The Cleveland Guardians have had great success using the MLB Draft to fill out their lineup with top-level prospects. They have used most of their recent first-round picks on college hitters, which has paid off with the arrival of Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana in the big leagues.
Now, with the 2026 MLB Draft one month away, the Guardians are being projected to follow that same path again. Fortunately, they will have some options to choose from.
The Guardians are being linked to a promising infield prospect in MLB.com’s latest mock draft, which has Cleveland selecting Mississippi State third baseman Ace Reese at No. 19 overall.
“The Guardians have taken a left-handed hitter in the first round in each of the last four drafts, three of them from the college ranks. They could very well go down that road again this year, with Reese or [Sawyer] Strosnider the leading contenders, with [Trevor] Condon a possibility if they look at the high school crop,” Jonathan Mayo wrote.
Reese was also the Guardians’ selection in ESPN’s latest mock draft. This season, he had a slash line of .336/.432/.721, giving him a 1.152 OPS in 62 games. He had 83 hits and 73 runs scored, with 23 doubles, 24 home runs, and 74 RBIs.
It was his second straight strong season for Mississippi State after transferring from Houston. In 2024, he slashed .352/.422/.718 with a 1.140 OPS, 80 hits, 58 runs, 18 doubles, 21 home runs and 66 RBIs in 57 games played.
Mayo says the Guardians could also consider Strosnider, an outfielder from TCU whom he projects to go at No. 25 overall to the Milwaukee Brewers. Or it could be Condon, a high school outfielder from Georgia, whom Mayo has at No. 22 to the Detroit Tigers.
DeLauter, an outfielder, was Cleveland’s first-round pick out of Old Dominion in the 2022 MLB Draft, followed by high school 1B/OF Ralphy Velaquez in 2023. Bazzana was the third straight lefty batter they took in the first round, with the second baseman coming out of Oregon State as the No. 1 overall pick in 2024. Last year, the Guardians chose Florida State outfielder Jace LaViolette with their first-round selection.
Cleveland hasn’t taken a pitcher in the first round since selecting Gavin Williams in 2021, so, based on recent history, Reese could indeed be its choice this time around.
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