After missing the entire 2025 campaign after undergoing hand surgery shortly after the draft, Cleveland Guardians slugger Jace LaVioletta is eager to show what he can do on a baseball field. The 27th pick of the first round, the former Texas A&M standout reminded folks about his enormous power potential.
“First professional homer for Jace LaViolette, off Mitch White. 106 mph, 425 feet,” Guardians analyst Justin Lada posted on X.
First professional homer for Jace LaViolette off Mitch White. 106, 425 feet pic.twitter.com/mqP2cRmaYV
— Justin L. (jlbaseball on bluesky) (@JL_Baseball) March 21, 2026
That ball was absolutely hammered. It’s fair to say that the surgically-repaired hand is doing just fine. And if you don’t believe us, you can just ask White.
LaViolette might have had a bit of a down season in 2025 at Texas A&M, at least for his lofty standards. He hit 18 home runs, which pale in comparison to the 29 he had in 2024, but his 1.003 OPS gives away the fact that there was nothing poor about his performance.
He isn’t a perfect hitter and has a penchant for strikeouts. What he also has, however, is game-changing power and surprisingly above-average speed, not to mention the ability to play the three outfield positions. Cleveland gave him over-slot money, so they clearly trust his skills.
This is a potential 30-homer hitter in his prime. Additionally, he is incredibly speedy, to the point that assistant general manager James Harris called him the second-fastest player in camp behind Stuart Fairchild.
The 2026 campaign is not about reaching the major leagues for Violette. It’s about getting his feet wet in professional baseball and, hopefully, reaching the upper minors if his performance warrants such a jump.
Despite having some swing and miss in his game, LaViolette is a polished hitter who should be able to move quickly through the minor league ladder. There is still no word on where he might start his pro career, but the Guardians may follow the Travis Bazzana blueprint and assign him to High-A Lake County, where he should eventually earn a promotion to Double-A Akron.
That’s the theory, at least. From this point forward, he will have to earn everything on the field.
LaViolette has the tools to be a highly successful major leaguer one day. He could be driving in runs for Cleveland in 2027 or 2028.
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