Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 6/10/25

The Triple-A/MLB gap shows the big divide; Jake Miller/Jonah Advincula continue strong play; Best career outing by Joey Oakie

SCOREBOARD

Columbus Clippers 4, Buffalo Bisons 3 - Statcast
Hartford Yard Goats 3, Akron RubberDucks 1
Lake County Captains 3, Dayton Dragons 2
Lynchburg Hillcats 5, Carolina Mudcats 1
ACL Guardians 12, ACL Mariners 4
DSL Padres Gold 14, DSL Guardians Mendoza 8
DSL Guardians Goryl 9, DSL Orioles Orange 3

From Monday 6/9

DSL Guardians Mendoza 11, DSL Dodgers Mega 9
DSL Guardians Goryl 3, DSL Orioles Black 2

REHAB

Erik Sabrowski (RP, Columbus): BS (1), 1 IP, 1 H, 2 R (1 earned), 1 BB, 1 HBP - Not the outing Sabrowski was hoping for, but not totally unforeseeable when facing legit veteran hitters for the first time in a while. Now that Erik’s in Triple-A, we finally have statcast data on him in a non-complex game. He used his fastball and slider almost exclusively. The former sat at 92-93 with the latter at 86-87 - roughly what he averaged in the Show last year. His curve, which he chased a quarter of time last year, was only pulled out for two of his 19 Tuesday pitches - both times in the 79 MPH range, also in line with his 2024 velo. Of note: the double by Bisons starting RF Will Robertson that hung the blown save on sabrowski was not only the hardest-hit ball of the game by a 2.7 MPH margin but also, at 110.1 MPH, the second-hardest hit ball of the night in the International League.

Trevor Stephan (P, ACL): 1IP, 3H, 2ER, 2K - 15 months after Tommy John surgery last March, Stephan stepped back onto the mound for the first time. The results aren’t all that important yet. We’ll wait to hear more about how he felt after the outing and where the velo was to learn the more important pieces.

Jack Leftwich (RP, ACL): IP, BB, K - Leftwich has had a few outings in the ACL as he also rehabs a spring injury. He feels like kind of a forgotten prospect at this point who was interesting just a year ago.

HIGHLIGHTS

Will Wilson (3B, Columbus): 2-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI - Wilson showed the big difference in the gap between MLB/Triple-A, struggling in the majors and dominating in his first game back in Triple-A. He provided nearly all of the Clippers’ scoring on a pair of blasts to left field (357 feet, 94.6 MPH on the second-inning two-run shot and 385 feet, 104 MPH for his game tying solo homer in the seventh).

C.J. Kayfus (1B, Columbus): 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B - Speaking of guys making a case for a spot on the Big club, Kayfus provided the bulk of the remaining offense with his fourth game of 3+ total bases out of eight played so far this month, resulting in a .259 ISO and .481 SLG in June.

Jake Miller (RP, Akron): 2.1 IP, perfect, 5 K - Miller continued a recent run of dominance in an effort that was necessary because of an apparent injury to starter Carter Spivey (more on that below), striking out five of the seven batters faced, all of whom he sent straight back to the Yard Goat dugout. Jake has not allowed a run (earned or otherwise) in his last six outings (twelve combined innings).

Esteban Gonzalez (LF, Lake County): 2-4, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K - Gonzalez now stands alone atop the Captains’ active on-base streak after reaching for the eleventh straight game with this two-hit, two-RBI performance highlighted by a game-tying single in the bottom of the ninth.

Matt Wilkinson (SP, Lake County): ND, 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R (earned), 1 BB, 7 K, 1 HR allowed - After a rough stretch that culminated in him not making it out of the first inning last Tuesday, Tugboat was back to pitching like Tugboat last night with this seven-strikeout effort. Hopefully, this is the start of a turnaround rather than an outlier.

Luis Merejo (1B, Lynchburg): 2-4, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 K, 1 SB - Merejo continued his under-the-radar breakout in a far less subtle way as he extended his nine-game of productive plate appearances in games with multiple plate appearances with a two-hit, three-RBI performance highlighted by a two-run homer in the sixth that solidified the Hillcats’ lead.

Tommy Hawke (LF, Lynchburg): 1-4, 1 R - While not as impressive as Merejo’s night, Hawke’s seventh-inning single continued a stellar June during which he is slashing .385/.452/.500.

Nick Mitchell (CF, Lynchburg): 0-2, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 SB - While Mitchell didn’t get a hit on Tuesday night, he did pretty much everything else one can do offensively in a baseball game, continuing his now-13 game productive plate appearance streak that dates back to his Hillcats debut in May 22.

Rafe Schlesinger (SP, Lynchburg): ND, 4 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 8 K - Schlesinger has also been on a tear in June with his second straight outing of 4+ innings without allowing an earned run seeing him strike out a pro career-high eight batters.

Joey Oakie (P, ACL): 4IP, 2, 2BB, 6K - Easily the best outing of Oakie’s young career. Walks and a lot of hits have both been constant themes so far for him, a good start was needed.

Dauri Fernandez (2B, ACL): 2-4, HR, 2 RBI - Fernandez is one of the most exciting prospects in the ACL this season for Cleveland and across the league. He’s doing very well in all aspects offensively. The switch hitting second baseman is making lots of contact, walking too, and showing power as an 18 year old all year. Someone to keep watching.

Juneiker Caceres (RF, ACL): 2-4, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, BB - Caceres is doing ALL of the same things Fernandez is doing - but he’s walking MORE than he strikes out, and he’s 17 all year. He’s also got a bit of a better build.

Yeiferth Castillo (LF, ACL): 2-3, HR, 3 RBI - Another international prospect who is making contact, but not walking and not showing as much power, but homered here. Smaller build and still will be 18 all year.

Carlos Garces (CF, DSL Mendoza): 3-4, 2B, RBI, SB, BB - The 18 year old is listed as an infielder but played center here and had himself a box score stuffing game.

Angel Abreu (CF, DSL Goryl): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI - The 16 year old shortstop has been solid in the brief DSL season so far

From Monday 6/9

Jose Riera (SS, DSL Mendoza): 2-3, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 HBP - Riera continued his hot start to his professional career on Monday with his fourth two-hit game out of five played, with the other being a two-walk effort. The result of all that is a .421/.577/.737 slash line.

Robert Alvarez (1B, DSL Mendoza): 2-4, 1 R, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 1 K - Alvarez opened his professional RBI account in his second pro game (and first since last Monday’s opener) with a two-run single that capped a four-run second for the Mendoza squad.

Nomar Velasquez (RF, DSL Mendoza): 1-3, 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 1 K, 1 SB, 1 Outfield Assist - 2025 is Velasquez’s last chance to earn a spot on a stateside as he is in his fourth season in the DS: (the most allowed by the MiLB roster rules) and he is making the most of the opportunity, opening the campaign on three-game hit, walk, RBI, and multi-run streaks.

Heins Brito (SS, DSL Goryl): 4-5, 1 R, 3 SB - Brito’s first professional multi-hit game was a doozy, with Heins accounting for nearly half of the Goryl team’s nine hits and stealing his first three professional bases.

Rodny Rosario (3B, DSL Goryl): 2-4, 1 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI, 1 BB - Rosario extended his career-opening on-base streak to five games with his first multi-hit game, consisting of a pair of doubles that were the only extra-base hits that either Guardians DSL affiliate would get on Monday.

Alexander Garcia (SP, DSL Goryl): ND, 4 IP, 1 H, 3 BB, 6 K - While he is yet to throw enough innings to be eligible for an individual victory in his pro career, Garcia is certainly delivering winning performances to start his sophomore season in the DSL, improving on his two-run, one-hit, one-walk, eight-strikeout Opening Day start with this scoreless gem. Furthermore, he has pitched a full four frames in both outings, a milestone he reached only once in eleven 2024 outings (admittedly, only two of those were starts).

Hector Castillo (RP, DSL Goryl): W (2-0), 3 IP, 4 H, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 1 WP, 4 K - Castillo kept the mound dominance going through the seventh with the third scoreless outing of his second DSL campaign. Through seven combined innings, Hector has allowed only five hits, two walks, and a hit batter while striking out eight.

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES

Chase DeLauter (LF, Columbus): 0-1, 3 BB - Delauter reached multiple times for the third straight game, following up his three-hit series finale on Sunday with a three-walk lid lifter to this week’s Buffalo roadtrip.

Kody Huff (C, Columbus): 1-4, 1 RBI, 1 K - Huff’s only hit of the night was the softest hit ball of the night, a 31.3 MPH bunt single that traveled a grand total of five feet. Its impact, however, was LOUD as the ninth-inning squeeze play drove in Kayfus for the go-ahead and ultimately game-winning run.

Jhonkensy Noel (RF, Columbus): 1-4 - Speaking of LOUD, Big Christmas topped the Clip Show’s exit velo list in his return to the Columbus club with a 107.4 MPH second-inning groundout and a 104.6 MPH single two frames later.

Aaron Davenport (SP, Columbus): ND, 5 IP, 3 H, 1 R (earned), 3 BB, 1 WP, 2 K - Despite some continued control issues, davenport made it two one-run outing in as many starts in the month of June, showing that he is finally settling in at Triple-A after a rough couple of late-may efforts opened his Clipper tenure on a rocky note. Statcast note: While Aaron only managed six whiffs, he got Buffalo hitters to look at 13 strikes, almost evenly divided between his four pitches (four on the four-seamer while his cutter, slider, and curve got three called strikes each).

Matt Krook (RP, Columbus): W (1-0), 2 IP, 1 BB, 4 K - Despite a lack of raw speed (no fastballs and only one pitch over 90 MPH out of 33 total), Krook kept the Bisons off balance to the tune of ten whiffs as he continued a dominant start to his time in the Guards org (A home run, a hit batter, and three walks are his only blemishes in five combined frames of nine-strikeout baseball.). While a 30-year old journeyman junkballer may not seem like the type of guy the Big Club would call on for depth, performances like this seem to advise to never say never. I mean, he is on the 40-Man.

Nick Mikolajchak (RP, Columbus): S (4), 1 IP, perfect, 1 K - Mikolajchak used three wildly different pitches (93.3 MPH four-seamer, 85.2 MPH slider, and 88.5 MPH cutter) to get Bison SS and number nine hitter Josh Rivera to look at three straight in the zone - although the slider required a challenge to get called correctly - to end the game and earn Nick his third save in his last eight outings.

Alex Mooney (2B, Akron): 2-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K - Mooney’s first run since May 31 proved to be the only one the Mallards of Main Street would score in Tuesday’s series opener in Hartford.

Cooper Ingle (C, Akron): 2-4, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 CS, 1 E - Ingle continued a feast-or-famine June with his second multi-hit effort of the month (the other six all being hitless).

Guy Lipscomb (DH, Akron): 2-4 - Lipscomb compiled multiple total bases for the third time this month and fourth time in his last seven games to round out the trio of two-hit performances from the nine hole.

Joe Lampe (LF, Akron): 1-4, 2 K - Lampe joins Lipscomb with the longest active hitting streak by a RubberDuck…at two games. His team-leading on-base streak is significantly more impressive at ten contests.

Khalil Watson (RF, Akron): 0-2, 2 BB, 1 K - Watson reached multiple times for the fourth time in his last six games with his second two-walk game of that stretch.

Carter Spivey (SP, Akron): ND, 2.2 IP, 3 H, 1 BB, 2 K - Spivey was continuing the positive momentum from his one-run start last Wednesday in Akron until his start came to a crashing halt in the third as what appears to be right shoulder discomfort forced him out of the game after allowing runners to reach the corners.

Jonah Advincula (DH, Lake County): 1-3, 1 RBI, 1 BB - While he didn’t reach thrice like he did in his last three games, Advincula did extend his streak of reaching multiple times to seven games with the second trip to the basepaths being a gloriously short one following a walkoff single to center that scored RF Alfonsin Rosario for the winning run.

Jaison Chourio (CF, Lake County): 0-2, 1 R, 2 BB, 1 CS - Chourio’s second straight two-walk game extended his walk streak to five games stretching back to his rehab stint in Goodyear.

Adam Tulloch (RP, Lake County): 1.1 IP, 2 H, 1 K - Tulloch kept up his usual dominance (1 ER in 16.2 combined IP going back to April 24) with his third scoreless outing of the month (five combined frames).

Jeffrey Mercedes (DH, Lynchburg): 2-4, 1 2B, 1 K - Mercedes has been a major benefit to the Hillcat offense with at least one productive plate appearance in each of his last 18 games with multiple PAs.

Bennett Thompson (C, Lynchburg): 2-4, 1 RBI, Picked Off 1 time - Thompson has been similarly reliable in reaching base, doing so in each of his last eleven games.

Welbyn Francisca (SS, Lynchburg): 2-4, 1 RBI, 2 CS - Francisca’s two-hit Tuesday saw him continue a stellar June (.379/.438/.517) by reaching safely multiple times for the fourth straight contest.

Robert Arias (CF, ACL): 1-3, 2 BB - 18 year old Arias is kind of a big name in the complex league circuit and on the Guardians prospect lists. He’s walking a lot more than he strikes out and is showing some pop, but the swing is a little odd, generates a lot of grounders. There is good size here for Arias that could keep growing.

Ricardo Romero (2B, DSL Goryl): 3-5, 2B - A 17 year old infielder, Romero has solid numbers, for what that is worth in the DSL (not much) to start the young year and career.

Jose Marcano (DH, DSL Goryl): 2-4, 3B, 3 RBI - Marcano is 19 and starting his third year in the DSL, not a great sign despite a good game here.

Edelvis Perez (SP, DSL Goryl): 4IP, 2H, ER, BB, 6K - Perez has good size but is 20 and before this and walked four with one strikeout in his first outing of the year. This is his second year in the DSL.

From Monday

Luis Garcia (2B, DSL Mendoza): 0-1, 2 R, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 1 SB - How did Mendoza score eleven runs without a single extra-base hit? The answer was free passes. A lot of them. Fourteen walks and four hit batters, to be precise. Garcia reached base safely a rookie season-best four times by picking up the lion’s share of the bases on balls - continuing a career-opening five-game walk streak.

Marcos Belen (CF, DSL Mendoza): 1-3, 1 R, 1 RBI, 3 BB, 1 SB, 2 CS - Belen joined his fellow rookie in loading up on bad pitches, with his second three-walk game in his last three played bringing his season/career total to an even ten.

Victor De Jesus (RP, DSL Mendoza): S (1), 1.1 IP, 1 BB, 1 WP, 3 K - De Jesus rebounded from a rough pro debut to pick up his first DSL save in a solid second outing.