2025 Cleveland Guardians Prospect Scouting Report: #33 RHP Magnus Ellerts

Is Magnus Ellerts the Guardians next big relief prospect?

Mar 20, 2025

Age (2025 season): 24
Acquired: 2022 Draft (Round 11)
2024 Level: Double-A
Height: 6’5
Weight: 225
Throws: Right

2025 Scouting Grades

Fastball: 55
Slider: 50
Cutter: 55
Command: 40
Overall: 35
Risk: High
ETA: 2026

First impression

Big, strong reliever. Well built throughout. Have seen some refer to him as Thor-like. Formerly a lot of moving parts in the delivery, slightly quieter now as a reliever. High 3/4 delivery. Extends well in delivery with longer limbs.

What Makes Ellerts Fun

Ellerts does not lack strikeout stuff. He’s raised his velo floor a little and should have the size and strength to sustain it. There’s a big fastball there in the mid-to-upper 90s and a cutter that bridges his fastball and slider well, with good velocity to it. Hs a more vertically shaped slider that looks a bit slurvy with tight late vertical drop. But he throws it at a velocity near enough his cutter that it works. Cleveland was not afraid to use him in mutli inning outings in 2024 (13 times he got more than three outs). Delivery has improved since getting into pro ball.

What Could Hold Ellerts Back

Control, control. There’s some James Karinchak package here where the stuff is swing and miss quality (without any scratching the inside of your hair or ballgap between pitches) that comes with occasional wildness and wild pitches. Cleveland has already worked to tone down Ellerts’ delivery from his JUCO days where he had a lot of moving parts and a head whack in his delivery. It’s better, but control is still an issue. Ellerts has a bit of a leg kick in his stretch so holding runners will need to also be a point of focus.

Key Metric

49.7% - Ellerts did not excel at throwing first pitch strikes in 2024. In the majors in 2024, Ellerts’ 49.7% first pitch strike rate would have been second worst among all qualified relievers in baseball. Strike one is pretty important. Craig Kimbrel, who was a disaster in 2024 that might have been the end of a great career threw first pitch strikes at a 54.3% clip, 5th worst in the majors.

Intangibles

Ellerts appears to be a pretty energetic reliever on the mound, and appears to be able to channel a lot of emotion and fire well and showing it after a big out. Bulldog type mentality that would work well in the later ends of a game.

Future

After starting back at High-A in 2024, Ellerts advanced to Akron and continued his strong season there. There’s plenty of stuff here that could be the makings of a setup leverage type reliever. Control should be just about the only hurdle. He’ll likely return to Akron to start 2025 but should be pitching in Columbus in the second half if all goes well. Cleveland shouldn’t need him in 2025, but he’s Rule 5 eligible this coming winter and will either make the 40 if healthy or becomes a very attractive reliever in that arena. Wouldn’t be a shock to see him as a trade asset either in the realm of a JP Feyereisen or Ben Heller.

Role/Risk

40/High - Back of the bullpen stuff with below average command.