.54 FIP, 21.9 K%, 3.9 BB%, 1.50 WHIP

Acquired from Toronto in the Shane Bieber trade, Stephen bounced around the minor league system in 2025 before hitting a wall in Double-A. He quickly became one of Cleveland’s top prospects.

NOTE ON POLL: We’ve moved to Google Forms Surveys in an effort to eliminate poll spam. Please vote below. Voting will close at 11:59PM ET

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