2 Young Guardians Who Are Primed To Improve In 2027

Teams like the Cleveland Guardians, those that continually defy the odds and exceed expectations, seem to always have a couple of young players ready to break out. It’s not a coincidence: they have a knack for spotting and nurturing talent.

Angel Martinez, Patrick Bailey, Matt Festa, Joey Cantillo, and, of course, Parker Messick were some guys who took a leap in 2026. The following two might do it next year:

Angel Genao

Angel Genao certainly had his moments in 2026, but overall, his MLB cameo wasn’t a successful one from a strictly statistical standpoint. He slashed a mediocre .213/.281/.291 with two home runs, a stolen base, and a 63 wRC+ in 43 games and 139 plate appearances.

However, he was a top-five organizational prospect in 2025 and 2026 for a reason: the talent is there for him to take a step forward next year. Consider this: he opened the season in Double-A and was rock-solid with a .271/.418/.412 line and a 133 wRC+ in 24 games. Then, he was promoted to Triple-A and was even better with a .309/.395/.494 line and a 135 wRC+.

Between the two levels, Genao showed off his power (13 homers) and speed (11 steals) with an incredible .401 OBP in 96 games. He has the complete package: bat-to-ball skills, power, on-base ability, and even defense, an area in which he excelled both in the minors and the majors.

Keep a close eye on Genao next year. He could take a gigantic leap.

Franco Aleman

Big things were expected from Franco Aleman at the beginning of the 2026 season. He had been dominating in Triple-A since 2024, when he posted a 1.99 ERA at the level, but the 2025 campaign brought with it a 7.85 ERA in 36.2 innings, so he needed to show he is much better than that.

For the most part, Aleman did: in 34 Triple-A frames this year, he put up a pristine 1.32 ERA with 50 punchouts. However, his 4.43 MLB ERA in 22.1 innings wasn’t as good as he and the organization had hoped.

It was Aleman’s first exposure to MLB pitching, though, and there are reasons to believe he learned from the experience and will be ready to be much, much better in 2027.

Aleman’s high-90s heat, excellent breaking ball, and youth will likely give him enough weapons to overcome brief lapses in command and a penchant for allowing home runs. He could eventually earn his way into manager Stephen Vogt’s circle of trust.