The Cleveland Guardians Top Prospect No One Is Talking About

Jaison Chourio deserves recognition as one of the Cleveland Guardians' best prospects.

Apr 15, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; A detail of the uniform of Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan during the game between the Cleveland Guardians and the San Francisco Giants at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians farm system drew a ton of attention in 2024.

Some of the common storylines involved the Guardians drafting Travis Bazzana as the No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft, Chase DeLauter's potential, and, unfortunately, his injury history. Kyle Manzardo was another hot topic until he eventually graduated from his prospect status.

With all of these storylines dominating the headlines, one of the Guardians' top prospects hasn't got the recognition he deserves, and it's time he gets it.

This would be Jaison Chourio, currently Cleveland's third-ranked prospect, who could have the highest potential of anybody in the Guardians' farm system.

And this has nothing to do with Bazzana, DeLauter, or someone such as Ralphy Velazquez. It has everything to do with what we've already seen from Chourio and how much more he can develop as a player.

A perfect example of how Chourio has flown under the radar was during All-Star weekend when much of the attention was given to Cleveland's four representatives in the game and the MLB Draft, which occurred that Sunday night.

Meanwhile, Chourio appeared in the MLB's Futures Stars game and went 1-for-2, including driving in the only run of the game for the American League.

Aug 15, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez picks up batting equipment while preparing on deck during the seventh inning in the game against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images / Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Chourio, the younger brother of current Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio, was signed by the Guardians organization in 2022. He was finally assigned to a team affiliate in 2023 and has done nothing but impress since then.

Chourio is only 19 years old, but in his three seasons at the minor league level, he has a .286/.430/.405 slash line and a .835 OPS. His incredible speed also makes him a threat on the base basepaths and in the outfield.

The 2024 season was finally when he started to get some real notice as he hit .269/.414/.398 with the Lynchburg Hillcats (Single-A).

One area where Chourio definitely still needs to improve is his power-hitting. He only hit five home runs and 24 doubles during the 2024 season, but power can always come as a player gets older.

The walk off winner from Jaison Chourio called by the voice of the Hillcats, Jason Prill! pic.twitter.com/rDNjriVrwu

— Lynchburg Hillcats (@LynHillcats) May 5, 2024

It will be some time before Chourio is even in contention to make his major league debut. MLB Pipeline estimates his arrival time in 2027, but it will be interesting to see how quickly he moves through Cleveland's system.

The Guardians are definitely in a position to part ways with some of their prospects in a trade to acquire a proven big-league player in order to establish themselves as World Series contenders.

However, Chourio should be one of the very few prospects who are untouchable in trade talks because of this superstar potential.