Guardians Top Outfield Prospect Shares His Biggest Strengths, Weaknesses

Chase DeLauter of the Cleveland Guardians believes injuries have been his biggest weakness since being selected in the 2022 MLB Draft.

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-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

While the Cleveland Guardians were battling in the ALCS, one of their future starts was getting a lot of work done in the desert as part of the Arizona Fall League.

Chase DeLauter, Cleveland's second-ranked prospect, is once again playing in the Arizona Fall League over the next few months. In an interview with MLB.com during the AFL, DeLauter shared what he thinks are his biggest strengths and weaknesses.

"My biggest weakness? Honestly, I think it's just not staying on the field. They say like, 'Availability is the best ability.' So, that's gotta be my biggest weakness," shared DeLauter.

"I think my biggest strength is just kind of my presence in the box. I'm a bigger guy, so obviously, they think I'm just going to hit for straight power. But I really kind of play, I almost kind of play more like a contact hitter. I feel like I work situations. I won't just swing out of my shoes whenever I don't need to. I'll work to do whatever I can to get the barrel on the ball, and I think those are really important tools to have at the professional level."

This is a pretty fair self-evaluation of what we've seen from DeLauter in his minor-league career.

There's no denying that the 23-year-old has all the talent in the world to be a star at the big-league level. However, his injuries have been a major concern since he was selected in the first round of the 2022 MLB Draft.

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-Imagn Images / Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images

DeLauter missed significant time during the 2024 minor league season with two separate injuries.

Hopefully, the AFL can be an opportunity for DeLauter to make up for some lost at-bats due to the injuries he faced during the regular season. The Guardians could look at him early in 2025 to be part of their future outfield core.