According to ESPN baseball writer Jeff Passan, Memorial Day is often used as a marker for what’s real and what isn’t in a baseball season. We’re two months in, and even though that still isn’t an ideal sample size, it’s at least something. We’re starting to get a feel for which players are making gains in the Cleveland Guardians farm system.
So, who are the risers? Here are 6 prospects who have caught my eye in the early going of 2026. Of course, there’s always a chance they’ll stall in their development, but I’m willing to bet these prospects will continue to make strides. Maybe one or two will even make it to the corner of Carnegie and Ontario before long.
6 Names to Watch in the Cleveland Farm System
- Ralphy Velazquez, 1B/OF, 20, Columbus Clippers (Triple-A)
Prospects1500 Preseason Guardians Top 50 Rank: 3rd
Now that Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana are both up with the Guardians, Ralphy Velazquez is next in line as far as hitters go. You could also make the case for Angel Genao since he is already on the 40-man roster, but Velazquez is the guy I keep coming back to. He reminds me a little of Kyle Schwarber, and not just because they are both left-handed power hitters. The approach is similar: a lot of patience and they are comfortable working the count.
Velazquez just got bumped up to Triple-A Columbus on May 18. He has a .411 on-base percentage and a .553 slugging percentage so far this year. He has actually hit lefties better than righties the last couple of seasons, which is pretty unusual for a young hitter. Actually, it’s unusual for most hitters!
Cleveland #Guardians 20yr old (1B) prospect Ralphy Velazquez reaches base for the third time today (2-3 2B BB) on his 3rd double at the Triple-A level for Columbus that came off the bat at 104.8 mph.
He’s currently hitting .353 with a .979 OPS over his first five games with the… pic.twitter.com/UDuEDL6kij
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 25, 2026
He turns 21 on May 28, so there is no reason to rush him to the big leagues. My guess is he gets to Cleveland early in 2027, but if there is an injury or the Guardians need another bat, a September call-up this year is not out of the question. Either way, he is moving quickly with some of the best exit velocities in the minors.
- Kody Huff, C, 25, Columbus Clippers (Triple-A)
Prospects1500 Preseason Guardians Top 50 Rank: NR
Kody Huff is off to a strong start this season, hitting .304 with a .928 OPS. In fact, he already has more home runs this year (7) than last year (6). Huff has also improved his approach at the plate. He has cut his strikeout rate by 8% compared to last year and his walk rate has risen nearly 5%. That is a significant improvement.
Make that an 11-game hit streak for Kody Huff✔️ pic.twitter.com/jHIy4TiZeW
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) May 15, 2026
The big question for Huff is not so much his bat, but where he fits in the organization. The recent Patrick Bailey trade makes it even tougher to find a clear path. However, Austin Hedges is likely winding down his playing career and Bo Naylor’s future with the Guardians looks uncertain at this point. Cooper Ingle is also at Triple-A and Jacob Cozart is at Double-A, but Ingle might end up moving off catcher because of how high the bar is for defense in the organization, as we saw with the Bailey trade. Huff is a really good defender and a right-handed bat, which could make him Hedges replacement as soon as next year.
- Justin Campbell, RHP, 25, Akron RubberDucks (Double-A)
Prospects1500 Preseason Guardians Top 50 Rank: 50th
Justin Campbell definitely looks the part at 6-foot-5 and 227 pounds. What he’s doing this season is truly remarkable considering he had not pitched in a game for 4 years before making his pro debut on April 2. Since then, he has already moved up from High-A to Double-A. Through 25.1 innings, Campbell has a 2.10 ERA, 1.01 WHIP, and 34 strikeouts. That ERA is second-best among Cleveland minor leaguers with at least 25 innings pitched.
— Justin L. (jlbaseball on bluesky) (@JL_Baseball) April 8, 2026
The underlying numbers all back it up. Campbell is striking out nearly 12 batters per 9 innings, holding opponents to a .156 average, and has a 2.55 FIP. He is also getting ground balls more than half the time (50.9%). Even with the small sample size, everything points to him being a candidate for a future spot in the Guardians rotation if he can stay healthy.
- Franklin Gomez, LHP, 20, Lake County Captains (High-A)
Prospects1500 Preseason Guardians Top 50 Rank: 28th
Franklin Gomez came over from the Mets this past offseason in exchange for international bonus pool money, which looks like a pretty good deal for the Guardians based on what he has shown so far. He has a 2.08 ERA over 39 innings this season, along with 42 strikeouts. In his most recent start on May 21, he went 6 innings for the first time this year, giving up just 2 hits and striking out 5.
Cleveland #Guardians 20yr old LHP prospect Franklin Gomez was brilliant tonight striking out six Beloit batters allowing one hit over five scoreless innings of work for Lake County.
Line – 5.0(IP) 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 6SO
(56 Pitches 37 Strikes)
2026 season:
– 23.0(IP) 15H 2ER 6BB… pic.twitter.com/mxGRPd3yfH
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 1, 2026
Gomez saw his velocity jump in 2025. He can now hit 94 mph, which is usually the minimum for big league arms these days. He leads all Guardians minor leaguers with a 56.6% groundball rate (20 innings minimum). Gomez has a good mix of pitches too. If he keeps developing, he has a real shot to join the rotation down the line.
- Aaron Walton, OF, 22, Lake County Captains (High-A)
Prospects1500 Preseason Guardians Top 50 Rank: 29th
I could have gone with a few other hitters at Lake County for this spot. Jace LaViolette, last year’s first-round pick, is in the middle of a 7-game hitting streak and has extra-base hits in 4 straight games, but he is also striking out almost 39 percent of the time. Luke Hill is another name to watch, putting up a 158 wRC+ through 141 plate appearances, which definitely stands out. Still, I am going with Aaron Walton here.
Walton is a 6-foot-4, 218-pound outfielder with a good mix of power and speed. His line this season over 182 plate appearances is .316/.414/.587 with a 1.001 OPS. He also has 12 steals. That kind of running game probably gets tougher as he moves up, but the tools are there. In May alone, he has 24 hits, 19 runs scored, 6 home runs, and 18 RBI in 18 games. Walton was a second-round pick out of Arizona, and if he keeps improving his power and contact rates, a promotion to Akron could be coming soon.
3-for-5 with a double and a GRAND SLAM!
Have a day, Aaron Walton🫡 pic.twitter.com/7YUnXSf5oX
— GuardsInsider (@GuardsInsider) May 24, 2026
- Robert Arias, OF, 19, Hill City Howlers (Single-A)
Prospects1500 Preseason Guardians Top 50 Rank: 23rd
A couple things really stand out about Robert Arias so far this year. He has more walks than strikeouts, with 29 walks and 24 strikeouts, which contributes to a .403 on-base percentage. He has also stolen 21 bases in 40 games, showing off his elite speed.
26 straight!
Cleveland #Guardians 19yr old OF prospect Robert Arias extends his on-base streak to 26 straight games with a base hit to right field in the 6th inning tonight for Hill City.
Arias has now reached base safely in 46 straight games dating back to last year.… pic.twitter.com/5VuK8TLZZF
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) May 9, 2026
Arias is still filling out his 6-foot-1 frame. The hope is that more power will come as he gets stronger. He has improved his ground ball rate a little from last year, but his fly ball rate has dropped quite a bit. He will need to learn how to lift the ball more and he could also use some improvement against left-handed pitching. The encouraging part is his 81.7% contact rate is excellent for a 19-year-old. According to MLB Pipeline, he should be able to handle center field in the majors with his speed and range, so there is a lot to like if his bat keeps coming along.
Bonus: Harrison Bodendorf, LHP, 22, Hill City Howlers (Single-A)
Prospects1500 Preseason Guardians Top 50 Rank: NR
Here is a bonus name to keep an eye on. Harrison Bodendorf was a tenth-round pick out of Oklahoma State and he got off to a great start this season before landing on the injured list May 8. He has not pitched since May 2, but in 22.1 innings this year, he was just about unhittable. His strikeout rate sits at 36% and opponents have only managed a .165 average against him. His FIP is an impressive 1.84. The numbers speak for themselves, but the key for Bodendorf will be getting healthy and staying on the mound. He is definitely someone to watch if he can return to form and keep developing.
Who Did I Miss?
There are others I could’ve included on this list, but these are the players that stand out for me. The Guardians system is full of promising players. Every year brings a few surprises too. For now, these are the risers I’m keeping an eye on. It would not be a shock if a couple of them get promoted to the next level soon, even making their way to Progressive Field. Let me know who you think stands out so far this season and why.
Go Guardians!
J.W. Mulpas resides in Northeast Ohio and is a lifelong Cleveland sports fan. His favorite baseball player of all-time is 2018 Hall of Fame inductee, Jim Thome. He is an IBWAA member and also a contributor to Prospects1500.com. You can follow J.W. on X @CLEBoxscoreBeat.
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