Cleveland Guardians Offseason Acquisition Continues To Impress in Minors

While the Cleveland Guardians did not acquire many instant-impact players last offseason, one new addition continues to make rumbles within the franchise's minor league system.

After the Guardians traded second basemen Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays for Spencer Horwitz, Cleveland flipped the 27-year-old first basemen to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a trio of pitchers, which included starter Luis Ortiz. However, the best part of the trade may have been 22-year-old lefty Josh Hartle.

Coming out of Wake Forest, Hartle was selected in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Pirates. And despite receiving first-round hype prior to his final collegiate season, the 6-foot-5, 210 lbs. lefty made one appearance for the Pirates Single-A affiliate Bradenton Marauders. During that game, he would give up three earned runs on five hits while recording two strikeouts in 1.2 innings pitched.

Luckily for Hartle, he would prove that his first Single-A appearance would be a fluke, as the young prospect is off to an electric start in 2025. Through his first 12 games with the Guardians' High-A affiliate Lake County Captains, Hartle has a 2.77 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP while recording a 5-1 record.