As we continue our coverage of the upcoming 2026 MLB draft, which begins Saturday, I’ll be reviewing the last four Cleveland Guardians drafts, which have added considerable depth to their minor league system.
Just FYI, the age listed below is the age of the players when they were drafted just about four years ago, so just add four years for their current age.
1 (16). Chase DeLauter. OF/LHH. Age 20. $3.75M bonus.
The Guardians drafted DeLauter 16th overall in the first round out of James Madison University. Here’s what Cleveland scouting director Scott Barnsby had to say about the powerful right-hander at the time:
”He’s physical, has performed extremely well and he’s an intense competitor. This spring he was having an outstanding year — hitting .487 with eight homers, 10 stolen bases — and then ended up fracturing his foot in April.”
Injuries were a recurring theme for DeLauter, as he missed time every single minor league season from 2023-25 after not debuting the year he was drafted due to an injury. But when he was on the field, my goodness it was magical. DeLauter posted a 160 wRC+ across three levels in 57 games in 2023, then a 133 wRC+ across AA and AAA in 2024. He made his pro debut in 2025 – during the MLB playoffs, which shows what Cleveland thought of him at the time.
Crazy as it sounds, DeLauter’s healthiest season thus far has been this one (knock on wood). He made the roster out of Spring Training and has played 75 games thus far slashing .276/.342/.427 with a 117 wRC+ as one of MLB’s best rookies. Here’s hoping he can stay healthy.
2 (37). Justin Campbell. RHH. Age 21. $1.7M bonus.
Drafted out of Oklahoma State, Campbell was a physical specimen standing 6-foot-7. Here’s what Barnsby had to say about him on draft day :
”Campbell is a physical right-hander who can reach 97 mph. He pitches with an easy, average fastball and can reach back and get more whenever he wants it. He has a really feel for his changeup and throws strikes.”
Crazy as it sounds, Campbell had to wait nearly four years before making his pro debut. He missed the 2023 season after undergoing ulnar nerve decompression surgery in May 2023, and then required Tommy John surgery, causing him to miss the 2024 season as well. He finally debuted at High-A Lake County as a 25-year-old an the results have been … spectacular!
Campbell dominated High-A with a 1.97 FIP over six starts, then was promoted to Double-A, where he impressed with a 2.70 ERA over nine starts while striking out 10.8 batters per nine innings. Not wasting any time, Campbell then earned a promotion to Triple-A, but he didn’t get the opportunity to face a batter before sustaining an oblique injury during warm-up before his first game. The good news, is it isn’t an arm issue and he should hopefully be back on the mound later this year as one of the top comeback stories in all of minor league baseball.
3 (54). Parker Messick. LHP. Age 21. $1.3M bonus.
Parker Messick has been a downright revelation for Cleveland. He soared through Cleveland’s minor league system, posting a 3.87 FIP across Single-A and High-A in 2023, then improving to a 3.08 FIP across High-A and Double-A in 2024. He was so good after debuting at Triple-A in 2025 that he was promoted to Cleveland in the second half of the season and he hasn’t looked back, posting a 2.72 ERA in 2025 and then making his first All-Star team as a rookie this year while being Cleveland’s most consistent starting pitcher on the roster.
4 (92). Joe Lampe. OF/LHH. Age 21. $800K bonus.
Lampe has been solidly average with his bat throughout his MiLB career. He spent all of 2023 at High-A Lake County, where he posted a 94 wRC+. He followed that with a 102 wRC+ season at Double-A in 2024. He has spent the last two seasons split between Double-A and Triple-A but is picking the worst time to have his worst season as a professional with so many top outfield prospects in Cleveland’s system. He’s running out of time.
5 (121). Nate Furman. 2B/LHH. Age 20. $300K bonus.
Furman flashed his 70-grade speed with Lynchburg in 2023, stealing 27 bases in 40 games with a 20% walk rate while slashing .328/.486/.375, good for a 159 wRC+. Furman again got off to a hot start in 2024, this time at High-A, playing even better due to finding his power as he slashed .338/.417/.500 and earning a promotion to Double-A. He then was traded to San Francisco as the player to be named later as part of the Alex Cobb deal along with prep pitching prospect Jacob Bresnehan. Furman currently is at Triple-A in the Giants system, where he’s posting a 107 wRC+ on the season.
6 (151). Guy Lipscomb. OF/LHH. Age 21. $280K bonus.
Another speedster, Lipscomb was rock solid in his pro debut in 2023, slashing .263/.386/.351 with Lynchburg, good for a 118 wRC+ while also stealing 48 bases in 75 games played. Lipscomb was promoted to High-A for 2024, where he again impressed, earning a late season promotion to Double-A and slashing .273/.380/.409. He came back down to Earth in 2025 with an exactly average 100 wRC+ season and then struggled mightily this year before being released.
7 (181). Dylan DeLucia. RHP. Age 21. $275K bonus.
DeLucia had his pro debut delayed after undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2023. He made his pro debut in 2024, impressing with a 2.55 ERA across three levels and finishing the year at High-A Lake County. DeLucia struggled a bit in 2025, but still earned a promotion to Double-A, where he actually performed significantly better with a 3.19 ERA across 13 starts. After representing Italy in the World Baseball Classic this year, DeLucia has struggled while repeating at Double-A. He currently has a 7.18 ERA and a 5.96 FIP through 15 starts.
8 (211). Javier Santos. RHP. Age 19. $125K bonus.
Selected as a 19-year-old out of Georgia Premier Academy, Santos never figured it out for Cleveland. He pitched 17 games in 2024 but had a 17.74 ERA across 17 appearances and was given his outright release late that season.
9 (241). Jackson Humphries. LHP. Age 17. $600K bonus.
A prep southpaw selected out of North Carolina, Humphries has made slow and stead progress through Cleveland’s system. He has filthy strikeout stuff, although walks have consistently been an issue for him. Humphries had the best start of his career earlier this year, striking out 10 batters in 5.0 innings while allowing one run on two hits with zero walks, but he’s also had games where he walked six. The good news is he’s posting a career-high strikeout rate in his age-21 season at High-A this year. He’s an arm worth keeping an eye on.
10 (271). Austin Peterson. RHP. Age 22. $130K bonus.
Standing 6-foot-6, Peterson was one of Cleveland’s most surprising arms in 2024, almost leading all of MiLB with a super impressive 0.89 WHIP for his entire season spent across High-A and Double-A. Most recently, Peterson was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster and while his ERA has ballooned a bit this year to 4.55, he’s also posting a significantly higher strikeout rate of 10.25 per nine innings, the best of his career by a wide margin. He should be considered a depth option for Cleveland’s starting rotation.
11 (301). Jacob Zibin. RHP. Age 17. $1.2M bonus.
Zibin received a record signing bonus as a 10th round pick out of high school, but underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023, then missed the entire 2024 season after undergoing ulnar nerve transposition surgery. He returned to the mound in 2025 and impressed with a 3.25 ERA across 19 healthy starts at Single-A. This year, Zibin’s strikeout numbers have improved dramatically, rising from 6.6 per nine innings to an elite 11.7 per nine. He’s been more hittable – especially home runs, but he also earned a promotion to High-A Lake County and has seen his strikeout numbers continue to go up. He’s another arm worth paying strong attention to moving forward.
12 (331). Magnus Ellerts. RHP. Age 21. $125K bonus.
Ellerts has been a strikeout machine thus far in his pro career as a bullpen arm. He whiffed 14.05 K/9 at Lynchburg in 16 appearances with a 2.22 ERA before being promoted to Lake County. He continues to miss bats and briefly reached Triple-A this season, making a scoreless appearance. He currently has a 2.55 ERA in 14 appearances this year, but also has walked 8.1 per nine innings, which may limit his opportunities at the MLB level.
13 (361). Jack Jasiak. RHP. Age 21. $125K bonus.
Jasiak has slowly and steadily progressed through Cleveland’s MiLB system as a reliever, where he’s been dependable, but never flat-out dominant. He’s currently at Double-A Akron, where he has a 4.05 ERA across 24 appearances with a solid 12.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
14 (391). Tyresse Turner. SS/SH. Age 22. $125K bonus
Drafted a shortstop, Turner has primarily played second and third base as a pro. He has been average to slightly above-average at just about every level and currently is at Double-A Akron. He’s missed time this year with injury, playing just four games. He’s a solid roster depth option at this point.
15 (421). Pres Cavanaugh. OF/LHH Age 21. $125K bonus
Cavanaugh looked like an intriguing outfielder in Cleveland’s system after a mildly successful 2023 season where he had a 108 wRC+ over 66 games played at Lynchburg. Unfortunately, he voluntarily retired before the 2024 season began.
16 (451). Adam Tulloch. RHP. Age 22. $125K bonus
After failing to stick as a starting pitcher in 2023, Tulloch has transitioned to the bullpen, which has helped him advance through Cleveland’s system. Tulloch currently is having one of the strangest seasons I’ve ever seen. His ERA is incredible, currently 0.46 spanning 18 appearances and 19.2 innings, but he’s also walking a whopping 8.24 batters per nine innings, which has left his FIP at an abysmal 5.11, a disparity that is practically beyond comprehension.
17 (481). Logun Clark. C/RHH. Age 19. $125K bonus
A slightly-older prep catching prospect, Clark has more or less been a back-up catcher at most levels he’s played. He showed some promise with his bat in 2024 with a 142 wRC+ at Single-A, but has since stalled out. He’s currently at High-A, where he’s slashing just .159/.383/.217 over 24 games.
18 (511). Angel Zarate. OF/LHH. Age 22. $100K bonus
Zarate had a decent season in Lynchburg in 2023, slashing .261/.355/.341 over 68 games played, but then struggled mightily after beginning the 2024 campaign in High-A Lake County, where he slashed just .184/.300/.243 before being released in July that season.
19 (541). Zach Jacobs. RHP. Age 20. $130K bonus
Jacobs was decent in 2023 as a some-time starter but mostly a piggyback partner in long relief for Lynchburg. His 2024 season was excellent, posting a 2.36 ERA across 80 innings at High-A, but he has been unable to repeat that success since. Jacobs has pitched just 7.2 innings this season and has a 7.04 ERA, walking more batters than he’s struck out.
20 (571). Geo Rivera Jr. RHP. Age 21. $160K bonus
Rivera never had the opportunity to make his pro debut, spending time on the 60-day injured list all the way until July of 2024, when he was released.
21 (601). Shawn Rapp. LHP. Age 22. $50K bonus
Rapp impressed in his pro debut in 2023, sporting a 1.72 ERA and manning a 12.06 K/9 at Lynchburg in 11 games spanning 15 2⁄3 innings, earning a promotion to High-A. An injury shortened his 2024 campaign, but he impressed again with a 2.79 ERA at High-A. He began 2025 in Double-A but struggled mightily with a 6.46 ERA and Cleveland was not patient with him, releasing him in August 2025.
Undrafted free agents
Marc Filia. OF/C RHH. Age 21.
Filia spent his 2023 season in Lynchburg, where he struggled at the plate with a .159.342.303 slashline. He also struggled defensively, throwing out just five of 30 attempted basestealers in just 13 games started at catcher. Most of his games were at first base and the bat didn’t play. Filia was released just before the start of the 2024 season in late March.
Summary
MLB: 2 (Chase DeLauter, Parker Messick)
AAA: 2 (Justin Campbell, Austin Peterson)
AA: 7 (Joe Lampe, Magnus Ellerts, Tyresse Turner, Adam Tulloch, Jack Jasiak, Dylan DeLucia, Zach Jacobs)
A+: 3 (Jackson Humphries, Jacob Zibin, Logun Clark)
Traded 1 (Nate Furman)
Retired: 1 (Pres Cavanaugh)
Released: 1 (Guy Lipscomb, Javier Santos, Angel Zarate, Geo Rivera Jr., Shawn Rapp, Marc Filia)
Signed players/Still in the organization (22/14)
