Mid Season Guardians Top 10 Prospects Update

The farm is loaded

The Mid Season prospect updates can be very tricky. You don’t want to overreact too much to 3 months of baseball but you also cannot ignore it. Trying to find that balance isn’t easy, and not everyone is going to agree, and that is perfectly fine.

1. OF Chase DeLauter-

This was a really tough decision, only due to the frequency in which DeLauter is injured. In terms of ability on the field, he is head and shoulders above the rest of the Guardians prospects, in my opinion. He is a truly special player that has zero holes in his game. He hits for contact, power, runs well, and plays good defense in the outfield. I truly believe that Chase DeLauter is the best Guardians hitting prospect since Francisco Lindor.

2. SS Angel Genao-

I believe that Chase DeLauter is the best position player prospect since Lindor, well I also believe that Angel Genao is the best middle infield prospect the Guardians have had since Lindor. I have so much more faith in his ability to hit than I ever did with any of Rocchio, Arias, Martinez, Freeman, or Tena. He doesn’t have gaudy power numbers, but he definitely hits the ball hard consistently. He likely won’t be the defender that Arias is, and may not make the flashy plays that Rocchio does, but he is certainly capable of playing an above average shortstop.

3. 2B Travis Bazzana–

The Guardians first overall pick was having a solid season and really started to look like himself in AA right before he got an oblique injury that has sidelined him for the last 2 months. Bazzana hasn’t quite been the guy that I expected up to this point, specifically from a hit tool perspective. I think he has been caught in between a good bit and has had trouble squaring up pitches when he does take his A swing. He’s also struggled against breaking balls a good bit. That being said, the production has still been good, with a 138 WRC+ in AA and some clear room for improvement. The raw power is also real, even with a wooden bat, as he has exit velocities up to 110 mph this season, and the plate discipline remains ELITE. Bazzana should be back in AA this weekend and I can’t wait to see the adjustments he has made.

4. C Cooper Ingle-

The Guardians catcher of the future has had an incredible season at AA Akron. Ingle has been one of the best hitters in all of minor league baseball, and the power is really starting to come along. He’s never going to be a guy that hits 30 HRs, but I think a .250-.260 hitter with 15-20 HRs is a real possibility for Ingle long term. Pair that with average defense and we’re looking at a potential top 5-10 catcher in the league. I think Ingle is a clear top 100 prospect in baseball, and should be MLB ready next season.

5. 1B/OF CJ Kayfus-

CJ Kayfus continues to be one of the best hitters in all of minor league baseball. All he has done is rake at every level. His WRC+ of 158 this season puts him right behind Cooper Ingle at 160 for best in the organization among qualified hitters. The exit velocities won’t blow you away, but Kayfus has the ability to consistently barrel up the baseball. There are definitely red flags, the contact and chase rates in AAA are not great, but it’s impossible to ignore the production. I’m hoping he gets the call in the next couple weeks, he has clearly earned it.

6. RHP Braylon Doughty-

We knew Braylon Doughty was talented, but the amount of polish he has for a 19 year old pitcher is something you simply don’t see very often. Among pitchers in the Carolina League with 60 innings pitched, Doughty ranks 2nd in xFIP, 4th in FIP, 4th in K/9, 6th in K%, 6th in K-BB%, and 9th in total BB%. In other words, Doughty has been one of the best pitchers in the Carolina League as a 19 year old, with the overwhelming majority of pitchers on these lists being 22 and 23 years old. He is a prospect certainly worth being excited for, and I’m hoping they let him get a taste of High-A before the season ends.

7. OF Jaison Chourio-

It has been a really tough season for Chourio, and most of it has just been due to bad luck. He has not been able to stay on the field due to injuries, and when he has played, it hasn’t been great. The ability to control the strike zone is still super advanced, especially for his age, but he just doesn’t appear to be impacting the ball. He’s hitting just .194 with a putrid .233 slugging percentage in High-A this season. With questions about his power coming into this season, he hasn’t been able to answer them, partly due to his injuries. I still believe in Chourio but it is tough to put him ahead of the other guys on this list at this point.

8. OF Kahlil Watson-

This breakout from Kahlil Watson has probably been the most fun and exciting part of this minor league season. The kid is just oozing with talent and he has really shown it this season. The contact and strikeout numbers, while still concerning, are better this season, but the main difference for him has been hitting a lot more line drives and a lot less flyballs. He is still on pace to match his HR total from last season, but he’s already nearly matched his total of 15 doubles last season, with 13 this season. After hitting .220 with a 107 WRC+ in AA last season, he’s hitting .255 with a 141 WRC+ this season. He definitely needs promoted to AAA, and I can’t wait to see the statcast data for him when he does. If Watson continues to play like this, we could potentially be looking at our CF of the future.

9. OF Alfonsin Rosario-

Rosario and Watson, two power hitters with contact issues acquired by trade, have arguably been the two most exciting players in the organization this year. Rosario was acquired from the Cubs for Eli Morgan last winter, and the Guardians look like absolute geniuses. Rosario has cut his K% rate down from 32.2% last season to 24.2% this season. He is also hitting .275 compared to hitting just .230 last season. Have the Guardians figured out a way to help out these big power hitters with contact issues? Or have they just gotten lucky with guys like Rosario and Watson? Regardless, Rosario is an incredibly fun prospect, he has immense power and well above average speed. He already has 14 HRs this season in just 289 plate appearances and just turned 21 years old a couple of weeks ago. He is a prime candidate to be promoted, and I’m excited to see how he fares against AA pitching.

10. OF Jace Laviolette-

The Guardians first round pick this year was quite polarizing. They selected Laviolette who, coming into 2025 was the consensus first overall pick by multiple websites. He then had some regression in 2025, seeing his batting average come down and his K% go up, which is why he was available to the Guardians at pick 27, rather than going top 5, or first overall, as he was projected before this season. In Laviolette, we are getting a player with enormous power, he instantly becomes one of the most powerful hitters in the entire organization. He is also a very impressive athlete for his size, as he played CF in college. While he will likely end up as a corner OF, I don’t think it’s impossible for him to stick in CF, especially for an organization that doesn’t seem to currently value CF defense all that much. The big downside to Laviolette and what makes him a huge risk, is his propensity to swing and miss at pitches in the zone. He is going to swing and miss and strike out a lot, but the good news is that he does not chase at pitches that are outside the zone. He makes excellent swing decisions and does not expand the strike zone, instead he looks to do damage on pitches that are inside the strike zone. While it is a very risky pick, if it all works out for Laviolette, and they are able to help him like they have helped other guys with contact issues like Watson and Rosario, he has true superstar upside, which makes it an incredibly exciting pick.