Four Guardians Prospects That Have Impressed This Year

Who deserves to get promoted?

OF Kahlil Watson-22 Years Old

Kahlil Watson has been one of the best hitters in the Guardians organization this season. After posting a 107 WRC+ with a near 31% K rate in AA Akron in 2024, he’s up to a 136 WRC+ and a 25.3% K rate. These types of improvements are what we love to see from someone who despite repeating the level, is still quite young and has plenty of tools and athleticism. He is someone I would really love seeing promoted to AAA Columbus soon.

OF Alfonsin Rosario-20 Years Old

Acquired for Eli Morgan last offseason, Rosario has been one of the most exciting prospects to follow this season. Similarly to Watson, he is full of tools, particularly the combination of power and speed. He has made huge strides in the contact department this season, going from an overall contact percentage of 59.3% in 2024 to now 66.4%, which is still not exactly an ideal number to be at. Rosario is slashing .278/.347/.511 with a 136 WRC+ and 10 Home Runs. He has been a lot of fun this season but the swing and miss is definitely a concern, and while it hasn’t stopped him from dominating High-A pitching, there’s a chance it could as he continues to face better pitching, which is why I really hope he is promoted to AA soon.

LHP Josh Hartle-22 Years Old

Do not let anyone tell you that the Guardians did bad in the Andres Gimenez trade last offseason. Luis Ortiz looks like he’s going to be a mid rotation arm, and Hartle looks like a good bet to be a 4/5 starter. Going into his last college season, Hartle was seen as one of the best college pitchers in the class, and a sure fire first round pick, and now he’s showing why. He has a 3.10 ERA with 46 strikeouts and just 16 walks in 49.1 innings pitched. His lack of velocity will limit his upside, but I’d be shocked if he wasn’t a solid ML pitcher, whether that be as a 4/5 starter or a bullpen arm.

IF Dauri Fernandez- 18 Years Old

If you haven’t heard of this kid yet, it is a name you need to know. After a good season in the DSL last year, Fernandez has been one of the best hitters in the entire Arizona Complex League and has been the best hitter in the Guardians organization as an 18 year old. He is slashing .383/.454/.606 with a 172 WRC+ and a 1:1 K/BB ratio. At this point he doesn’t appear to have a ton of power, but that is completely normal for an 18 year old infielder. I fully expect him to see some time in Lynchburg when the ACL ends and will be very interested to see how he handles Low-A pitching.