This is quite the serious and dramatic title to an article about the Guardians farm system. But, unlike in other years, I see the heart of this farm system and young major leaguers being at the crossroads of their careers...even if those careers have not started yet! Will they be a big part of the future or only so-so players, utility guys or total failures. So let's dive in.
12. Cooper Ingle - I don't see Ingle as being that important to the future of the Guardians. He is a nice-to-have more than a must-have. Still, a catcher who can slash .260/.330/.380 AND can also play defense and handle a pitching staff is not that easy to find. Not saying Ingle is that guy but, in our farm system, he is the ONLY catching prospect of any note. So he HAS to succeed and there is some urgency for him to become a productive major leaguer, and soon, and help take the pressure off the Guardians to buy or trade for a catcher.
11. Angel Martinez - Although hanging comps on guys puts more pressure on them, I see Martinez having a path similar to that of Jose Ramirez. Now, the thing that sets Ramirez apart is his drive to be the best. That drive took him from being a future utility guy or complementary player to being arguably, when all is said on done, of being the GOAT of this franchise. While being compared to Ramirez is a losing proposition for almost any prospect, I think there are a lot of similarities there. He just needs the opportunity to grow into the star I think he can be. If you stick him at 2B or CF and live with the growing pains, he will pay huge dividends. But, for Martinez, the key is for him to make substantial progress this year, becoming an invaluable complementary player. If he flounders this year the Guardians may give up on him, which I think would be a huge mistake. So Martinez needs to NOT give them a chance to make that mistake by having a great 2026.
10. George Valera - While Valera is not a crucial part of the team's future right now, he COULD be. As he is out of options, he will have to impress the Guardians out of the gate and, in so doing, cement his spot on the ML team AND his importance to this team in the future, especially if Kwan won't sign an extension. If he starts slow, he might become another lost-for-nothing guy like Noel, Reyes and Gonzalez were.
9. Franco Aleman - You may say that RHRP are a dime-a-dozen in the majors. True that, but cheap, high leverage RP are more like $120 million a dozen. When you see the Guardians try to build their bullpen with guys like Brogdon and Holderman, you become immediately aware of the advantages of having talented, cheap and controllable RPs. Add to this that homegrown guys are always more desirable and you can see why having Aleman healthy and productive at the ML level really keeps cost down while keeping quality high in the BP, both things a small market team needs. People may not see how important Aleman is but I feel he is one of the most important pieces in our BP going forward, along with Andrew Walters...
8. Angel Genao - While still a year or two away, Genao could be the future of the middle infield in Cleveland. He was injured last year and, as a result, never really got going. While he is likely not to impact the ML team in 2026, he could at some point in 2027 and that might be crucial to this team after that. How he plays this year will go a long way to determine if he is just Brayan Rocchio Part Deux or if he is much more. The latter would put us in good shape at SS for years to come. With Bazzana and Brito at 2B, having a SS prospect with great range who can hit as well as field is crucial.
7. Andrew Walters - Look, the Guardians invested a high draft choice in Walters. That means that they think he is at least a key 8th inning RP, maybe even closer material. Having him come through, along with someone like Aleman, allows the Guardians to have a quality AND cheap bullpen and be able to invest at other positions-of-need. Having 6 years of Walters at the level he was projected when drafted is necessary to stop the revolving door of AAAA RP we see every year.
6. Juan Brito - Brito will be out of options after 2026. He will have one year to make his presence felt in the majors. His defense is questionable at second base (and even THAT is giving it the benefit of the doubt), his speed is average at best and his major positive trait is that he can take a walk. In fact, he is the best in the Guardians system at passive aggressiveness. By that I mean that he attacks balls in the zone and spits on bad pitches. He needs to make his mark felt in 2026 or Clevleand might have no choice but to DFA him after the upcoming season...although that might not happen if there is a work stoppage. Still, his OB skills and doubles power would play well if the rest of his game doesn't drain the value of those hitting traits.
5. Jace Laviolette - Look, there are 'experts' who will tell you he is toast. There are experts that will tell you he is salvageable but it can't be done in the Guardians' system as they can't develop hitters. You won't hear many people tell you he is the guy who was the early favorite to go 1-1 in 2025. Cleveland took a HUGE gamble that he will return to his 2024 form. If he doesn't, they will have wasted a first round draft pick and given their recent drafts, that can't happen. No Cleveland minor league prospect has more to prove than Laviolette.
4. Kal Stephen - People just don't realize how important Stephen is. The Guardians had a great 2021 draft, picking up a bunch of college pitchers including Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee. In 2022 they continued that trend early in the draft by drafting Justin Campbell and Parker Messick. Unfortunately, they went away from that trend in 2023, 2024 and 2025, not picking a single college pitcher of note. As a result, the farm system is devoid of any top line pitching prospecs except for Stephen. The Guardians got Stephen from Toronto for Shane Bieber. While Bieber meant everything to Toronto, Stephen actually means more to Cleveland. He came to Cleveland with a shoulder impingement and pitched like crap after the trade. As he is the only top level pitching prospect in the entire organization (I don't count HS guys in that category until they master AA) he HAS to succeed. If his injury lingers, if he fails, the Guardians will have a huge gap in their farm system, without a single pitching prospect who can help them before Jose Ramirez's contract runs out. To throw salt in that wound, the Guardians drafted Jacob Cozart, a college catcher with the upside of a ML backup catcher, in the second round when they could have had Stephen. Ouch!
3. Jaisson Chourio - Like Genao, he was hurt a lot of last year. He is hitting well in winter ball but will he burn out there or will it propel him into a great 2026. In the best world he turns into the prospect his brother Jackson was (and is). Make no mistake, Chourio needs to have a breakout year again in 2026. If he turns into just an above average prospect, this will not be effective at moving the needle of the Guardians future. He has to be great and it has to start this year as he is Rule 5 eligible after 2926. If he is languishing in A+ at the end of 2026 they WILL roster him but he will be on a path that likely will result in him running out of options before he reaches his potential. For a team like Cleveland, that has happened too much in the past and, with Chourio, it can't happen again.
2. Chase DeLauter - We all THINK he is going to be an above-average ML player. I even dream on him being the next Grady Sizemore. But he has to stay healthy because he is a cornerstone of this franchise and, given that I believe a salary floor is coming in the next CBA, he is a potential extension candidate. Unless he gets hurt in St (or before) he is likely to open the season in the Guardians starting lineup. I don't think he will EVER play himself off the roster. He is simply that good. The key for him and an important key in the near future of this franchise is whether he can stay healthy and play at 100% pace. As the Guardians avoided having him take the extra base or slide last season, that is still to be seen
1. Travis Bazzana - I have followed Bazzana since the 2024 college season began. He looked like the exact player I wanted. Solid, baseball field rat, with great speed, good power and a great batting eye. In March of his draft year, while playing in a mid-week non-conference game, he got hit on the hand with a pitch and left the stadium with it wrapped. He only missed a couple of games and was back in the lineup by the weekend. But after that, his season started to spiral. People said that it was just the tougher play in the PAC. But he didn't look the same. When he turned pro he was overpaowered by pitches and rolled over or popped up to the 3rd baseman a frightening number of pitches. He also swung and missed A LOT. 2026 brought more of the same. with fans who didn't want to believe that he could be anything less than a franchise icon failing to see his flaws and deluding themselves that it had to oblique injury (followed by another) that were the cause of his struggles. The fact is, Bazzana has not been good since February of 2024. This season is so important for him to establish himself that I cannot overstate that importance. It doesn't help that Bazzana will play for Austrailia in the WBC. Given his lack of success in the minors in '24 and '25, there is a good chance he will get eaten alive by the pitchers in that tournament, with all the flaws I have seen in two years causing him to lose confidence, if he hasn't already lost it. Don't be deceived. 2026 IS the make-or-break year in Travis Bazzana's career. This year will tell if his career track is more like Chase Utley's or Mikey Moniak's. And that difference will mean a great deal to the future of the Cleveland Guardians franchise.
There you have it. Some people look at our farm system through rose-colored glasses and see a bright future. I look at that same farm system and see that same future with the caveat being if all 12 of these guys DON'T succeed at a good level, this franchise could be toast for the next decade. So, let's keep our fingers crossed for this to happen. Remember, this is NOT all the prospects that Cleveland has so not all of their top prospects have to have the level of success I am asking of these 12. But the 12 I mentioned? They better be successful if we want to be competitive in the second half of the 2020s and beyond.