Cleveland Guardians prospect Ralphy Velazquez has been mashing the ball at Triple-A Columbus this month, and analysts around the game have taken notice. The first baseman was promoted from Double-A in mid-May, and a call-up to the major leagues may not be long from now.
Since Aug. 1, Velazquez has a .341/.420/.886 slash line with eight home runs and 14 RBIs in 44 plate appearances. Not only is he Cleveland’s No. 2 overall prospect, but he recently received another high honor from MLB.com.
In the latest update, the young Guardians infielder has risen to the top of its rankings among minor league first basemen, replacing Sal Stewart of the Cincinnati Reds at No. 1.
“After Stewart and Bryce Eldridge (Giants) became big leaguers, Velazquez jumped Charlie Condon (Rockies) to rank No. 1 among first basemen. Both have the ability to hit for both average and power and may be able to handle outfield duty if needed,” Jim Callis wrote.
Velazquez has been on this type of trajectory ever since he was selected in the first round, No. 23 overall, of the 2023 MLB Draft out of high school. Now 21 years old, he has risen level by level and opened the 2025 campaign at Double-A Akron.
There, he slashed .317/.414/.566 with seven homers and 30 RBIs in 36 games. After a slight adjustment period with Columbus, for the season, Velazquez is at .264/.348/.494 with 14 homers and 38 RBIs.
With 10 Guardians making their MLB debuts this season, including outfielder Chase DeLauter and second baseman Travis Bazzana, and most recently current No. 1 prospect infielder Angel Genao, Velazquez has remained in the minors, despite Cleveland’s glaring need for an improvement at first base. That could be a function of his age more than anything, because at 6-foot-1, 240 pounds, the left-handed hitter is physically developed enough to potentially succeed in the majors.
After Cleveland acquired Nathaniel Lowe from the Cincinnati Reds before the MLB trade deadline, starting first baseman Kyle Manzardo was sent down to Triple-A. After hitting 27 home runs in 2025, he was seen as a potential breakout star, but his shared time with veteran Rhys Hoskins did not work out for either player, and for the season, Guardians first basemen have a .211/.313/.385 slash line with 18 homers in 502 plate appearances.
There is a chance that Velazquez will arrive in the majors when the Guardians can expand their roster next month.
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