Analysts Break Down Cleveland Guardians' Top Prospects

The Cleveland Guardians have plenty of exciting young players in their farm system, some of whom could reach, or get close, to making their MLB debut at some point during the 2026 MLB season.

MLB Pipeline recently released its new top 100 prospect ranking, and the Guardians ended up with six minor leaguers on their list. That’s the most prospects on this ranking since heading into the 2023 season, most in the American League Central, and tied for the second most in all of baseball.

The Guardians' prospects that made it onto the new ranking were Travis Bazzana (No. 20), Chase DeLauter (No. 46), Angel Genao (No. 66), Ralphy Velazquez (No. 89), Parker Messick (No. 95), and Cooper Ingle (No. 99).

Jim Callis, Sam Dykstra, and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com broke down Cleveland’s top prospects as a whole with spring training quickly approaching.

“Only the Mariners (seven) boast more Top 100 Prospects than the Guardians, and most of them should be able to help the defending AL Central champions this year. Bazzana and DeLauter could add some much-needed thump to the lineup, while Genao and Ingle are bat-to-ball guys who provide quality defense up the middle. Velazquez is on the verge of a breakout and could rank as baseball's best first-base prospect by midseason. Messick rode his changeup to a 2.72 ERA in seven starts with Cleveland down the stretch,” wrote the trio of analysts.

Clearly, the analysts like the versatility of Cleveland’s top prospects, with Bazzana and DeLauter representing a power boost to Cleveland’s lineup, and Genao and Ingle being contact-oriented hitters who can play solid defense, too.

The interesting point the analysts note is that Velazquez is a potential candidate to be considered the top first-base prospect in baseball at some point during the 2026 season. That isn’t too outlandish of a take either.

Last week, Velazquez was named the No. 4 first base prospect in baseball after a 2025 season in which he logged a .839 OPS. If the 20-year-old picks up right where he left off in 2026, there's no reason he shouldn’t be in that conversation. 

Based on what the analysts say about Cleveland’s prospects, the Guardians should be extremely high on the next wave of young talent who could be making their way in the big-league lineup as early as this summer. 

Guardians Roundtable also offers a fan community and message board. We’d love to have you join us to talk all things Guardians. Click the “Join” button at the top of the page to join our community for free.