Here's the Guardians' Spring Breakout roster
Anthony Castrovince
@castrovinceGOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Chase DeLauter has already been enjoying a spring breakout. And now, he¡¯s headed to the capitalized version.
DeLauter, the No. 1 prospect in the Guardians¡¯ system and the No. 31 prospect in the game, per MLB Pipeline, was one of 23 players named to the organization¡¯s MLB Spring Breakout roster Thursday.
That will give the highly touted 22-year-old outfielder yet another chance to shine during a camp in which his performance in limited time in the Cactus League has been a spring highlight.
The Guardians took DeLauter out of James Madison University with the 16th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft, but left foot surgery delayed his professional debut until the middle of last season. Finally, he debuted in pro ball last June and wound up slashing an impressive .355/.417/.528 across three levels in 2023, finishing the year with Double-A Akron.
This spring, the Guardians have employed not just their 40-man roster and non-roster invitees in big league games, but also a pool of players in what¡¯s called ¡°depth camp.¡± DeLauter is one such player, and he entered the week having gone 4-for-8 with a homer, a double and a walk -- sparking even more excitement about his potential to impact a Cleveland club in need of outfield power in 2024.
¡°For me, I¡¯m not a numbers guy,¡± DeLauter said earlier this spring. ¡°Like, I¡¯m not trying to hit a certain amount of homers. ... It¡¯s just be healthy, let my game do its game and we¡¯ll see what happens.¡±
And we¡¯ll see what happens when DeLauter suits up among some other promising Guards prospects in a first-of-its-kind spring showcase of the game¡¯s future.
What is Spring Breakout? MLB Spring Breakout is a four-day event showcasing baseball¡¯s future: the current stars of Minor League Baseball. The inaugural edition will be held from March 14-17 at Grapefruit and Cactus league stadiums during Spring Training. A series of 16 exhibition games will be played between teams comprised of each MLB organization¡¯s top prospects, creating a new touchpoint on the baseball calendar that celebrates our sport¡¯s budding talent.
Here's the Guardians' Spring Breakout roster with MLB Pipeline's rankings: