Cleveland Guardians top prospect Travis Bazzana warms up before the start of Akron RubberDucks home opener against Altoona Curve Julie Vennitti Botos / Canton Repository / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Only One Team Ranks Above Cleveland Guardians Farm System

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jan 31, 2026 9:46 AM ET

The Cleveland Guardians are going into the upcoming season with a lot to like about their farm system.

The Guardians have one of the largest homegrown contingencies in all of Major League Baseball, and their success speaks for itself with back-to-back division titles. ESPN.com insider Kiley McDaniel ranked all 30 teams when it came to their minor leagues, and the Guardians came in at No. 2 behind the Milwaukee Brewers.

"The Guardians aren't that far behind Milwaukee in almost all respects, and they also have a unique blend of high-end talent and quality depth while regularly finding success in all aspects with limited payroll resources," McDaniel wrote.

"There also seems to be a widening of Cleveland's scouting aperture to consider the kinds of hitters the franchise has avoided in the past. Historically, the Guardians have invested heavily in hit-over-power infielders -- often not the biggest or most physically impressive players but very effective ballplayers.

"To that point, 2025 first-rounder Jace Laviolette, 2023 first-rounder Ralphy Velazquez and recent trade addition Alfonsin Rosario are all in their top 11 prospects, and each is a power-over-hit type. The Guardians also were rumored to be kicking the tires on Jac Caglianone with the top pick in the 2024 draft before ultimately taking Bazzana. This could be a shifting taste for risk, responding to market forces or just an aberration, but I'm keeping an eye on it."

Guardians Have Excellent Farm System

The Guardians have a great develop battle program, and that is continuing to show itself throughout the entire organization, especially at the major league level.

Here's a decent chance the Guardians call up former No. 1 overall pick Travis Bazzana to the Major League club this season. The top pick in the 2024 draft out of Oregon State started his 2025 campaign in AA-Akron, but played 26 games at AAA-Columbus.

Most of his season was defined by an injury that held him out for over two months, but he appears to be healthy going into 2026, and a strong camp could lead to an early season call-up.

Outside of Bazzana, the team has several prospects that are intriguing and could get a call-up soon, including Chase DeLauter, Angel Genao, Ralphy Velazquez, Parker Messick, and Cooper Ingle, all of whom are ranked in MLB.com's top 100 prospects.

The Guardians will play their first game in spring training against the Cincinnati Reds on Feb. 21 at 3:05 PM ET.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Guardians on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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