The Cleveland Guardians are having great success this season, thanks to their impressive pipeline of talent. That extends beyond the major leagues throughout the organization.
With several of the top-ranked prospects simply waiting for their eventual MLB debuts, they are putting together fine campaigns at every level of the minors. That includes one recent first-round draft pick who is starting to live up to that draft status.
Guardians prospect Jace LaViolette recently earned a notable minor league award, as the outfielder was named the Midwest League Player of the Week.
“Jace LaViolette is the Midwest League Player of the Week! He ended the series against Lansing riding a 7-game hit streak and a 4-game extra-base hit streak. LaViolette is the third Lake County Captains player to win the award this season,” GuardsInsider posted.
Jace LaViolette is the @MiLB Midwest League Player of the Week!
He ended the series against Lansing riding a 7-game hit streak and a 4-game extra-base hit streak 💥 LaViolette is the third @LCCaptains player to win the award this season.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/AcSsBkUA6F
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) May 25, 2026
After LaViolette was considered to be the potential No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 MLB Draft, he fell to Cleveland at No. 27 overall after a disappointing final season at Texas A&M. That included a fractured left hand that kept him from making his professional debut until this season at Single-A+.
At 6-foot-6, 228 pounds, Laviolette hit 68 home runs during his college career. That power is starting to show itself for Lake County, as he has a .667 slugging percentage over his past 10 games, including three home runs, which gives him eight on the year.
Ranked as Cleveland’s No. 7 overall prospect by MLB.com, LaViolette has a slash line of .237/.340/.489 in 33 games this season. However, almost half of his outs have been strikeouts, with 61 in his 135 at-bats, which is much more than his total of hits (32) and walks (18) combined.
That plate discipline will have to improve for LaViolette to climb the organizational ladder this season and going forward. There is a great deal of competition for roster spots, with young outfielders Chase DeLauter, to whom LaViolette has been compared, and Angel Martinez already in the major leagues, and prospects Ralphy Velazquez, Jaison Chourio and Khalil Watson having very good seasons at higher levels in the minors.
However, if LaViolette can keep up the recent level of play that earned him this award, he could be moving up to join those players sometime in the near future.
NEXT: Guardians Bullpen Suffers Huge Injury Blow
