The Cleveland Guardians farm system is no longer a top-three unit in baseball because some of their top prospects, such as Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana, and Parker Messick, have graduated in the last few months. They have developed into bona fide MLB contributors.
However, it’s still firmly in the top ten of the league, with potentially impactful players in the low minors and also in the higher levels. Despite acquiring five players at the deadline, the top of the Guardians’ system remains intact. Cleveland managed to hold on to Angel Genao, Ralphy Velazquez, Juneiker Caceres, Braylon Doughty, Khal Stephen, and other promising young players.
Additionally, they still have infielder Welbyn Francisca and left-hander Ryan Prager, and they are coming off excellent performances that earned them Player and Pitcher of the Week honors in the Minor Leagues. To be specific, they were recognized with the distinctions in the Midwest League and the Carolina League, respectively.
“Another pair of strong performances down on the farm. Welbyn Francisca and Ryan Prager have been named [Minor League] Player and Pitcher of the Week,” GuardsInsider posted.
Another pair of strong performances down on the farm 💪
Welbyn Francisca and Ryan Prager have been named @MiLB Player and Pitcher of the Week! #GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/zvuj5b9A8k
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) August 10, 2026
Francisca, the 13th-best prospect in the Guardians according to MLB Pipeline, logged nine hits and 24 total bases last week to earn the honor. He also homered a whopping four times and drove in six runs.
Francisca, who can play second and third base besides his primary position, shortstop, is slashing a cool .273/.353/.558 with 13 home runs in 44 games with the Lake County Captains of High-A. He boasts a 122 wRC+ and could start challenging for a promotion to Double-A soon if he keeps this up.
Prager, a ninth-round pick in 2025, has a 4.26 ERA in Single-A in 44.1 innings of work. He has struck out 62 batters over that span, but his performance last week was outstanding, with no runs allowed in 6.2 frames, in which he surrendered three hits and a single walk. He fanned nine.
Unlike Francisca, Prager is not ranked among Cleveland’s top 30 prospects, but that doesn’t mean he won’t have a future in the majors. If he works hard, he could eventually carve out a role.
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