Cleveland Guardians Have New No. 1 Prospect In Latest Rankings

Travis Bazzana becomes the Cleveland Guardians' top prospect, per MLB Pipeline.

Jun 30, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians ball bag sits in the dugout prior to the game against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports / William Purnell-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians had a complete remake of their farm system following the 2024 MLB Draft. With so many new faces in the organization, new prospect rankings were bound to come sooner rather than later.

MLB Pipeline released their latest top prospects rankings for all big league organizations, including the Guardians. Unsurprisingly, Cleveland has a new No. 1 prospect at the top of their list. 

That honor now goes to Travis Bazzana, who the Guardians drafted in last month’s draft. 

Here’s how the rest of the top 10 shakes out.

1. Travis Bazzana, 2B, High-A
2. Chase DeLauter, OF, Double-A
3. Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Triple-A
4. Jaison Chourio, OF,
5. Ralphy Velazquez, High-A
6. Angel Genao, INF, High-A
7. C.J. Kayfus, 1B/OF, Double-A
8. Angel Martinez, INF/OF, Triple-A
9. Braylon Doughty, RHP, ROK
10. Juan Brito, INF/OF, Triple-A

Bazzana becoming Cleveland’s top prospect shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone. However, Bazzana’s introduction does move Chase DeLauter out of that spot, as the outfielder has dealt with a variety of injuries this season. 

Jul 14, 2024; Ft. Worth, TX, USA; The Cleveland Guardians select Travis Bazzana with the first pick during the first round of the MLB Draft at Cowtown Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Some other big moves include Cleveland’s 2024 second-round pick, Braylon Doughty, becoming Cleveland's ninth-overall prospect. There’s been so much hype about Cleveland selecting Bazzana in the draft that some may have forgotten that they also secured one of the top arms in the class too. 

It’s still possible fans will see some of these prospects at the major league leave this season. Angel Martinez played a key role in July before being optioned, Kyle Manzardo had a stint with the big-league club in May, and Juan Brito's ETA is still set for 2024.

Either way, Cleveland’s future is clearly bright, and these rankings are one more example of that.