Ralphy

Velazquez

Velazquez is back in the lineup for the first time since September 6 after receiving some time off for precautionary reasons with lower body soreness. The 21-year-old top prospect is an obvious candidate for Cleveland’s postseason roster after a sizzling-hot stretch last month where he hit .356 with 15 homers during a 23-game span.

The 21-year-old has been absurd in August, hitting .379/.447/.1.015 with 14 home runs, 21 runs scored, 26 RBI, one steal, and an 11/8 K/BB ratio. This is after he hit just .203/.299/.419 in July. Velazquez has also been playing a lot more left field to make it easier to slide him into the MLB lineup. That extra time to learn a new position could also be why he has remained in the minors despite swinging a hot bat. Still, there’s a very good chance he could follow a similar path to the big leagues as teammate Chase Delauter, who actually made his MLB debut during last year’s postseason.

The 21-year-old was promoted to Triple-A in the middle of May after hitting .317/.414/.566 with seven homers in 169 plate appearances over 36 games at Double-A Akron. He has since gone 13-for-54 (.241) at Triple-A with one home run, three RBI, and a 15/3 K/BB ratio. He’s the Guardians’ top prospect and the 56th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, and could be an option to break camp with the team in 2027, if we have a baseball season.

Velazquez is an extremely interesting bat-first prospect that figures to hit for enough power to be an impactful fantasy contributor once he reaches the majors. The 20-year-old first base prospect smashed 22 home runs in 122 games across two levels in Cleveland’s system last year before hitting .317/.414/.566 with seven homers in 169 plate appearances over 36 games this season at Double-A Akron. He’s a borderline top-25 range prospect in dynasty leagues at this stage of his development.

One of his hits was a 111.1-mph line drive to right. The 20-year-old Velazquez was a bit of a disappointment in High-A ball last season, but after a late promotion to Double-A, he hit .330/.405/.589 in 28 games. It probably won’t happen this year, but he could eventually overtake Kyle Manzardo as the Guardians long-term first baseman.