Guardians Invite 12 More Non-Roster Players To Spring Training Camp

Kyle Manzardo, Petey Halpin, and Anthony Gose are among 12 additional non-roster players whom Cleveland has invited to its 2024 Spring Training camp.

The Cleveland Guardians will begin their spring training in less than a month, when pitchers and catchers will have their first workout.

With spring training on the way soon, Cleveland has added more players to its Major League squad that will be in Goodyear, Arizona.

On Friday, the team announced that they have extended 12 more internal non-roster invitations to their Major League Spring Training camp.

Guardians extend 12 internal non-roster invitations to Major League Spring Training camp pic.twitter.com/UYVWE45oXn

— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) January 19, 2024

With the invites for pitchers Jaime Barria and Adam Oller having already been announced earlier this offseason, the Guardians now have invited 14 total non-roster players to spring training.

Here is a breakdown of the team’s 12 newest spring training invitees, in alphabetical order.

Franco Aleman

The hard-throwing relief pitcher was a 10th-round pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of the University of Florida.

After beginning last season with High-A Lake County, the 23-year-old right-hander had an incredible rest of the year with Double-A Akron. In 19 Double-A appearances, Aleman did not allow a single earned run and converted each of his seven save opportunities, going 2-2 with two holds, a 0.58 WHIP, a .111 opposing batting average, and an average of 14.25 strikeouts per nine innings.

Michael Berglund

The catcher was claimed off waivers by the Guardians in early December of 2022.

The 26-year-old played 52 games with Double-A Akron last season, hitting .161 with 25 hits, four doubles, five home runs, 21 RBI, and a .593 OPS.

Tanner Burns

The right-handed pitcher was the 36th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of the University of Auburn.

The 25-year-old has spent the last two seasons with Double-A Akron, going 8-10 with a 3.29 ERA, one complete game, one hold, one save (in his only opportunity), 178 strikeouts, a 1.31 WHIP, and a .222 opposing batting average.

Raynel Delgado

The second baseman was a sixth-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Calvary Christian Academy (FL).

After playing his first seven games of last season with Double-A Akron, the 23-year-old played his final 104 contests with Triple-A Columbus. In Triple-A, Delgado hit .254 with 87 hits, 15 doubles, seven home runs, 33 RBI, 14 stolen bases, and a .714 OPS.

Nic Enright

The relief pitcher was a 20th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Virginia Tech University.

After being selected in the 2022 MLB Rule 5 Draft, the 27-year-old was returned to the Guardians last season. Upon his return, Enright made his final 25 relief appearances with Triple-A Columbus, going 5-2 with a 5.45 ERA, one hold, one save (in five opportunities), a 1.50 WHIP, and an average of 9.87 strikeouts per nine innings.

The right-hander has an inspiring story for Cleveland fans to follow, as he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in December of 2022.

Anthony Gose

After beginning his professional baseball career in 2008 as a center fielder, the 33-year-old has been a left-handed relief pitcher since the 2017 season.

Gose’s most recent game action at the Minor or Major League level was with the Guardians in 2022, when he went 3-0 with a 4.71 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, .197 opposing batting average, and an average of 12.00 strikeouts per nine innings. However, a left triceps strain in early July ended his season early.

Jun 28, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians relief pitcher Anthony Gose (26) delivers a pitch in the seventh inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field / © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

Petey Halpin

The center fielder was a third-round pick in the 2020 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of St. Francis High School (CA).

The 21-year-old ended the 2023 season as the Guardians’ 21st-ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline. Halpin spent all of last season with Double-A Akron, hitting .243 with 110 hits, 23 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 38 RBI, 12 stolen bases, and a .684 OPS.

Ahead of this season, Baseball America named him the Best Defensive Outfielder among Cleveland’s prospects.

Bryan Lavastida

The catcher was a 15th-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Hillsborough Community College.

The 25-year-old played 108 games across Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus last season, hitting .240 with 94 hits, 18 doubles, 12 home runs, 70 RBI, 16 stolen bases, and a .719 OPS.

Lavastida made his MLB debut with the Guardians in 2022, going 1-for-12 at the plate with three walks and four strikeouts in six games.

Kyle Manzardo

The first baseman was acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays last season in the Aaron Civale trade.

The 23-year-old ended the 2023 season as MLB Pipeline’s 58th-ranked prospect, and was announced earlier today as their second-ranked first baseman prospect ahead of the upcoming campaign.

In his 21 games with Triple-A Columbus after being traded, Manzardo hit .256 with 20 hits, eight doubles, six home runs, 16 RBI, and a .938 OPS. This offseason, he was named a 2023 Arizona Fall League Fall Star and participated in the league’s home run derby.

Micah Pries

The first baseman/outfielder was a 13th-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Point Loma Nazarene University.

The 25-year-old spent all of last season with Triple-A Columbus, hitting .232 with 93 hits, 27 doubles, four triples, 14 home runs, 43 RBI, and a .752 OPS.

Pries was also named a 2022 Guardians Organization All-Star after hitting .266 with 119 hits, 29 doubles, five triples, 18 home runs, 73 RBI, 20 stolen bases, and an .814 OPS with Double-A Akron.

Eric Rodriguez

The catcher was a 21st-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Wallace Community College.

Last season, the 25-year-old had four different stints on the Development List, and spent four days on the 7-day injured list. In all, Rodriguez played nine games with Triple-A Columbus, hitting .263 with five hits, one double, one RBI, and a .634 OPS.

Daniel Schneemann

The utility infielder was a 33rd-round pick in the 2018 MLB Draft by Cleveland out of Brigham Young University.

The 26-year-old spent all of last season with Triple-A Columbus, hitting .267 with 112 hits, 30 doubles, 13 home runs, 60 RBI, 17 stolen bases, and a .797 OPS. Schneemann also showed considerable defensive versatility, playing 66 games at third base, 30 games at shortstop, and 15 games at second base.