The Cleveland Guardians rolled the dice on the ultimate high-risk/high-reward prospect in the 2025 MLB Draft.
They took Texas A&M star outfielder Jace LaViolette, who was in the mix to be the first player off the board not so long ago.
Unfortunately, he regressed in his final season in college, and his worrisome strikeout rate may have been enough to scare teams away and make him slip to the No. 27 spot.
With that in mind, it’s not much of a surprise to see him draw comparisons to Cody Bellinger and Joey Gallo.
In his most recent column, ESPN Draft expert Kiley McDaniel shared his comps for the latest addition to the Guardians’ farm system:
“LaViolette entered the year as the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 then had a very uneven spring headlined by a .258 average and 25% strikeout rate. I think his best comp is Cody Bellinger while others go with Joey Gallo, but he’s too talented to last as long as he did,” McDaniel wrote.
Despite his struggles at the plate, LaViolette’s physical tools are mesmerizing, and his talent is way too significant to overlook.
We’re talking about an absolute unit of a human being, someone who makes even fellow MLB players look tiny at times.
He can absolutely rake the baseball, and given the team’s inability to get some sort of offensive production in the middle of the lineup and from their outfielders, he could solve both of those issues.
Of course, he also comes with some risks, and the development staff will have to work closely with him to change his approach at the plate.
He has the potential to be one of the most feared and dominant sluggers in the game, and it would be a shame to watch him end up as a strikeout machine like the aforementioned players.
NEXT: Carlos Baerga Says Guardians All-Star Wants To Stay In Cleveland
