Cleveland Guardians Prospect Report 9/6/24
Triple-A - Columbus Clippers 10, Durham Bulls 7
Double-A - Richmond Flying Squirrels 7, Akron RubberDucks 5
High-A - Lake County Captains 4, Peoria Chiefs 3 (F/11)
Single-A - Lynchburg Hillcats 9, Fredericksburg Nationals 5
REHAB
James Karinchak (RP, Columbus): 1 IP, 1 BB, 1 K - Karinchak was solid in his 2024 competitive debut. While his pitch usage leaned more heavily of the four-seam fastball than his curveball (65/35 in favor of the four-seamer compared to a 56/44 average last season), both of his whiff and both of his called strikes unsurprisingly came on the curve (which had a whiff % of just under 40% last season compared to just under 25% for the fastball). Both pitches were slightly off of their 2023 speed (92 on the FB and 82 on the CB compared to 95 and 83 last season), but that’s to be expected given that he hadn’t pitched in a real game in 342 days. While a return this season is unlikely, this was the start of a good case to pitch somewhere in 2025.
HIGHLIGHTS
Johnathan Rodriguez (LF, Columbus): 2-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 1 SF, 1 K, 1 CS - J-Rod provided he largest share of run creation in Friday night’s rain-delayed slugfest at the Corner of Neil and Nationwide, driving in a quartet of runs (bringing his season total to 83) - most of them coming on a three-run home run to center field (398 feet, 100.9 MPH exit velo) that gave the Clippers the lead for good.
Juan Brito (1B, Columbus): 3-5, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI, 2 K - Brito was right behind Rodriguez in the run creation department on Friday, driving in a trio on a pair of extra-base hits, reaching the 35-double and twenty-homer (the eighth-inning round-ripper went 406 feet after leaving his bat at 104.1 MPH) marks for the season in the process. This wasn’t a one-off performance, either, as he extended his on-base streak to twelve games.
Angel Martinez (2B, Columbus): 4-5, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 RBI - Speaking of hitting consistency, both last night and generally, Martinez got his on-base streak into double-digits with a four-hit Friday that included a pair of doubles.
Ryan Cesarini (RF, Lynchburg): 3-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI,1 K - Cesarini continued his professional career-opening on-base streak in grand fashion on Friday night, extending it to eleven contests by coming within a homer of the cycle. While missing the cycle by a homer instead of a triple may seem unusual, it really isn't for Ryan, who has four three-baggers in only 40 official pro at-bats so far.
Welbyn Francisca (SS, Lynchburg): 3-6, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K, 1 SB, 2 E - Francisca also continued a meteoric start to his time as a Hillcat on Friday, with his own three-hit effort pushing his Single-A OPS solidly back into the .800s (.820). His fifth-inning fielding error proved to be costly, however, as it allowed a pair of unearned runs to score.
Manuel Mejias (1B, Lynchburg): 3-5, 2 RBI, 1 K - Mejias’ recent form can be described as feast-or-famine, but the feasts have been magnificent, with both of his last two multi-hit efforts being of the three-hit variety.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
Gabriel Arias (DH, Columbus): 2-4, 2 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K - All Arias did last night was hit, both in the sense of not playing in the field as well as in terms of consistently hitting the ball hard - and I mean HARD - his third-inning solo shot left his bat at 108.8 MPH and traveled 419 feet! Yeah, that one can't be attributed to Huntington Park’s coziness.
George Valera (RF, Columbus): 0-3, 1 R, 1 BB, 1 K - Valera’s third-inning walk brought his team-leading on-base streak to 15 games.
Ray Delgado (3B, Columbus): 1-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI - Delgado reached twice to round out the quartet of double-digit on-base streaks (14 games).
C.J. Kayfus (1B, Akron): 2-5, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 K - Kayfus got the RubberDucks’ scoring started with an RBI double that extended his organization-leading RBI total to 89 (52 of them with the Mallards of Main Street - good for a tie for 19th in the Eastern league despite not being called up to Double-A until June 3).
Jorge Burgos (RF, Akron): 1-5, 1 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 2 K - Burgos followed later in the opening frame with a prodigious two-run blast to center (433 feet, 109 MPH) that was the high point of a stellar start to Friday night’s contest.
Kody Huff (C, Akron): 1-4 - Huff extended his team leading on-base and hit streaks to twelve and five games, respectively, with a first-inning single.
Wuilfredo Antunez (RF, Lake County): 2-6, 1 R, 1 SB - After five games without a multi-hit performance, Antunez returned to the form he showed when he was first called up last month with his sixth two-hit outing in 15 games as a Captain.
Esteban Gonzalez (CF, Lake County): 2-5,1 R,1 RBI, 2 K - Gonzalez was the only Captain last night to both score and drive in a run without doing so on a home run, driving in the team’s second tally and scoring the eventual winning run in the top of the eleventh.
Jacob Cozart (C, Lake County): 2-4, 1 2B, 1 BB - Cozart reached thrice on Friday night, including on the Eastlake nine’s only double of the evening.
Jonah Advincula (LF, Lake County): 2-6, 1 RBI, 3 K - While Advincula’s regulation effort was marred by a hat trick, he made up for it in the eleventh by driving in extra runner Gonzalez for the aforementioned go-ahead run.
Jake Fox (2B, Lake County): 1-6, 1 R, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 K, 1 E - Fox’s fifth-inning solo shot to right proved to be the run that sent the game to extras.
Alex Mooney (SS, Lake County): 1-5, 1 BB, 1 K, 1 SB - Mooney stole his 43rd base of the season last night, equaling the number Homer Bush Jr. stole for the TinCaps before being traded to the Rays (whose High-A affiliate, the Bowling Green Hot Rods, plays in the south Atlantic League) at the trade deadline, earning him a share of second in the Midwest League.
Dylan DeLucia (SP, Lake County): ND, 3.2 IP< 6 H, 1 R (earned), 1 BB,1 BK, 5 K - Even in his second-shortest High-A outing (only the second time he hasn’t made it at least four full frames in eight appearances as a Captain), DeLucia keep racking up the strikeouts, getting nearly half of his outs via punchouts. His rookie season K/9 now stands at 9.49 with his Lake County number slightly better at 9.84.
Barrett Riebock (LF, Lynchburg): 2-4, 2 R, 2 RBI, 1 SF - Riebock’s first multi-hit game, first multi-run game, and multi-RBI game in non-complex ball all came in one fell swoop last night. It was also the first time he posted crooked numbers in all three columns of the same boxscore as a professional, whether at a complex or not.
Juan Benjamin (DH, Lynchburg): 2-5, 1 R, 1 K, 1 SB - Even Benjamin, who has struggled at the plate recently, got in on Friday’s offensive outburst.
Jogly Garcia (SP, Lynchburg): ND, 4 IP, 3 H, 2 R (both earned), 2 BB, 9 K - Garcia’s nine strikeouts are a new non-complex high for him and tied his career-high, achieved in five innings for the ACL Guardians on May 11 against the A-Cubs in Goodyear.
Jervis Alfaro (RP, Lynchburg): W (2-0), 3 IP, 4 H, 2 R (both unearned), 5 K - Alfaro’s first two non-complex individual victories have come in his two September outings, which are part of an impressive three-game stretch during which he has allowed only two earned runs in 11.1 frames.