The Cleveland Guardians had one of the best rookie classes in baseball in 2026, and the next wave may already be lining up. MLB Pipeline’s Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis picked one potential Rookie of the Year candidate from every team for next season, and Cleveland’s choice was not hard to guess. Ralphy Velazquez spent this year hitting his way to the doorstep of the majors, and the Guardians have an obvious opening at first base. Mayo and Callis believe the 21-year-old could be the answer for a lineup that badly needs one.
“A 2023 first-rounder from a California high school who has blossomed into baseball’s best first-base prospect, Velazquez can give Cleveland’s offense a much-needed jolt with his ability to hit for average and power. He slashed .290/.379/.548 with 29 homers in 117 games between Double-A and Triple-A at age 21, leading the system in slugging,” Jonathan Mayo and Jim Callis wrote.
Their opinion carries weight because of how well last year’s picks turned out. Mayo and Callis named four of the six eventual Rookie of the Year finalists, including Detroit’s Kevin McGonigle, who won the AL award on Monday night. They did not pick Parker Messick for Cleveland, but their actual selection, Chase DeLauter, finished sixth in the voting and set a franchise rookie record with 13 postseason hits.
Messick came closer than anyone to ending Cleveland’s long wait. He finished second with 122 points, receiving two first place votes and 25 second place votes. McGonigle ran away with the award, collecting 28 of the 30 first-place votes and 204 points. Ballots were submitted before the postseason began. Travis Bazzana also received a fourth-place vote, giving the Guardians three rookies who drew support.
That means Cleveland has still not had a Rookie of the Year since Sandy Alomar Jr. in 1990, the second-longest active drought in baseball. Velazquez could be the one to finally end it.
MLB Pipeline now ranks him as Cleveland’s No. 1 prospect and No. 29 overall, and Mayo and Callis called him the best first base prospect in baseball. Their case starts with the numbers. Velazquez hit .290 with a .379 on base percentage and a .548 slugging percentage between Double A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, adding 29 home runs and 93 RBIs. His slugging percentage was the best in the entire Cleveland system.
He did that while being one of the youngest players at both levels. Velazquez did not turn 21 until late May, and he was more than five years younger than the average International League player when he arrived in Columbus. Most hitters that age are still in High A.
The Guardians took him 23rd overall in 2023 out of Huntington Beach High School in California. He was drafted as a catcher, but Cleveland moved him to first base almost right away so his bat could play every day. After a slow first full season, he led the Midwest League in home runs in 2025 and has kept rising ever since.
The timing works in his favor. Nathaniel Lowe and Rhys Hoskins are both free agents, and Kyle Manzardo has not locked down the first base job. MLB.com’s Mike Petriello listed first base among Cleveland’s four biggest offseason needs, though he wondered whether Velazquez is quite ready. The front office could still add a short-term veteran like Ty France, who has been linked to the Guardians this winter, but a strong spring could earn Velazquez the job outright.
He would also bring something the lineup lacked in 2026. Cleveland ranked 27th in home runs, and Velazquez has plus power from the left side along with a patient approach. He would join DeLauter and Bazzana as homegrown bats in the middle of the lineup.
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