Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 7/14-15/25
Bazzana rehabs against Blake Snell, Bieber rehabs in Arizona as well
SCOREBOARD
Louisville Bats 7, Columbus Clippers 2
Richmond Flying Squirrels 7, Akron RubberDucks 2
Lake County Captains 5, West Michigan Whitecaps 2
Lynchburg Hillcats 11, Hickory Crawdads 2
ACL Guardians 3, ACL Padres 1
DSL Royals Fortuna 11, DSL Guardians Mendoza 5
DSL Rockies 7, DSL Guardians Goryl 5 (F/10)
ACL Guardians 12, ACL Dodgers 0
DSL Tampa Bay 7, DSL Guardians Mendoza 2
DSL Pirates Gold 9, DSL Guardians Goryl 6
REHAB
Travis Bazzana (2B, ACL): 0-4 - While Bazzana went hitless on Monday night, the game was a success for him as he played a full nine games at second for the first time in his rehab stint.
George Valera (DH, ACL): 2-4 - Valera is off to a strong start to his rehab stint, going a combined 4-for-7 with a two-run homer. The next step for George is to play a complete game in the field.
Trevor Stephan (RP, Columbus): 0.1IP, 2H, 4ER, 2BB - Things continue to go poorly for Stephan in his rehab and he’s got about two more weeks left to right the ship. He’s still throwing 90-93 and not getting any kind of results. There’s a good chance he has to be optioned to Triple-A based on this.
Shane Bieber (SP, ACL): ND, 2 IP, 1 H, 1 BB, 5 K - Bieber looked like a big leaguer dominating complex ball kids - which he is. A good sign for a guy just starting his rehab stint.
Travis Bazzana (DH, ACL): 1-3, 2 R, 1 2B, 2 BB, 2 K - Bazzana started the offensive half of the game for the A-Guards with a double off of rehabbing Big Dodgers hurler Blake Snell. While this may have been Bazzana’s last game of his rehab stint, it won’t be the last time he gets a hit off of a big league pitcher.
George Valera (starting RF, ACL): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K - Valera not only continued to get closer to a full game in the field, playing seven frames in right, he also continued to rake with his third two-hit game in as many played in his rehab stint.
Alaska Abney (RP, ACL): H (1), 1 IP, 1 H - So far, so good with Abney’s season-opening rehab stint.
Cam Schuelke (RP, ACL): 1 IP, perfect, 1 K - Schuelke has allowed only one earned run across a quintet of one-inning rehab outings. Not bad for a guy expected to be activated only one level higher.
HIGHLIGHTS
Wuilfredo Antunez (RF, Lake County): 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI - I like Antunez and would like to see him in Akron soon. He’s been on a surge. I don’t know if the profile will translate but I want to see it because I think he’s done good enough here now.
Yorman Gomez (SP, Lake County): 5.2IP, 3H, 4BB, 3K - Gomez didn’t have very good control here, but he’s been solid this year and I’m betting he gets moved up to Akron here soon.
Nick Mitchell (CF, Lynchburg): 2-4, 2 RBI, BB, 2 SB - Mitchell continues to do a little bit of everything well at Lynchburg and is in need of a promotion to Lake County.
Welbyn Francsica (DH, Lynchburg): 2-5, 2 RBI, SB - Francsica is no longer hot like he was a few weeks ago and I think he’s going to spend all year in Lynchburg now after I was hoping he’d play well enough to get a bump to High-A, but I was also lower on him coming into the year.
Luis Merejo Jr. (1B, Lynchburg): 2-4, 2 2B, 2 RB, 2 K - I was also hoping we’d see Merejo Jr. in Lake County this year too but he’s struggled. More of these performances would make me feel better about being higher on him coming into the year.
Dauri Fernandez (3B, ACL): 2-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 K, 2 SB - Fernandez’s two-hit, two-steal performance continued an impressive stateside debut season (.331/.391/.523) and an even better July (.379/.387/.552).
Miguel Flores (SP, ACL): W (1-2), 5 IP, 1 H, 2 BB, 3 K - Flores was nearly unstoppable in earning his first domestic individual victory in his first stateside start long enough to be eligible for one, which is unsurprising as a good (and efficient) effort is necessary to last that long in a complex game.
Dauri Fernandez (3B, ACL): 2-4, 3 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - Fernandez now has three multi-hit games in his last five after making two two-hit performances in as many with a pair of round-trippers - including one off of rehabbing LA hurler Blake Treinen.
Joey Oakie (RP, ACL): W (2-3), 4 IP, 4 H, 6 K - After a rough first to months of his professional career (10.71 ERA, 2.00 WHIP, .286 opponents’ batting average), Oakie has been dominant in July (0.75, 0.92, .190 respectively).
Rodny Rosario (3B, Goryl): 3-5, 2 RBI, 1 K - Rosario is on a roll! He has amassed multiple total bases in four of his last five games and five of his last seven after his second three-hit game in as many days.
Ricardo Romero (2B, Goryl): 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB - Romero’s fourth multi-hit game of the month sees him resume normal service after going 1-for-9 across his last two games.
Gustavo Baptista (C, Goryl): 2-5, 2 R, 2 3B, 3 RBI, 1 K, 2 PB - While he didn’t have the greatest day behind the plate, Baptista was dominant at it, tripling his rookie season triples total with a pair of two-baggers that resulted in a trio of RBI.
Wuinder Torres (1B, Goryl): 2-4, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K - Torres joined in on the multiple extra-base hit fun with his second two-double game of the season (other was on June 24 against the Rojos, also at the Guardians complex).
Rodny Rosario (3B, Goryl): 3-5, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB - While he didn’t get any extra-base hits, Rosario led the way in terms of total hits with a trio of hits in his third multi-hit game in his last four.
Jose Marcano (backup LF, Goryl): 2-2, 1 2B, 1 RBI - Marcano extended his hitting streak to eleven games and his season-opening on-base streak to 14 with his third mutli-hit game out of six played this month. This is all even more impressive when you realize he didn't enter the game until the seventh inning.
Alexander Garcia (SP, Goryl): ND, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R (unearned), 1 BB, 3 K - Garcia followed up his first professional five-inning outing a week earlier with another one yesterday, this time doing so without allowing an earned run. His second season in the DSL seems like it might be enough to earn him a ticket stateside for his third pro campaign.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Jhonkensy Noel (RF, Columbus): 1-4, HR, 2K - Noel continues to do Noel thing at Columbus.
Christian Cairo (2B-LF): 2-3, 2B, SB - Nothing too exciting in Cairo’s offensive profile in Triple-A nor do I think it will translate to the majors. There’s defense. But hey, his dad is now the interim Washington Nationals manager.
Kahlil Watson (RF, Akron): 1-4, 3B, 2K - Watson has been up and down this year, starting out hot and then cooling off but still doing something. I wonder how much longer this marriage will last for both sides though despite his youth and tools.
Christian Knapczyk (3B, Lake County): 2-4, K - He got two hits but nothing else so that power surge in May has cooled off even though he’s been hitting OK.
Jaison Chourio (CF, Lake County): 0-2, 2BB, SB - Chourio is passive but worked two walks and stole a base - but we’d like to see him hit more.
Tyler Naquin (RP, Lake County): 0.1IP - Naquin’s second outing in Lake County as a pitcher and he faced one batter, got one out. Not sure why they went that route, but why not.
Robert Arias (CF, ACL): 1-4, 1 SB,1 CS - Arias, who has now reached safely in 14 straight games, stole his 25th base of the season on Monday night, extending his ACL lead and breaking a tie with FCL Cardinals SS Yairo Padilla for the domestic complex ball lead.
Jonathan Martinez (SS, ACL): 1-4, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI - Martinez got the night’s scoring started with an RBI double in the top of the second.
Romer Taveras (RF, Mendoza): 1-5, 2 RBI, 3 K - Taveras has driven in five runs in 15 plate appearances over his last three games.
Luis Galan (2B, Mendoza): 1-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 3 K - Galan’s eighth-inning double, his first of the month, extended his hit streak to five games - a stretch during which he is hitting .400 (8-for-20).
Alejandro Blasco (DH, Mendoza): 0-2, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - Blasco’s career-high trio of walks brought his 2025 K:BB ratio to 9:16 in 72 plate appearances. The 16 walks match his 2024 rookie season total in 135 PAs, including 29 strikeouts.
Hiverson Lopez (C, Mendoza): 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SB - Lopez’s rookie season hasn't gone well at the plate (.550 OPS), but you wouldn’t know it based on Monday's performance.
Randy Martinez (RF, Goryl): 0-3, 2 BB, 2 K, 1 Outfield Assist, 1 E - Martinez, who ended the top of the fourth on a 9-2 fly out/outfield assist double play, improved has a 24:18 K:BB ratio after this two-walk performance.
Reiner Herrera (C, ACL): 1-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 K, 1 SB - Herrera has now reached in eleven straight games a two-run shot in the eighth gave him his third multi-RBI game of the month.
Gabriel Rodriguez (SS, ACL): 1-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - Rodriguez’s first two stateside multi-RBI games have come in his two most recent efforts.
Luis De La Cruz (1B, ACL): 1-2, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 K, 3 SB - De La Cruz is now in the top ten of ACL base stealers (in a massive tie for sixth) with 17 steals after his trio of Tuesday thefts.
Sebastian Cadiz (1B, Mendoza): 2-4, 1 2B, 2 E - While a couple of bad throws marred his day in the field, Cadiz led the way for Mendoza at the plate on Tuesday with his third straight multi-hit game.
Carlos Garces (RF, Mendoza): 1-3, 1 R, 1 3B, 1 RBI, 1 BB - Garces’ RBI triple in the fourth was his third of the season and fifth in two DSL campaigns.
Nomar Velasquez and Marcos Belen (LF and CF, Mendoza): 1 Outfield Assist each - While neither of their offensive statlines were particularly notable, a pair of runners being thrown out at the plate on outfield assists in the same inning (top of the eighth) certainly is.
Angel Abreu (LF, Goryl): 2-4, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 Outfield Assist - Abreu’s active five-game on-base streak includes two-hit games each of the last two days.
Gustavo Baptista (C, Goryl): 2-5, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB - Baptista has also had a two-hit game each of the last two days, extending his career-opening on-base streak to 26 games, 21 of which have seen him draw at least one walk.