Which Guardians prospects can make the leap in 2025?

This story was excerpted from Mandy Bell’s Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

It was another year of the Guardians leaning heavily on their farm system.

This was the youngest team in baseball in 2022 -- the year in which it saw 17 players make their Major League debuts. It was the third youngest by the end of the 2024 season. With their success in each of these seasons, the Guardians continue to prove that age is just a number.

But what does that mean moving forward? Has the pipeline run dry yet? Let’s take a deeper look.

3 players who forced their way onto the radar this year

RHP Andrew Walters (Guardians’ No. 21 prospect according to MLB Pipeline)
It started with a near immaculate inning during the Spring Breakout game in March. It ended with him being part of Cleveland’s postseason bullpen. He owned a 1.35 ERA in 17 games with Double-A Akron. He struggled for a brief moment when he was promoted to Triple-A Columbus, but proceeded to lock in and pitch to a 2.97 ERA in 33 games. The Guardians had no choice but to get him into big league action, and now they know they have an exciting reliever for years to come.

1B C.J. Kayfus (No. 6 prospect)
In 40 games with High-A Lake County, Kayfus hit .338 with a 1.015 OPS. He was promoted to Double-A Akron and slowed a little, hitting .263 with an .836 OPS, 10 homers and 55 RBIs in 67 games. But overall on the season, he finished in the top five of all Guardians Minor Leaguers in the following categories:

• Hits (4th, 118)
• Doubles (3rd, 26)
• Triples (T-3rd, six)
• Extra-base hits (3rd, 49)
• Runs scored (5th, 70)
• RBIs (2nd, 92)
• Average (5th, .291)
• Slugging percentage (3rd, .511)
• OPS (3rd, .904)

LHP Parker Messick (No. 18 prospect)
Messick’s season just kept getting better. After a strong start in High-A Lake County, leveled up with Double-A Akron, owning a 2.06 ERA in 14 appearances (13 starts) with 85 strikeouts in 65 2/3 innings. And for an organization that’s thin in the starting pitching department, building up this pipeline is critical.

2 possible breakout players to watch in 2025

2B Travis Bazzana (No. 1 prospect)
How can’t we have high expectations for this past year’s No. 1 overall pick? Bazzana has unbelievable contact ability and lightning-fast bat speed that should translate well through each level of professional baseball. He has the ability to hit for some power, already has experience helping High-A Lake County win a title with his eyes set on the Majors for 2025. Can he pull it off? His performance will dictate the outcome.

RHP Franco Aleman (No. 30 prospect)
The Guardians had the best bullpen in baseball this past season and they have another arm waiting for his chance on the big league mound. Aleman owned a 1.99 ERA in 25 games with Triple-A Columbus this season, striking out 34 batters in 22 2/3 innings in a season that was hindered by a right lat strain. Because Aleman will probably be added to the 40-man roster this offseason to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft, it makes his path to the Majors even easier.

1 big question for next season

What is the future for No. 10 prospect right-hander Daniel Espino?
We’ve been here before. This was Cleveland’s former top prospect before tendinitis in his knee turned into right shoulder soreness in 2022. Then that shoulder soreness required shoulder surgery, forcing him to miss the entire ’23 season. Just before the ’24 season began, he realized his shoulder wasn’t recovering the way he needed it to, leading to yet another procedure in the same area. He missed all of ’24.

If he would’ve stayed healthy, Espino would’ve made his Major League debut by now. His fastball is elite, sitting at 95-98 mph and topping out at 103 mph. He could’ve been the missing starter this organization is desperately in search of. Instead, he’s a soon-to-be 24-year-old righty who knows he’s one more setback away from wondering if this dream can ever become reality.

Next season needs to be a step forward for Espino. We don’t know what his projected timetable is to be back to game action just yet. But he needs to get back on the rubber and face hitters in a game for the first time since April 29, 2022. If that can happen, everything else should fall in place after that.