Is prospect DeLauter built for the big leagues??

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- It’s better here in big league camp, Guardians prospect Chase DeLauter is discovering.

Not that DeLauter's experience last year in what the club refers to as “depth camp” -- basically, an extra stash of young prospects getting reps and absorbing innings and at-bats -- was bad. But it’s better here. The meal money is better. The parking lot is better. The training room is better. The lockers are better (wood instead of metal). The uniform is better (your last name is stitched in vibrant red, as opposed to merely heat-pressed in boring white).

It’s just better.

“Now I get to be around the guys on a more daily basis,” DeLauter said. “And I think that's cool, feeling like I'm more a part of it.”

Of course, the 23-year-old, a non-roster invitee to Major League camp and the Guardians' No. 2 prospect from 2025, will be hard-pressed to perform better this spring than he did in “depth camp” last year.

But that’s just the point. DeLauter (No. 36 in MLB Pipeline's 2025 Top 100 Prospects) has earned the opportunity to more formally compete with and among the big leaguers this year. Because in a limited but memorable sample of Cactus League play in 2024, he was often, quite frankly, the best player on the field.

DeLauter stormed the exhibition season last spring. He went 13-for-25 (.520), with four homers, 10 RBIs and more walks (five) than strikeouts (four). His 1.640 OPS was the second best of any player to appear in at least 10 games in either Arizona or Florida.

“It gave me the confidence,” DeLauter said, “that I’m good enough to play with those guys.”

People love a spring sensation. And unlike past spring sensations like Rudy “The Red Hot Rapper” Regalado (look him up, kids), this wasn’t a guy coming out of nowhere to spice up the spring and then returning to nowhere. This was a 2022 first-round Draft pick announcing his presence.

Despite having only logged, at that point, 22 at-bats at the Double-A level, DeLauter had fans pining for him to make the Guardians’ Opening Day roster.

That didn't happen.

Instead, DeLauter opened the 2024 season with Double-A Akron. Then, in late April, while running the bases, he fractured a bone in his left foot, which had already been surgically repaired the previous year. He wasn’t seen again for three months. The big-league call never came.

So here we are again. Another spring, another opportunity for DeLauter to shine. But because he’s now had issues with his left foot in three straight seasons, dating back to his Draft year at James Madison, the hopes must be tempered a tad until we actually see him stay on the field for a sustained stretch.

“It definitely is tough, going down repeatedly,” he said. “You just treat it day by day. You wake up, get in the training room, and get after it.”

Despite the injuries, the commotion about DeLauter is understandable.

Cleveland has not drafted and developed an outfielder who went on to hit 25 home runs in a season since Manny Ramirez. So, having a prospect like DeLauter, who not only fits the organizational mold of prioritizing plate discipline but can also hit the ball with authority, is exciting.

DeLauter has a special combination of size (6-foot-3, 235 pounds) and athleticism. And in what little we’ve seen of him in the Minors so far, he’s delivered an enticing .317/.387/.517 slash in 96 games. He has the ability to play the game like his idols: Mike Trout and Ken Griffey Jr., star center fielders capable of anything and everything.

DeLauter just needs to stay healthy.

That’s why his training these days is more oriented around mobility than strictly strength.

“As Chase continues to develop, it's about understanding what it takes for that body to be able to play every day,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “He’s going to get a lot of opportunity during Spring Training, and he's around some really good people and really good resources to start to understand what his body is telling him.”

Soon, the field will open up for Cactus League play, and you’ll see DeLauter’s name in the Guardians' lineup again. This time, as a real big-league camper, not a “depth camper.” And if his talent shines and his foot cooperates, it won’t be long before he gets another upgrade.