Austin Peterson is our No. 12 Guardians Prospect. Who should be No. 13?

Peterson came out of nowhere to lead all qualified MiLB starting pitchers in WHIP in 2024.

Austin Peterson is our No. 12 prospect, earning 26% of the vote in a three-person race, making a huge leap after not ever even being considered for top 20 voting in 2024.

What makes Peterson’s rise so intriguing was the fact that it apparently came out of nowhere.

Peterson was a ninth round selection in the 2022 MLB Draft out of UConn by Cleveland. To be completely honest, his 2023 season was completely forgettable. He spent the entire campaign at Single-A Lynchburg at age 23, sporting a lofty 4.54 ERA with a 4.14 FIP over 24 starts spanning 117 innings despite being 1.4 years older than the median age player in the Carolina League.

He was absolutely no one’s radar entering 2024, but then something magical happened — he stopped putting people on base.

He began the 2024 campaign at High-A Lake County, where he completely dominated. His strikeout rate climbed from 20.3% to 27.1% while his walk rate plummeted from an already-low 5.4% to a miniscule 1.9%.

The rest of his pitching numbers followed suit as Peterson posted a dominant 2.44 ERA with an even better 2.17 FIP and a ridiculous 0.84 WHIP over 14 starts and 85 innings pitched with the Captains.

He earned a midseason promotion to Double-A Akron, where he continued to dominate. Over 13 additional starts and 75 more innings, Peteson held a 2.88 ERA and 2.96 FIP while keeping his WHIP under 1 at 0.96.

For the 2024 season, he had a 0.89 WHIP, which was lowest among all qualified pitchers in minor league baseball who pitched more than 100 innings. To say Peterson broke out in 2024 would be an understatement.

According to Chuck Murr of Forbes, Peterson commands a fastball that sits around 92-94 mph, a decent curve and slider along with a fine changeup that has emerged as his best pitch. He also works extremely quickly and hits his spots well.

Look for him to begin the 2025 season in Triple-A as I don’t think he has anything left to prove in Akron. While there are some players on the 40-man roster ahead of him in the depth chart, he could quickly earn an opportunity with Cleveland if he builds on what he accomplished in 2024.

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Franco Aleman, RHP (Age 24)

2024 (AAA): 24 G, 22.2 IP, 1.99 ERA, 3.00 FIP, 36.6 K%, 10.8 BB%

Flame-throwing reliever who missed a chance to help Cleveland in 2024 due to injury. Was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster in November and will make his MLB debut in 2025.

Braylon Doughty, RHP (Age 19)

2024: ——

Cleveland’s competitive balance pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, selected at No. 36 overall out of high school with a $2.57 million signing bonus. Touches 97 mph already with his fastball.

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.

Michael Kennedy, LHP (Age 20)

2024 (A w/ PIT): 15 GS, 73.0 IP, 4.07 ERA, 3.73 FIP, 26.6 K%, 5.3 BB%
2024 (A+ w/ PIT): 2 GS, 10.2 IP, 0.84 ERA, 1.87 FIP, 36.6 K%, 7.3 BB%

Kennedy joined the organization in the Spencer Horwitz trade(s). Thought he did not dominate at Single-A he finished strong with two great High-A starts.

Parker Messick, LHP (Age 24)

2024 (A+): 13 GS, 68.0 IP, 3.57 ERA, 3.38 FIP, 32.3 K%, 8.0 BB%
2024 (AA): 13 GS, 65.2 IP, 2.06 ERA, 2.77 FIP, 30.2 K%, 8.0 BB%

Cleveland’s second round pick in 2022 impressed at Lake County in 2024 and then absolutely blew everyone away at Double-A Akron for the second half of the season.

Doug Nikhazy, LHP (Age 25)

2024 (AA): 11 GS, 48.1 IP, 3.17 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 25.9 K%, 10.1 BB%
2024 (AAA): 13 GS, 75.1 IP, 2.87 ERA, 4.43 FIP, 25.0 K%, 11.3 BB%

Put up consistent numbers at both Double-A and Triple-A last season and was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster in November. Started Cleveland’s prospect showcase game.

Joey Oakie, RHP (Age 18)

2024: ——

Cleveland’s third round pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Ankeny Centennial in Iowa, Oakie stands 6-foot-3, 200 pounds with a mid-90s fastball and took a $2 million signing bonus.

Johnathan Rodriguez, RF (Age 25)

2024 (AAA) 508 PA, .301/.390/.540, 29 HR, 8 SB, 12.6 BB%, 25.2 K%, 140 wRC+
2024 (MLB): 40 PA, .129/.325/.161, 0 HR, 0 SB, 22.5 BB%, 35.0 K%, 63 wRC+

Absolutely blistered Triple-A pitching in 2024, earning a couple brief opportunities with Cleveland. Will need to prove he’s not a Quad-A player this year.

Alfonsin Rosario, OF (Age 20)

2024 (A w/ CHC): 456 PA, .230/.344/.423, 16 HR, 20 SB, 12.3 BB%, 32.2 K%, 127 wRC+

Acquired from Chicago in the Eli Morgan trade, put up impressive speed and power numbers as a 19-year-old in Single-A last season, but strikeouts could be an issue.

Matt Wilkinson, RHP (Age 22)

2024 (A): 8 GS, 40.1 IP, 1.12 ERA, 1.45 FIP, 48.0 K%, 6.1 BB%
2024 (A+): 16 GS, 78.1 IP, 2.30 ERA, 3.33 FIP, 32.7 K%, 8.9 BB%

“Tugboat” set the MiLB world on fire in 2024 with one of the best nicknames in sports and one of the best seasons of any pitching prospect, finishing second in MiLB in strikeouts.