While many Cleveland Guardians fans, writers, and analysts have stated that the team needs outfield help, the organization itself seems to trust the alternatives they have at hand.
Steven Kwan has locked up the left field job, but center and right field remain up for grabs.
The Guardians do have some alternatives from a group of players that include former MLB regular Ramon Laureano, breakout candidates Will Brennan and Estevan Florial, and prospects Johnathan Rodriguez and Chase DeLauter.
The Guardians are probably fine with that group because they love the long-term outlook of most players there, most notably DeLauter.
Speaking of DeLauter, the 2022 first-round pick was named the organization’s top prospect by the specialists over at MLB Pipeline.
“Chase DeLauter sits atop of @MLBPipeline‘s list of the Guardians’ Top 30 Prospects!” Bally Sports Cleveland tweeted.
Chase DeLauter sits atop of @MLBPipeline's list of the Guardians' Top 30 Prospects!#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/ASLtsh7KvB
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) March 5, 2024
Two talented infielders, Kyle Manzardo and Brayan Rocchio, complete the podium, but DeLauter got the top honor and it’s easy to see why.
He might have a somewhat awkward swing, but it works for him and that’s all that matters.
He can hit for average and he has developing power, too, and could be an All-Star in one or two years.
He played 57 games between the Complex League and Double-A in 2023, and returned a fascinating .355/.417/.528 line with a .945 OPS.
There is an outside chance we see DeLauter patrolling the Guardians outfield at some point in 2024, and he is doing very well in spring training so far with a .500/.556/1.000 line in five games.
Perhaps the Guards were right all along: maybe they didn’t need an outfielder that badly.
The jury is still out on that, but they do seem to have the means to survive until DeLauter is ready.
Once that happens, they might just have a star on their hands.
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