Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 3/4/25

ALERT: Roster Nerdery ahead

SCOREBOARD

Cleveland Guardians 8, Los Angeles Angels 1 (Statcast)

RESERVES

Jonah Advincula (LF): 0-1, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K - Advincula scored a run despite going hitless, just as he did in his only previous major league Spring Training game (3/24/24 at the Reds in Goodyear).

Will Wilson (PR-3B): 1-2, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI - Wilson’s seventh-inning RBI double to center went 409 feet, the longest non-home run of the day in the major leagues and good for third, at least in terms of known distances (more on that later), behind a pair of back-to-back Reds blasts from the sixth inning of the day half of their day-night split-squad (a 418-footer by Tyler Stephenson followed a prodigious 465-foot bomb off the bat of former Cleveland prospect Will Benson).

Jake Anchia (PH-DH): 0-1, 1 K - Anchia recorded the first out of the seventh as a pinch hitter for Kyle Manzardo is his only action of Tuesday’s contest.

Yordys Valdes (PR-SS): 1-1, 2 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI - Valdes’ seventh-inning two-run homer topped the Guardians exit velo chart for the day at 107.4 MPH, making it two days in a row with an extra-base hit in the 107s for Yordys (His double on Monday left the bat at an even 107.). Whether it topped the Wilson (whom Valdes drove in) in terms of distance is unknown as it is one of two batted balls that Savant doesn’t have a distance listed for. There are two fun facts related to this performance. First, the only reason he didn’t have the hardest-hit ball of the game was that Angels backup C Juan Flores hit a 108 MPH groundout (at a -11 degree launch angle) in the top of the seventh. Secondly, Valdes pinch ran for starting 1B Carlos Santana in the sixth rather than SS Brayan Rocchio in a rare non-position for position Spring substitution.

Kahlil Watson (PR-CF): 0-1, 1 R, 1 K - Watson scored as a pinch runner for starting CF Lane Thomas as part of the Guardians’ four-run sixth-inning (Guardalanche?), but joined Anchia an inning later as the only Cleveland hitters to strike out against Angels star prospect Caden Dana, who struggled mightily yesterday (7 ER on 5 H and 4 BB in 1.0 IP across two frames - both of which he was pulled from). Dana got both strikeouts by starting with a mid-90s four-seamer, going to mid/high-80s off-speed stuff, and then finishing the at-bat off with another fastball.

Johnathan Rodriguez (RF): 0-0, 1 RBI, 1 BB, 1 SF - Rodriguez was the first substitute to enter the game, replacing a possibly-injured Will Brennan in the fifth inning and went on to have a highly productive day at the plate despite the lack of an official at-bat.

Jacob Cozart (C ): 0-1 - Cozart grounded out to second to end the seventh frame in his only plate appearance of the day. Fun Fact: At one degree, this groundout had the lowest positive launch angle of the game.

RELIEVER

Trenton Denholm: 0.2 IP, perfect, 1 K - Denholm, the only Guardians hurler with intact rookie status to take the mound yesterday, got Cleveland out of the third after starter Gavin Williams began to tire by getting Jo Adell to fly out (the other batted ball with no distance data available) on a 91.5 first-pitch MPH four-seamer above the zone and getting Ryan Noda looking at another 91 MPH fastball down the middle, this one at the bottom of the zone, following an unsuccessful ABS challenge by the Angels first baseman. The fact that an entire game would’ve been pitched by veterans had Williams finished the third underscores the fact that we are getting into the heart of the Spring Training schedule.

DID NOT PLAY (INTERESTING CIRCUMSTANCES)

OF Jorge Burgos - No idea if he actually dressed for this game. He was on the list of available minor league camp guys in the Game Notes, but was not on the Travel Roster (Guards Media Relations calls it that even when the game is at home in Goodyear.).

OF Alfonsin Rosario - Speaking of Game Notes/Travel Roster discrepancies, the man involved in the only other one of the Spring so far (was only on the Travel Roster this past Sunday) was again part of a change of plans as he was listed as the scheduled backup LF on the Travel Roster, but ended up scratched in favor of Advincula.

DID NOT PLAY (MUNDANE CIRCUMSTANCES)

RHP Jack Jasiak
RHP Zane Morehouse
RHP Kyle Scott
C Logun Clark
IF Alex Mooney