Cleveland Baseball Insider

Cleveland Guardians 2023 Top 50 Prospects, No. 45 SS Welbyn Francisca

The Guardians Francisca is considered one of the top young hitters in the entire 2022 MLB International signing class

Todd Paquette

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As the future of the organization prepares for a new year and spring training to begin, there’s no better time to bring you the Cleveland Baseball Insiders top 50 prospects for the upcoming 2023 season.

The Guardians are widely regarded as having one of the deepest and top farm systems in all of baseball. So deep, in fact, that it was very difficult to trim the list down to just 50 players I think could have an impact at the MLB level. I probably could easily have ended up listing 75 or more players.

I am implementing the Fangraphs future value grading scale which you will be able to locate under each player video. Future Value is a grade on the 20-80 scale that maps to anticipated annual WAR production during the player’s first six years of service.

My rankings are based off seeing the players live, watching video and having conversations with other evaluators and writers. While prospect lists are fun and entertaining for fans, they are not an end-all-be-all in terms of who make it eventually to the major leagues. Remember, Jose Ramirez was never a top 100 prospect nationally and Oscar Gonzalez wasn't even a top 20 prospect in the Guardians organization.

The ultimate goal here is to inform our readers and give you information on some of the young talent in the organization that they can follow and look forward to seeing in the future at the MLB level.

No. 45 Welbyn Francisca - SS

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2022 Stats

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Bio

The switch hitting 16-year-old switch hitting shortstop Welbyn Francisca signed out of La Romona, Dominican Republic for $1.375MM on 1/15/23 with the Guardians. Francisca trained with HYL Baseball Academy in the Dominican Republic. He is the organizations top sign for the 2022 international class.

Francisca has huge upside and was ranked as the 5th best overall international prospect for the 2022 international signing period by Fangraphs, 22nd by Baseball America and 28th by MLBPipeline.

2022 Season

Did not play, he will make his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League during the 2023 season.

Scouting Report

Considered one of the most exciting and advanced bats in the class. He has a chance to be a plus hitter with outstanding bat to ball skills from both sides of the plate and the ability to barrel up balls consistently throughout the zone. As he fills out more and matures, he has the possibility to add power to his game especially with his tremendous bat speed.

Francisca possesses outstanding speed and has posted double plus run times and could potentially develop into a base-stealer. His quickness and athletic ability along with plus instincts allow him to cover a lot of ground on defense. His arm is considered close to plus and he should be able to stay at shortstop as he advances through the system, but he could easily transition to second base.

2023 and Future Outlook

Francisca like mentioned above is scheduled to make his pro-debut in the Dominican Summer League in 2023. He likely will remain there the entire season but if he dominates, he could find himself with a promotion to the Arizona Complex League like fellow switch-hitting shortstop Brayan Rocchio did during his inaugural first season. There is a ton of middle infield talent ahead of him so it's more likely he remains in the DSL all year.

Francisca has one of the highest ceilings one any prospect currently in the Guardians system despite his age. If he can continue to develop and avoid injuries, you're looking at a floor of an MLB regular and ceiling of a potential impact player to future All-Star. The kid has the potential to be very special.

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Read More:

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WATCH: David Fry Hits First Home Run For The Guardians In 2023

What To Watch For In First Guardians Spring Training Game

Guardians Reveal Lineup For First Spring Training Game

Guardians 2023 Top 50 Prospects, No. 46 INF Dayan Frias

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Todd Paquette
TODD PAQUETTE

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