The Cleveland Guardians took powerful outfielder Jace LaViolette with their first-round pick last year. The talented slugger didn’t make his pro debut in 2025 due to an injury, but was assigned to High-A Lake County to open the 2026 campaign.
It wasn’t always a smooth ride, but the 22-year-old slugger was promoted to Double-A a few days ago after a few solid months in Lake County. He made his debut for the Akron RubberDucks on Tuesday, and it was a day he will remember for the rest of his life.
His first hit in the upper minors was a laser down the right field line that wound up being a double. He showed off his impressive bat speed in the process.
A double in Double-A 🤩
Jace LaViolette has his first hit for the @AkronRubberDuck! pic.twitter.com/qpcXd0ycfx
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) August 11, 2026
LaViolette, who could be in the middle of the Guardians’ lineup in a year or two, walked four times on Tuesday in addition to the double, and scored three times. He also put his impressive speed on display, as he stole a base.
There are some serious holes in LaViolette’s swing, holes that might sink him if he doesn’t eventually make the adjustments. Still, it’s hard to deny that the raw strength is impressive.
LaViolette earned his promotion to Double-A with a .238/.342/.467 line and a 104 wRC+. He homered 19 times with Lake County, and also racked up 11 steals.
The husky slugger had a solid 12.1 percent walk rate with the Captains, but his 37.9 percent strikeout rate was particularly concerning. Yes, he was still getting used to pro ball and all, but if High-A pitchers struck him out at almost a 40 percent rate, the outlook is not particularly encouraging as he keeps going up the ladder.
At some point, LaViolette will have to adjust, or he is in for a frustrating stint in the majors. It’s too early to think about that, though. For now, the focus should be on producing against Double-A pitching and cutting down on the strikeouts.
The tools are definitely loud, especially the power and the sneaky speed. If he remains healthy, LaViolette is in for a legitimate test against a much tougher level. Can he improve his bat-to-ball skills and plate discipline?
NEXT: Guardians Drop Opener Against Tigers, Fall Four Games Below .500
