The Cleveland Guardians select Ralphy Velazquez, Alex Clemmey, and Andrew Walters during the first night of the 2023 MLB Draft.
Day One of the 2023 MLB Draft is officially in the books and the Cleveland Guardians had an opportunity to add a handful of highly-ranked prospects to their farm systems.
Ralphy Velazquez - C - 23rd Ovall Pick
The Guardians made a statement in the first round by drafting Ralphy Velazquez with their first pick of the night. Ralphy is listed as a catcher but can also play first base and third as well.
His power is the main part of his game that stands out right now. Velazquez played in the National Spring Invitational last spring and hit .402 with six home runs.
Senior VP of scouting for the Guardians, Paul Gillispie, also praised him for his leadership ability which is always a great quality to have.
Alex Clemmey - LHP - 58th Overall Pick
Cleveland turned their attention to pitching after selecting Velazquez. Their next pick of the night was left-handed pitcher Alex Clemmey out of Bishop Hendricken High School in Rhode Island.
Clemmey made 10 starts last season and had an ERA of 0.42 while striking out 105 batters.
Clemmey's fastball is already reaching 98-99 mph which sets up his next pitches nicely. His two breaking ball pitches, slurve and change up, have a high swing-and-miss rate which could translate nicely to MLB.
Andrew Walters - RHP - 62nd Overall Pick
The Guardians stuck with the pitching theme with their next selection of the draft and selected right-hander Andrew Walters from the University Of Miami.
Walters was a relief pitcher for the Hurricanes and ended his Junior season with a 4-0 record and 12 saves. He finished the season with a 1.21 ERA over 44.2 innings pitched.
He's another pitcher Cleveland drafted that already has hit fastball hitting 99 mph. Walters has also been able to demonstrate command of this velocity by walking less than 2 batters per inning.
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Photo Credit © Eric Rueb/The Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK
