The Cleveland Guardians are known for being a relievers factory.
They produce so much talent at the position that they traded Nick Sandlin and Eli Morgan and their depth chart didn’t even feel it.
The staple of the Guardians as an organization is that no matter how good the names in the MLB bullpen are, they just keep on producing quality relievers.
On Sunday, we witnessed one name to watch for 2025 or 2026 when it comes to the bullpen: Magnus Ellerts.
The 2022 11th-round draft pick had a dominant 2024 in which he posted a 2.91 ERA in 55.2 frames between High-A and Double-A.
Ellerts took the mound on Sunday against the Angels and the results say he wasn’t particularly impressive, as he conceded a run on two walks while getting just two outs.
Exhibition games allow us to analyze more than the box score, though: we can focus on skills and future potential, and Ellerts has loads of both.
His fastball velocity, as Guardians Prospective illustrates, is already close to elite.
Cleveland #Guardians top pitching velocities vs the Angels
Magnus Ellerts (4-Seam Fastball) 97.2
Magnus Ellerts (4-Seam Fastball) 97.0
Magnus Ellerts (4-Seam Fastball) 96.4
Magnus Ellerts (4-Seam Fastball) 96.1
Magnus Ellerts (4-Seam Fastball) 95.8
Magnus Ellerts (Cutter) 95.8— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) February 23, 2025
He also has other weapons in his arsenal: excellent extension that makes his stuff more effective, a beautiful mid-90s cutter, and a solid slider.
Magnus Ellerts is the next bullpen demon in Cleveland’s lab.
Elite extension, top 10 cutter velo in MLB, low release point.
Stuff+ graphic via @mlbfeeelit and @TJStats pic.twitter.com/9CPyDYcNQi
— La Mole (@FranmilsEyebrow) February 24, 2025
The cutter already has solid velocity, sudden glove-side movement, and elements that invite us to think the pitch can be a weapon against MLB hitters right now.
With Ellerts, everything will come down to command and control.
His walk rate in Lake County was a less-than-ideal 13.9 percent.
He managed to lower it to 10.3 percent in Akron, but still needs more progress in that area.
In pitching style and stuff, Ellerts looks a lot like Emmanuel Clase.
He is obviously light years away from showing the consistency and overall excellence that the All-Star closer demonstrates every year.
The sky is the limit if Ellerts can improve his control, though.
NEXT: Guardians Prospects Enjoy Highly Productive Game At The Plate
