The Cleveland Guardians leaned on a long list of rookies in 2026, and one of them stood out from the very start. Chase DeLauter gave the lineup a jolt from the opening weeks of the season and kept producing all the way through the ALCS. Now MLB Pipeline is weighing in on what his future could look like. Jim Callis released his annual ranking of the season’s graduated rookies based on projected long-term value, and DeLauter landed at No. 11. Callis wrote that DeLauter’s “combination of physicality and athleticism trumps that of most players on this list.”
“Repeated injuries delayed DeLauter’s arrival in Cleveland by a couple of years, so his age works against him for the purposes of these rankings, but his combination of physicality and athleticism trumps that of most players on this list. His 131 OPS+ was the best for a Guardians rookie since Al Rosen’s 145 in 1950,” Callis wrote.
Callis pointed out that DeLauter’s age worked against him in a ranking built around career value. Injuries kept him out of Cleveland for a couple of extra years after the Guardians made him the 16th overall pick in 2022 out of James Madison, so he was already twenty-four this season. Most of the players ranked ahead of him are twenty-one or younger, including Pittsburgh’s Konnor Griffin and Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle, who took the top two spots.
Once DeLauter finally got healthy, he showed exactly why Cleveland valued him so highly. Callis noted that his 131 OPS+ was the best by a Guardians rookie since Hall of Famer Al Rosen posted a 145 mark in 1950. That is more than seven decades of Cleveland rookies, and DeLauter topped all of them except one.
He was even better when the lights got brighter. DeLauter set a Cleveland rookie record with 13 postseason hits, batting .310 with a .396 on base percentage, a home run, three doubles and six RBIs. He was named to the All LCS team and earned a spot in the outfield on ESPN’s All October team. He also handled left-handed pitching well all year, hitting .323 against lefties during the regular season, an important skill for a left handed bat.
DeLauter was not the only Guardian on the list, either. Parker Messick checked in at No. 16, even after a season that made him an AL Cy Young finalist. Travis Bazzana, the first overall pick in the 2024 draft, ranked right behind him at No. 17, and switch hitting infielder Ángel Genao came in at No. 26. Four Cleveland players in the top 26 shows how much young talent this organization has graduated to the majors in one year.
For DeLauter, the next step is staying on the field. Injuries were the only thing that slowed him down before 2026, and a full, healthy season next year could make him one of the best young outfielders in the American League. If Cleveland ends up trading Steven Kwan this winter, DeLauter will be ready to take on an even bigger role in the outfield.
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