Cleveland Baseball Insider

Two Cleveland Guardians Prospects Climb Into MLB Pipeline’s Top 100

Single-A Cleveland prospects Ralphy Velazquez and Jaison Chourio are having strong respective 2024 seasons so far.

Logan Potosky

Lynchburg Hillcats first baseman Ralphy Velazquez (24).
Lynchburg Hillcats first baseman Ralphy Velazquez (24). / @lynhillcats via Instagram / Gary Streiffer
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The Cleveland Guardians had four prospects on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 Prospects list before the 2024 season began.

While Cleveland’s number remains the same in the list’s latest update, two new names have entered.

1B Ralphy Velazquez (No. 100) and OF Jaison Chourio (No. 96) have both made a strong impression with the Single-A Lynchburg Hillcats so far this year.

Velazquez, who will turn 19 years old later this month, is MLB Pipeline’s fourth-ranked Guardians prospect. Cleveland’s 2023 first-round pick has displayed a strong bat in his first season at the affiliated Minor League level. 

He currently ranks top-10 among qualified Carolina League hitters in: home runs (six, second), total bases (53, tied for second), RBI (22, tied for sixth), extra-base hits (11, tied for sixth), slugging percentage (.477, seventh), and OPS (.829, ninth). Velazquez also ranks tied for 11th in the league with 30 hits, and has a pair of two-home run games so far this season. 

Lynchburg Hillcats first baseman Ralphy Velazquez (24).
Lynchburg Hillcats first baseman Ralphy Velazquez (24). / @lynhillcats via Instagram / Gary Streiffer

Chourio, who will turn 19 years old this upcoming Sunday, is MLB Pipeline’s third-ranked Guardians prospect. The Maracaibo, Venezuela native has also fared well at the plate to begin his first full season of affiliated Minor League Baseball. 

He currently ranks top-10 among Carolina League hitters in: on-base percentage (.448, second), runs scored (24, second), walks (25, tied for second), OPS (.871, fourth), stolen bases (12, tied for seventh), and batting average (.299, eighth). 

Looking back to MLB Pipeline’s preseason overall prospect rankings, OF Chase DeLauter moved up nine spots, jumping from 31st to 22nd, and 1B Kyle Manzardo leaped 20 spots from 59th to 39th on the list. SS Brayan Rocchio graduated from “prospect” status, while RHP Daniel Espino, who underwent pitching shoulder surgery this past March, is now no longer on the list.

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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

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