Ralphy Velazquez, the Cleveland Guardians’ first-round pick back in 2023, seems ready to become the organization’s first baseman of the future. Some fans and analysts called for his promotion late in the 2026 campaign, and the numbers suggest he is ready: he slashed .290/.379/.548 with 29 home runs and a 142 wRC+ between Double-A and Triple-A in 2026.
However, the Guardians decided to stick with trade acquisition Nathaniel Lowe and his experience for the stretch run and the postseason. Velazquez, however, represents the future, and everybody knows it.
How soon will that future start? Many people believe Velazquez can break camp with the Guardians next year, but Cleveland.com’s Paul Hoynes is not so sure.
“Whenever he’s moved up a level, it’s taken him a while to adjust, to get his feet wet, and then he kind of takes it off. So it makes sense he would open the year at Triple-A, get on a roll, and if they needed him in Cleveland, he would be called up,” Hoynes said. “Velazquez seems to be the future at first base. We’ve said that about a lot of players until you get to see them for two or three years.”
Hoynes’ explanation makes sense. When Velazquez went from High-A to Double-A in 2025, it took him a little while to adjust, then he took off. The same thing happened this year when he was promoted from Akron to Columbus: he slashed a rather disappointing .213/.289/.373 (.662 OPS, 74 wRC+) from May 20, his first game in Triple-A, to June 14.
Then, from June 15 until the end of the season in Columbus, Velazquez slashed a robust .298/.385/.592 with a .976 OPS and a 150 wRC+. He tends to need a few weeks to get to know pitchers, patterns, and get used to umpires’ zones and tendencies. Once he becomes familiar with a circuit, he takes off.
What Hoynes is saying is that the Guardians have shown faith in similarly rated prospects before, only to find out they are not ready. They want to make sure that, whenever they call up Velazquez, he is ready to be an above-average starter at the cold corner. This includes offense, defense, and other aspects of the game.
Velazquez might not start the year on the Guardians’ active roster, but he should definitely be a part of it by June at the latest.
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