The Cleveland Guardians had two of their top prospects hit home runs, despite their loss to the Seattle Mariners.
A lot happens in a short amount of time in spring training games. Every game comes with its own set of always mid-game substitutions, pitching changes, now ABS challenges, and everything in between.
The Cleveland Guardians’ loss to the Seattle Mariners, 8-7, on Thursday was no exception. Despite all of the chaos, two of Cleveland’s prospects managed to stand out for the Guardians: Juan Brito and Petey Halpin.
Brito has a shot to be on Cleveland’s Opening Day roster or make his big-league debut shortly after the season begins. In many ways, the Guardians are hoping his bat can provide a boost for a lineup that desperately needs it.
With all that pressure on him, Brito’s been off to a slow start, logging just one hit heading into
Then, in the fourth inning, Brito slugged a ball deep to right-center field for a three-run homer. The ball came off the bat at 101.1 mph and traveled 415 feet. That’s exactly the type of pop Cleveland is hoping Brito can bring to the MLB roster at some point in 2026.
Britio ended up going 1-for-2 at the plate, with this homer and a pop-out.
That wasn’t the only home run that the Guardians hit against the Mariners, though, with the other coming from another promising young prospect.
Feb 26, 2026; Peoria, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Juan Brito (74) bats against the Seattle Mariners in the second inning at Peoria Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-Imagn ImagesJust days after Stephen Vogt talked about Halpin making some swing changes, he got into a ball and crushed a homer with an exit velocity of 102.2 mph in the seventh inning. Halpin also knocked a solid line drive base hit in his second at-bat.
After the game, in regard to Brito and Halpin getting some success, Vogt said, “it releases the pressure valve…you get a result, and you get your first home run of the year.”
Overall, Cleveland’s skipper feels that his team has been putting up solid at-bats, and with that, the results will come. That’s exactly what the Guardians are seeing with Britio and Halpin right now.
Cleveland is going to be heavily relying on its youth in 2026, and both of these prospects are players who could, and in some ways are likely, to get some playing time at some point throughout the year. There’s still a long way to go in spring training, but it was nice to
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