Trending Up, Trending Down: Cleveland Guardians' Top Prospects

Here are some of the top Cleveland Guardians' prospects who are recently trending up and down.

Apr 3, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Columbus Clippers celebrate their 3-0 win over the Omaha Storm Chasers during Opening Day at Huntington Park. / Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK

Now that the MLB Trade Deadline is over, it's time to take a look at some of the Cleveland Guardians' top prospects and how they are doing in the minor leagues:

Trending Up: Matthew Wilkinson, LHP

Tugboat mania is in full effect.

The Guardians' No. 30 ranked prospect has been dominant in his second season within Cleveland's farm system. During the second half of the minor league season, the left-handed pitcher has only given up eight earned runs on 19 hits while striking out 51 batters.

#Guardians 21yr old LHP prospect Matt "Tugboat" Wilkinson punched out six Dayton batters tonight allowing just one run on one hit over 5.1 innings of work for Lake County.

Wilkinson now has 150 strikeouts in just 97.1 innings of work with a sparkling 1.94 ERA. 🤯

Line - 5.1(IP)… pic.twitter.com/X7pjW4hBti

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 9, 2024

Wilkinson made the jump to High-A Lake County back in May and continues to look sharp. The 21-year-old holds a 2.53 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP with the Captains. Cleveland may have found a hidden gem in the former 10-round pick.

Trending Down: Will Dion, LHP

While starting pitching remains a concern for the Guardians, they won't be able to find help in their minor league system.

Will Dion was projected to make the jump to the majors this season, but the left-handed pitcher has struggled in Triple-A Columbus this year. Dion was on the fast track to Cleveland after tearing it up in the minors last year but has cooled off in 2024. The 24-year-old has a 5.89 ERA with 53 earned runs in 20 starts.

Cleveland's No. 22 ranked prospect still has the potential to be a quality arm at the next level, but it's unlikely that he will be in Cleveland this season.

Trending Up: Andrew Walters, RHP

Continuing with pitching prospects, Andrew Walters is a name fans should learn.

The former Miami University righty has found his role in Triple-A Columbus and has established himself as the Clippers' primary closer. In his nine appearances during the month of July, Walters carried a 2.89 ERA with 16 strikeouts and five saves.

#Guardians 23yr old RHP relief prospect Andrew Walters picked up his 5th save for Columbus striking out a pair of Memphis batters.

Walters hasn't allowed a run over his last 11 appearances.

Line - 1.0(IP) 0H 0R 0ER 0BB 2SO

Last 11 - 10.2(IP) 3H 0R 0ER 8BB 17SO 0.00 ERA

2024… pic.twitter.com/ByNUAoNG9w

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) July 24, 2024

Even though the Guardians' bullpen is filled with talented arms, there's a chance Walters could eventually make his way up to Cleveland this season. It never hurts to have extra juice in the bullpen.

Trending Down: Wuilfredo Antunez, OF

There was a ton of promise for outfielder Wuilfredo Antunez at the beginning of the season, but his hot start ended last month. The Guardians' No. 27 ranked prospect finished the month of July batting .197 in Single-A Lynchburg.

The 22-year-old prospect still had three triples in July, but the strikeouts were still prevalent. If Antunez could remain consistent throughout the season, he could easily climb up the rankings in Cleveland's farm system.

Trending Up: Cooper Ingle, C

Since the list is loaded with pitchers, why not give some extra love to catcher Cooper Ingle?

Cleveland's No. 28 prospect is lighting it up in Lake County this season, batting .309 with 18 doubles and 54 RBIs. His 1.047 OPS during the month of July displays how efficient he's been at the plate.

#Guardians 22yr old (C) prospect Cooper Ingle reached base 3x tonight (2-5 3R HR 3RBI BB) in the completion of Tuesdays suspended game for Lake County in their win at Dayton that included this huge 3-run HR in the 11th inning! The HR was his 9th of the season. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/2pQpru7Q7j

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) August 8, 2024

Ingle has put up monster numbers against right-handed pitching this year, batting .341 with nine home runs and 44 RBIs. The Guardians selected another catcher Zack Cozart, during the 2024 MLB Draft, which makes the team's farm system even more scary in the catcher department.