The Cleveland Guardians turned plenty of heads with their first-round selection in the 2025 MLB Draft. They went away from what they usually do with their pick.
Taking Jace LaViolette was a clear shift in direction. He’s an impressive physical player, a lite version of Aaron Judge who might be just what they need to put an end to their offensive struggles. With that in mind, Ben Weinrib expects him to make his debut soon.
In his latest column, he gushed about LaViolette’s potential:
“LaViolette was an early favorite to go first overall in the Draft but fell in the first round when contact issues — particularly in the strike zone — flared up. Everyone will be watching how much he whiffs in pro ball, especially coming off a broken left hand, because he has as much raw power as anyone in his class and is an athletic defender at 6-foot-6,” Weinrib wrote.
LaViolette was projected to be a superstar, and for very good reasons. He has all the physical tools to thrive at the next level.
Unfortunately, an injury prevented him from making his minor league debut late last season, and the fans would have to wait a little longer before he takes the field. He would’ve benefited from the additional reps and at-bats.
LaViolette’s raw power and physicality are more than enough to take a risk with him. He still needs to work on his approach at the plate and clean up plenty of things in his game, but the potential is just too big to ignore. The Guardians have struggled to get much offensive production from their outfielders for quite a while now.
And even though it will be some time before the rookie out of Texas A&M takes the field in the majors, he might be this team’s savior.
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