Cleveland Guardians Make Plethora Of Minor League Roster Moves

Cleveland Guardians: The Lake County Captains now how Travis Bazzana, Jacob Cozart, and Ralphy Velazquez on their roster.

Aug 28, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, US; West infielder/catcher Ralphy Velazquez (24) during the Perfect Game All-American Classic high school baseball game at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Now is the time of the season when fans should pay attention to the minor league transactions just as much as the major league roster moves. With all of the new players entering the organization from the MLB Draft, there will be plenty of organizational movement over the next month.

The Cleveland Guardians started all of this activity on Monday with a plethora of minor league roster moves.

Cleveland Guardians Minor League Roster Moves (August 12, 2024)

- C Mica Ramirez from Akron (Double-A) to Columbus (Triple-A) was placed on the developmental list.
- C Cooper Ingle and INF Tyresse Turner from Lake County (High-A) to Akron (Double-A). Turner was placed on the developmental list.
- C Jacob Cozart from the Arizona Complex League to Lake County (High-A).
- INF Kevin Rivas, INF Ralphy Velazquez, OF Wuikfredo Antunez, and RHP Yorman Gomez from Lynchburg (Low-A) to Lake Couty (High-A).
- C Bennett Thompson, INF Garrett Howe, OF Ryan Cesarini, and LHP Caden Favors from Arizona Complex League to Lynchburg (Low-A).

Two of the biggest moves here have to do with the Cleveland's top draft picks from the last two years.

Ralphy Velazquez was the Guardians' first-round pick in 2023. He's spent the last year in Lynchburg posting a .250/.364/.437 slash line and 12 home runs during his minor league career.

Velazquez was drafted as a catcher out of Huntington Beach High School, but he appears to be making a shift to first base with the majority of his playing time coming at first base. It'll be interesting to see how Velazquez is used on defense in Lake County.

Aug 28, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, US; West infielder/catcher Ralphy Velazquez (24) during the Perfect Game All-American Classic high school baseball game at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Jacob Cozart was Cleveland's second-round pick in the 2024 Draft and was recently signed to the organization. He now joins fellow top draft pick Travis Bazzana in High-A.

With Bazzana, Cozart, and Velazquez all on the Captains' roster, the Lake County Captains are certainly going to be a fun team to keep an eye on for the rest of the season.