Cleveland Guardians Elite Prospect Already Making Massive Impact Since Promotion

Chase DeLauter has a 1.146 OPS since the Cleveland Guardians promoted him to Triple-A.

Feb 29, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (6) grounds out in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

There's never been any doubt that Cleveland Guardians No. 2 ranked prospect Chase DeLauter had the talent to succeed when he was drafted 16th overall in the 2022 MLB Draft.

Unfortunately, injuries have affected his development since he was selected, but fans are finally getting a glimpse of Cleveland's (hopefully near-term) future.

DeLauter was promoted to the Columbus Clippers (Triple-A) last week after spending the end of last season and almost all of this year with the Akron RubberDucks (Double-A).

It's only been a week, but the 22-year-old is already making a massive impact in Columbus' lineup.

Feb 29, 2024; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Chase DeLauter (6) catches a fly ball in the third inning against the Los Angeles Angels during a spring training game at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports / Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

DeLauter played in his seventh game with the Clippers on Wednesday evening and finished the game 1-for-4 with a walk and no strikouts. However, he did open up the game with an incredible inside-the-park home run.

The outfield prospect has done nothing but produce since being promoted in Cleveland's system. He now has a slash line of .304/.407/.739 with an OPS 1.146, including two home runs and seven RBI at the Triple-A level.

Inside the park HR DeLauter!#Guardians 22yr old OF prospect Chase DeLauter leads of tonight's game for Columbus with an inside the park HR at Gwinnett!

DeLauter is now batting .350 with the Clippers and has a 1.285 OPS.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/xgGIbq8UO3

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 28, 2024

Also, DeLauter currently has more walks (four) than strikeouts (two), showing just how well he's seeing the ball at the plate. It's not uncommon for a hitter to go through an adjustment period when moving up to the next level, but DeLauter has hit the ground running.

We do have to hold our breath, though, because DeLauter exited Wednesday's game in the ninth inning after reaching base on an error. Hopefully, given his injury history, this was just out of extreme caution. But we'll have to wait a little longer to hear more about what exactly happened.