Chase DeLauter is our No. 2 Guardians prospect. Who should be No. 3?

The Shenandoah Shellacker has showcased incredible ability when healthy, but can he stay on the field?

After another effective season in 2024, the No. 2 Cleveland Guardians prospect is Chase DeLauter, who pulled in a whopping (70%) of the vote totals, more than 300 votes ahead of second place. This may have been the biggest prospect voting blowout in website history.

DeLauter was the Guardians’ first pick in the 2022 MLB Draft (16th overall) after a spectacular college career at James Madison University and a strong performance in the Cape Cod League.

A nagging foot injury prevented DeLauter from debuting the year he was drafted, and offseason surgery on said foot delayed the start to his 2023 season, but once he started, he never stopped hitting.

DeLauter went absolutely ballistic at High-A Lake County, slashing .366/.403/.549 over 42 games with 18 doubles and four home runs. He eventually earned a late season promotion to Double-A Akron, where he kept on hitting, slashing .364/.464/.409 in a small sample size.

Perhaps most impressive was DeLauter’s performance in 2024 Spring Training, where he went absolutely ballistic, slashing .474/.545/.842 in 11 games with a pair of home runs, calling for some fans to demand he make the team’s opening day roster.

Instead, DeLauter was sent back to Double-A, where he was below average over the season’s first 16 games before getting injured with a left foot sprain. He came back for just one game a month later before sustaining a toe sprain and subsequently being placed on the IL with turf toe.

He finally was activated July 20th and proceeded to dominate, slashing .316/.359/.632 over 16 games with 5 home runs before getting promoted to Triple-A. At Columbus, DeLauter impressed in a small sample size, batting .304/.407/.739 over six games before AGAIN getting injured, this time with a right hamstring strain that ended his season.

DeLauter made up for some lost time with another impressive performance in the Arizona Fall League, slashing .340/.475/.511 over 12 games and has earned an invite to Cleveland’s 2025 Spring Training.

It’s obvious how much of a gamechanger DeLauter can be when he’s healthy, but can he stay on the field? He hit the injured list three separate times in 2024 with three separate lower body injuries. He missed the first half of 2023 with a foot injury and a college foot injury also caused to drop in the 2023 MLB Draft. DeLauter’s health will play a huge role in how effective he’ll be as a future MLB player.

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Juan Brito, SS (Age 23)

2024 (AAA): 652 PA, .256/.365/.443, 21 HR, 13 SB, 13.5 BB%, 16.1 K%, 113 wRC+

A top candidate for the vacant second base job in Cleveland, Brito impressed in a 2024 season spent entirely at Triple-A, where he blasted a career-high 21 home runs.

Jaison Chourio, OF (Age 19)

2024 (A): 432 PA, .269/.414/.398, 5 HR, 11 SB, 19.9 BB%, 16.0 K%, 144 wRC+

The younger brother of top Milwaukee outfielder Jackson Chourio, Jaison represented Cleveland in the 2024 Futures Game and was the Carolina League MVP.

Daniel Espino, RHP (Age 24)

2024: ——

Cleveland’s 2019 first round pick, once compared to Jacob DeGrom and Gerrit Cole, has struggled to stay healthy and has not pitched since 2022 due to shoulder surgeries.

Welbyn Francisca, SS (Age 18)

2024 (AZL): 201 PA, .328/.418/.523, 6 HR, 11 SB, 12.4 BB%, 12.4 K%, 139 wRC+
2024 (A): 132 PA, .325/.402/.402, 1 HR, 8 SB, 10.6 BB%, 20.5 K%, 141 wRC+

A top international signing, Francisca dominated the Arizona Complex League last year in his stateside debut, then didn’t miss a beat in a late season promotion to Lynchburg at age 18.

Angel Genao, SS (Age 20)

2024 (A): 196 PA, .341/.383/.553, 6 HR, 12 SB, 7.1 BB%, 14.3 K%, 166 wRC+
2024 (A+): 300 PA, .322/.377/.463, 4 HR, 13 SB, 8.0 BB%, 16.3 K%, 140 wRC+

Impressed at both Single-A and High-A while actually improving his eye at the plate after being promoted. Had the best offensive season of any Guardians prospect.

Cooper Ingle, C (Age 22)

2024 (A+): 305 PA, .313/.433/.500, 9 HR, 3 SB, 16.7 BB%, 13.1 K%, 170 wRC+
2024 (AA): 103 PA, .281/.379/.416, 2 HR, 4 SB, 13.6 BB%, 15.5 K%, 132 wRC+

Absolutely dominated High-A before impressing at Double-A following a midseason promotion. Walked more than he struck out while developing defensively.

Ralphy Velazquez, 1B (Age 19)

2024 (A) 373 PA, .243/.362/.414, 10 HR, 8 SB, 15.0 BB%, 20.1 K%, 131 wRC+
2024 (A+): 80 PA, .176/.275/.250, 1 HR, 0 SB, 12.5 BB%, 25.0 K%, 54 wRC+

Guardians 2023 1st round pick. Impressed as one of the youngest players at Single-A and represented Cleveland in the 2024 Futures Game, showcasing prodigious power.