Guardians Prospects Ranked 6-10

How I view the prospects ranked 6-10

Last week we ranked the top 5 Guardians prospects in the system, I view those 5 in a tier or two above the next 5 prospects that we will talk about today, but these prospects are still quite good, they just aren’t elite level prospects.

6. 1B/OF Ralphy Velazquez-

The Guardians 2023 1st round pick had a fantastic first season as a pro. He slashed .243/.362/.414 with a 131 WRC+ in 373 plate appearances in Low-A Lynchburg. He had a 15% walk rate and just a 20.1% strikeout rate, his ability to hit for contact and power at his age is very impressive. That combined with the fact that he was flashing exit velocities up to 115 mph is why I am extremely bullish on Ralphy Velazquez. Despite his struggles when being promoted to High-A, which I am not worried about, he showed signs of being able to play some outfield, which would go a long way in terms of versatility. Just purely as a hitter, I think Ralphy has an argument for the highest upside bat in the entire farm system.

7. C Cooper Ingle-

Cooper Ingle burst on the scene last season after being one of the best hitters in minor league baseball. Among all hitters with at least 300 plate appearances, Cooper Ingle ranked 5th with a WRC+ of 160. He truly has elite contact skills and has shown more power than expected with the ability to pull fly balls. If Ingle has a fast start to the season, we could be talking about a consensus top 100 prospect by July.

8. RHP Braylon Doughty-

The Guardians made Doughty the 36th overall pick in the 2024 draft. Doughty may not be the biggest kid, but his fastball sits 92-94 mph, and has been up to 97 mph. The calling card for Doughty are his breaking balls, he has a plus curveball and slider that can both get up past 3,000 RPMs of spin. He also throws a changeup that is just average right now but is clearly his worst pitch. Doughty will likely open the 2025 season in Lynchburg and will be extremely fun to watch.

9. LHP Parker Messick-

Parker Messick might be the most underrated prospect in the system. All he has done is dominate at every level. In 65.2 innings pitched at AA Akron this season, Messick pitched to a 2.06 ERA, a 2.77 FIP, with 85 strikeouts to just 21 walks and a .190 batting average against!!! He has been this dominant, and it is rumored that he has had an uptick in velocity this season, if that is true, Messick’s ceiling as a prospect could be even higher than I previously thought. Regardless, Messick is a good bet to be a solid 4/5 starting pitcher at worst.

10. IF/OF/DH Juan Brito-

The likely favorite to be the opening day 2B, Juan Brito just hits, at every level, he has always hit. The numbers weren’t eye popping last season, but he did have a huge uptick in home runs, going from 14 in 2023 to 21 in 2024. His raw power leaves a bit to be desired, but the contact and plate discipline skills are very real. He’s going to have to hit at the MLB level because his defense at 2B is a bit rough. He has some work to do there but if he hits like he always has, it won’t matter! The lack of defense and raw power caps his ceiling as a prospect, but he has a chance to be an average regular.