The Cleveland Guardians have one of the most impressive collections of young talent in the major leagues. Many of their up-and-coming stars are 25 or younger, such as Travis Bazzana, Angel Martinez, Chase DeLauter, Brayan Rocchio, and several others. All of them contributed to the 2026 team.
What about next year, though? Are there any current minor leaguer position players on the Guardians with a chance to help the team in 2027? Well, of course there are.
In this exercise, we will exclude hitters who have already made their MLB debuts but finished the 2026 campaign in the minors, such as Cooper Ingle, Khalil Watson, and CJ Kayfus. The following two names stand out:
Ralphy Velazquez
Of course, the first name on the list couldn’t have been anyone else. Ralphy Velazquez is set to take over as Cleveland’s first baseman of the future, although his debut could potentially be delayed until May or June if the team wants to play the service time game with him.
Velazquez, the Guardians’ first-round pick in 2023, blossomed into a premium position player prospect this year, hitting 29 home runs and posting a 142 wRC+ between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. He drove in 93 runs and slugged a cool .548.
Many people expected to see him up late in 2026, and he deserved a call-up. The Guardians, however, opted to give Nathaniel Lowe the lion’s share of playing time in the cold corner.
With Lowe hitting the free agent market this offseason, one has to think Velazquez will, at least, be given a chance to win a spot out of camp. Whether it’s early, in the summer, or in the stretch run, you’ll see Velazquez in a Guardians uniform next year.
Kody Huff
Ingle is expected to be a factor for the Guardians, either behind the plate if Austin Hedges walks or in the outfield, but there’s another underrated prospect ready to make an impression. His name is Kody Huff, and he figured out Triple-A this year.
Huff, a seventh-round pick from 2022, hit a robust .264/.375/.513 with a 132 wRC+ in 497 plate appearances with Columbus this year. He scored and drove in 81 runs, homered 23 times, and stole 12 bases.
If he is given a chance and hits enough to stick, Huff could be the squad’s Swiss Army knife. Here’s what MLB Pipeline wrote about the Guardians’ 27th prospect:
“Huff has a quick release and strong arm behind the plate, although a quicker transition would help aid his average caught-stealing rates. Given Cleveland’s depth of catching at Triple-A and the Majors, the Guardians have opted to also play him at first and third, and he’s even taken some ground balls at second base.”
Defensively, he could have elite versatility if he manages to be adequate at all those spots. It will all depend on talent and opportunity. He has the former: will he have the latter?
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