The best thing that can be said about any MLB prospect is that when they arrive, they seem to fit right in and do not look like a rookie at all. If that happens once in a season, a team is likely way ahead of the game.
This season, the Cleveland Guardians are fortunate enough to have three rookies who are playing like they have been around for quite some time. Now that second baseman Travis Bazzana, outfielder Chase DeLauter, and starting pitcher Parker Messick are finally in the majors together, they not only look like the future foundation they were expected to be, but also like some of the team’s most important contributors in the present.
Analyst Cade Cracas is raving about the three budding Guardians players, saying they “feel like they’re not prospects.”
“You came into this year with so many prospects. Are these guys going to actually pan out? Who was going to be on the major league roster? You go to MLB.com and they had Bazzana as the 20th, DeLauter as the 46th, and Messick as the 95th. All of those guys feel like they’re not prospects,” Cracas said.
Bazz, CDL, and Parker have been NUTS since debuting off the Top 100 list. #GuardsBall
"All of those guys don't feel like prospects."
– @cracascade pic.twitter.com/td80RuNQBJ
— The Daily Guards (@DailyGuards) May 10, 2026
Each of them has a different level of experience after making their MLB debuts at different stages. Messick was the first to arrive, getting called up last August when the Guardians made the unorthodox move to a six-man rotation as they were trying to chase down the Detroit Tigers in the standings.
The left-hander was up to the task, posting a 3-1 record with a 2.72 ERA. There was some early spring training talk that he might not have a role in the normal five-man rotation this season, but he earned his spot and has been even better, with a 4-1 record and 2.30 ERA that has him among the best pitchers in the American League.
DeLauter was limited by injury in his three minor league seasons, but his potential was so great that he was called up to make his MLB debut in a postseason game. Now, with some ups and downs in his first full season, he has delivered on the considerable hype, with a .299 batting average, .901 OPS, six home runs, and 25 RBIs that have him as a strong contender for AL Rookie of the Year.
Bazzana was the last to arrive, called up after one month at Triple-A this season, and despite a slow start, he has his first MLB home run and an impressive number of stolen bases.
NEXT: Analyst Reveals Biggest Surprise Of Guardians' Patrick Bailey Trade
