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MLB.com just released their Top 100 Prospects list for 2022.
Here are the Guardians who made the list:
#11: RHP Daniel Espino
#43: OF George Valera
#69: SS Gabriel Arias
#78: SS Brayan Rocchio
#80: INF Tyler Freeman
On Espino:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55
The Panamanian-born Espino had a mid-80s fastball when he moved to Georgia for his sophomore year of high school and developed the best heater in the 2019 prep class, topping out in triple digits. Signed for $2.5 million as the 24th overall pick, he reached short-season ball in his pro debut, the first high schooler in Cleveland's system to do so since Francisco Lindor in 2011. He made a spectacular full-season debut in 2021, striking out 152 in 91 2/3 innings between Low-A and High-A with double-digit whiffs in six of his last eight starts.
Espino has one of the most electric arms in the Minors and easily overpowers hitters with his fastball and slider. He sits in the mid-90s and peaks at 101 mph with his heater, generating running action on his four-seamer. He shows feel for manipulating his slider, working in the mid-80s with more depth and in the upper 80s with more horizontal break, and missing a ton of bats with both versions.
Espino also has a solid low-80s curveball and a sinking mid-80s changeup with similar promise, though the latter offering can get too firm at times. His athleticism helps him generate premium velocity without excessive effort, and he has made adjustments to shorten his arm action since turning pro. While he still battles the strike zone at times and comes with some reliever risk, he lowered his walk rate to 2.9 per nine innings in 10 High-A starts and has plenty of time to further improve his control in order to become a frontline starter.
On Valera:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
Valera moved from New York to the Dominican Republic at age 13 and blossomed into one of the best hitters in the 2017 international class, signing for $1.3 million. A broken hamate in his right hand in 2018 and the lost 2020 Minor League season limited him to just 58 games in his first four years as a pro before he finally made a successful full-season debut in 2021. He reached Double-A at age 20 while recording a .910 OPS with 19 homers and 11 steals in 86 games, after which Cleveland added him to its 40-man roster.
The Guardians have stockpiled talented young hitters and Valera has the best swing of them all, a loose left-handed stroke with quickness, rhythm and balance. He recognizes pitches and manages the strike zone better than most players of his age and experience, regularly making hard contact. Though he batted just .246 in his first three pro seasons, he always has been one of the youngest players in his leagues and projects as a potential .280 hitter with 25 homers per year once he starts driving more balls in the air.
After spending much of his first two pro seasons in center field, Valera saw more action on the corners in 2021. Presently an average runner, he could lose a half-step as he matures physically, but he should profile well in left or right field with his bat and average to solid arm. He missed four weeks with a strained oblique last season and Cleveland would love to see what he could do with a fully healthy year.
On Arias:
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 75 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55
Arias has the highest ceiling of the six players the Guardians acquired in the nine-player Mike Clevinger trade with the Padres in August 2020 -- and some evaluators believe he has the highest ceiling of any position player in Cleveland's system. He was part of San Diego's $78 million spending spree on the 2016 international market, signing for $1.9 million out of Venezuela. The youngest batting qualifier (age 21) in the Triple-A East last season, he posted an .802 OPS with 13 homers while also standing out with his defense.
A right-handed hitter, Arias has impressive bat speed and strength that give him more raw power than most shortstops, but he'll need to make some adjustments at the plate to reach his 25-30 homer upside. While he doesn't strike out excessively, he's overly aggressive at the plate and makes too much weak groundball contact. He'll have to make better swing decisions and learn to launch more balls in the air to his pull side.
Arias earns average to solid grades for his speed, which is more apparent in the field than on the bases. He has good actions and instincts at shortstop, where he's a plus defender, and he's also an asset at third and second base. He has one of the strongest arms in the Minors and is capable of making any throw needed.
On Rocchio:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55
Part of the Guardians' stellar 2017 international haul that could yield a half-dozen big league position players, Rocchio has the highest floor among that group and rivals fellow Top 100 prospect George Valera for the highest ceiling as well. Signed for just $125,000 out of Venezuela, he quickly became known as "The Professor" because of his excellent baseball IQ. Unable to come to the United States to play at Cleveland's alternate site or instructional league program in 2020, he returned last year to hit .277 while tripling his previous career high with 15 homers and reaching Double-A in his full-season debut at age 20.
Added to the 40-man roster in November, Rocchio is a switch-hitter who recognizes pitches well and drills line drives to all fields. He's not big but got stronger during his pandemic layoff and smoked the ball with more authority in 2021, displaying quick hands, at least average raw power and the ability to get to most of it during games. The youngest regular in the Double-A Northeast during the final two months of the season, he more than held his own against advanced pitchers and his feel for the barrel should allow him to continue to hit for average.
Rocchio's quickness and instincts are apparent on the bases and in the field. He has the plus speed and aggressive nature to steal and take extra bases. He's a gifted defender with smooth actions and soft hands at shortstop, where he enhances average arm strength with a fast release and impressive accuracy on his throws, and he also can handle second and third base.
On Freeman:
Scouting grades: Hit: 65 | Power: 35 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
A supplemental second-round choice out of a Southern California high school in 2017, Freeman has established himself as one of the best pure hitters in the Minors. He hit .292 or better in each of his first four pro seasons, won the short-season New York-Penn League batting title at .352 in 2018 and entered 2022 with a career .319 mark along with a tiny 9 percent strikeout rate. He was contending for another batting crown in the Double-A Northeast last June when he slightly tore the labrum in his left shoulder on a swing, leading to surgery that ended his season after 41 games, but he still claimed a spot on Cleveland's 40-man roster in November. His younger brother Cody is a catcher in the Rangers system with similar tools.
A right-handed hitter, Freeman possesses exceptional bat-to-ball skills that produce line drives to all fields on a regular basis. He rarely swings and misses, but the ease with which he makes contact cuts into his on-base ability because he owns a career 4 percent walk rate. He also homered just nine times in his first 272 pro games, so he might fit a Nick Madrigal high-average/low-impact profile, though he does drive some balls to the gaps and offers some doubles power.
Freeman's bat is his lone plus tool, and his speed, arm and defense all grade as average. He does have good instincts that allow him to play above his physical ability on the bases and in the field. He's an aggressive baserunner and a sure-handed fielder with a quick release on his throws, though many scouts think he'll eventually shift from shortstop to second base.
Here are the Guardians who made the list:
#11: RHP Daniel Espino
#43: OF George Valera
#69: SS Gabriel Arias
#78: SS Brayan Rocchio
#80: INF Tyler Freeman
On Espino:
Scouting grades: Fastball: 70 | Curveball: 55 | Slider: 65 | Changeup: 50 | Control: 50 | Overall: 55
The Panamanian-born Espino had a mid-80s fastball when he moved to Georgia for his sophomore year of high school and developed the best heater in the 2019 prep class, topping out in triple digits. Signed for $2.5 million as the 24th overall pick, he reached short-season ball in his pro debut, the first high schooler in Cleveland's system to do so since Francisco Lindor in 2011. He made a spectacular full-season debut in 2021, striking out 152 in 91 2/3 innings between Low-A and High-A with double-digit whiffs in six of his last eight starts.
Espino has one of the most electric arms in the Minors and easily overpowers hitters with his fastball and slider. He sits in the mid-90s and peaks at 101 mph with his heater, generating running action on his four-seamer. He shows feel for manipulating his slider, working in the mid-80s with more depth and in the upper 80s with more horizontal break, and missing a ton of bats with both versions.
Espino also has a solid low-80s curveball and a sinking mid-80s changeup with similar promise, though the latter offering can get too firm at times. His athleticism helps him generate premium velocity without excessive effort, and he has made adjustments to shorten his arm action since turning pro. While he still battles the strike zone at times and comes with some reliever risk, he lowered his walk rate to 2.9 per nine innings in 10 High-A starts and has plenty of time to further improve his control in order to become a frontline starter.
On Valera:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
Valera moved from New York to the Dominican Republic at age 13 and blossomed into one of the best hitters in the 2017 international class, signing for $1.3 million. A broken hamate in his right hand in 2018 and the lost 2020 Minor League season limited him to just 58 games in his first four years as a pro before he finally made a successful full-season debut in 2021. He reached Double-A at age 20 while recording a .910 OPS with 19 homers and 11 steals in 86 games, after which Cleveland added him to its 40-man roster.
The Guardians have stockpiled talented young hitters and Valera has the best swing of them all, a loose left-handed stroke with quickness, rhythm and balance. He recognizes pitches and manages the strike zone better than most players of his age and experience, regularly making hard contact. Though he batted just .246 in his first three pro seasons, he always has been one of the youngest players in his leagues and projects as a potential .280 hitter with 25 homers per year once he starts driving more balls in the air.
After spending much of his first two pro seasons in center field, Valera saw more action on the corners in 2021. Presently an average runner, he could lose a half-step as he matures physically, but he should profile well in left or right field with his bat and average to solid arm. He missed four weeks with a strained oblique last season and Cleveland would love to see what he could do with a fully healthy year.
On Arias:
Scouting grades: Hit: 50 | Power: 55 | Run: 50 | Arm: 75 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55
Arias has the highest ceiling of the six players the Guardians acquired in the nine-player Mike Clevinger trade with the Padres in August 2020 -- and some evaluators believe he has the highest ceiling of any position player in Cleveland's system. He was part of San Diego's $78 million spending spree on the 2016 international market, signing for $1.9 million out of Venezuela. The youngest batting qualifier (age 21) in the Triple-A East last season, he posted an .802 OPS with 13 homers while also standing out with his defense.
A right-handed hitter, Arias has impressive bat speed and strength that give him more raw power than most shortstops, but he'll need to make some adjustments at the plate to reach his 25-30 homer upside. While he doesn't strike out excessively, he's overly aggressive at the plate and makes too much weak groundball contact. He'll have to make better swing decisions and learn to launch more balls in the air to his pull side.
Arias earns average to solid grades for his speed, which is more apparent in the field than on the bases. He has good actions and instincts at shortstop, where he's a plus defender, and he's also an asset at third and second base. He has one of the strongest arms in the Minors and is capable of making any throw needed.
On Rocchio:
Scouting grades: Hit: 55 | Power: 45 | Run: 60 | Arm: 50 | Field: 60 | Overall: 55
Part of the Guardians' stellar 2017 international haul that could yield a half-dozen big league position players, Rocchio has the highest floor among that group and rivals fellow Top 100 prospect George Valera for the highest ceiling as well. Signed for just $125,000 out of Venezuela, he quickly became known as "The Professor" because of his excellent baseball IQ. Unable to come to the United States to play at Cleveland's alternate site or instructional league program in 2020, he returned last year to hit .277 while tripling his previous career high with 15 homers and reaching Double-A in his full-season debut at age 20.
Added to the 40-man roster in November, Rocchio is a switch-hitter who recognizes pitches well and drills line drives to all fields. He's not big but got stronger during his pandemic layoff and smoked the ball with more authority in 2021, displaying quick hands, at least average raw power and the ability to get to most of it during games. The youngest regular in the Double-A Northeast during the final two months of the season, he more than held his own against advanced pitchers and his feel for the barrel should allow him to continue to hit for average.
Rocchio's quickness and instincts are apparent on the bases and in the field. He has the plus speed and aggressive nature to steal and take extra bases. He's a gifted defender with smooth actions and soft hands at shortstop, where he enhances average arm strength with a fast release and impressive accuracy on his throws, and he also can handle second and third base.
On Freeman:
Scouting grades: Hit: 65 | Power: 35 | Run: 50 | Arm: 50 | Field: 50 | Overall: 55
A supplemental second-round choice out of a Southern California high school in 2017, Freeman has established himself as one of the best pure hitters in the Minors. He hit .292 or better in each of his first four pro seasons, won the short-season New York-Penn League batting title at .352 in 2018 and entered 2022 with a career .319 mark along with a tiny 9 percent strikeout rate. He was contending for another batting crown in the Double-A Northeast last June when he slightly tore the labrum in his left shoulder on a swing, leading to surgery that ended his season after 41 games, but he still claimed a spot on Cleveland's 40-man roster in November. His younger brother Cody is a catcher in the Rangers system with similar tools.
A right-handed hitter, Freeman possesses exceptional bat-to-ball skills that produce line drives to all fields on a regular basis. He rarely swings and misses, but the ease with which he makes contact cuts into his on-base ability because he owns a career 4 percent walk rate. He also homered just nine times in his first 272 pro games, so he might fit a Nick Madrigal high-average/low-impact profile, though he does drive some balls to the gaps and offers some doubles power.
Freeman's bat is his lone plus tool, and his speed, arm and defense all grade as average. He does have good instincts that allow him to play above his physical ability on the bases and in the field. He's an aggressive baserunner and a sure-handed fielder with a quick release on his throws, though many scouts think he'll eventually shift from shortstop to second base.
