Cleveland Baseball Insider

2025 Cleveland Guardians Top 30 Prospects: No. 27 OF Robert Arias

Arias' $1.9MM signing bonus in 2024 was the second highest ever for a Cleveland international free agent.

Todd Paquette

Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
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As we prepare for a new season, there’s no better time to bring you an up-to-date look at Cleveland Guardians on SI's top 30 prospects!

Rankings are based on live and video scouting, as well as having conversations with evaluators within and outside of the organization. The ultimate goal here is to inform our readers and give you information on some of the young talent in the organization that you can follow and look forward to seeing in the future at the MLB level.

While prospect lists are fun and entertaining for fans, they are not an end-all-be-all in terms of who makes it eventually to the major leagues. Remember, Jose Ramirez was never a top-100 prospect nationally and Steven Kwan wasn't considered top-20 prospect in the Guardians organization by many outside publications.

No. 27: OF Robert Arias

AGE - 18

BATS - Left

DOB - 9/13/2006

THROWS - Left

HT - 6'1"

SIGNED - 1/15/24

WT -168

ETA - 2029

The 18-year-old Arias was born on September 13, 2006, in Bonoa, Dominican Republic. Cleveland signed Arias as an international free agent on January 15th, 2024, for $1.9 million. The bonus was the second-highest ever by a Cleveland international free agent, trailing only former Guardians INF Gabriel Rodriguez who signed for $2.1 million back on July 2nd, 2018. Arias made his pro-debut during the 2024 season in the Dominican Summer League.

Scouting Grades

Hit - 55

Arm - 50

Power - 40

Field - 55

Run - 70

Overall - 45

Arias is a tremendous athlete that could be considered a true 5-tool prospect, especially if he adds more power. His 6-foot-1 lean frame is very projectable with the ability to add more muscle as he matures and develops.

Hit

His bat-to-ball skills are considered very advanced for his age as he has a special ability to barrel up balls consistently using the entire field of play. Arias is an aggressive hitter at the plate that tracks the ball extremely well with the ability to extend counts fouling off pitches deep in the box.

Power

Currently his power grades below average, but Arias has plenty of room and time to add more strength as he matures. He does show raw power during batting practice, but it has yet to transfer to game action at least in his first season. He has the potential to develop average power as he continues to develop.

Run

Blessed with 70-grade speed, Arias covers tremendous ground in center field. In his first pro-season he stole 29 stolen bases in just 41 games in the Dominican Summer League.

Field

Arias is a tremendous athlete with great instincts and speed to stick in center field long term. He currently projects to be an above average defender.

Arm

Currently his arm strength is considered average, but good enough for center field. It may play less if he shifts to a corner outfield spot.

2024 Stats

G

AB

R

H

2B

3B

HR

RBI

BB

SO

SB

AVG

OBP

SLG

ISO

OPS

wRC+

41

150

37

37

7

4

0

9

25

15

29

.247

.367

.347

.100

.713

102

In Arias' first professional season, the 17-year-old Arias underwhelmed with a .247 AVG, but was able to post a .367 OBP from the leadoff spot all season with 29 stolen bases in the Dominican Summer League. He collected 25 walks to just 15 strikeouts over his 41 games good for an 8.3% strikeout rate showcasing his bat-to-ball skills.

While Arias failed to hit a home run in 2024, he did collect 11 extra base hits including four triples showing off his above average speed. He finished the season with a 102 wRC+ over 180 plate appearances.

2025 and Future Outlook

Arias will begin his 2025 season as an 18-year-old in the Arizona Complex League. He's currently participating in minor league spring training out at the organizations Goodyear Development Complex. This off-season Robert put in a lot of work to get physical stronger an area he struggled some as a lean 6'1" 168 lbs 17-year-old last season. One thing to look for in 2025 is if all the work and added strength shows up and he is able to impact the ball more this year.

As far as his future outlook, Arias' game has a lot of tools and he could potentially be a dynamic center field piece for the organization. His ability to make contact and get on base and steal bases screams future lead-off hitter. I think his power will come as he continues to develop as a hitter, and he physically fills out his tall frame. Arias has a tremendous ceiling as a prospect, but fans will need to be patient as he may not appear in a Cleveland lineup at the MLB level until the 2029 season.

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Todd Paquette
TODD PAQUETTE

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