Lynchburg Hillcats Announce 2024 Roster

The Lynchburg Hillcats have announced their initial roster for 2024.

Catchers: Manuel Mejias, Robert Lopez

Analysis: One of the more interesting groups of catchers, Mejias had a rough year in Lynchburg last season, but he had some injuries and was also one of the youngest players in the league. Robert Lopez is very intriguing to me, he was one of Cleveland’s top international signings along with Angel Genao in the 2021 international class. If you look at his production, it’s pretty pedestrian and doesn’t look all that exciting, but I really liked what I saw from him at Lynchburg last year, and catchers tend to take longer to develop. Don’t be surprised if he has a good season and gets promoted to Lake County by the All-Star break.

Infielders: Ralphy Velazquez, Angel Genao, Juan Benjamin, Rafael Ramirez, Christian Knapczyk, Jose Pastrano

Analysis: Just a super fun group here. When the Guardians drafted Ralphy Velazquez, some of us had wondered if they would move him off of catcher because the bat is so advanced, and this seems to imply that they indeed plan to do just that. The other big name here is Rafael Ramirez, who had a 133 WRC+ as a 17 year old in the Arizona Complex League. The strikeout rate was a bit high, and will be something to monitor, but he’s got loads of potential. Genao, Benjamin, and Knapczyk are all interesting as well, Genao in particular, I think could see a quick promotion to Lake County if he gets off to a hot start.

Outfielders: Jaison Chourio, Esteban Gonzalez, Wuilfredo Antunez, Tommy Hawke, Luis Durango.

Analysis: Obviously Chourio is the headliner, he’s arguably the best prospect on this roster. He was one of the best hitters in the Arizona Complex League last season at just 18 years old. I’m super excited to watch him, but I’m also looking forward to watching the other players on this list. Esteban Gonzalez had a very good season in the Arizona Complex League last year, Antunez had a 120 WRC+ in Lynchburg last year and has hit well at every level, and Tommy Hawke is a 6th round pick from the 2023 draft making his debut.

Pitchers: Alex Clemmey, Jackson Humphries, Matt Wilkinson, Yorman Gomez, Alonzo Richardson, Kyle Scott, Abel Brito, Jake Berry, Matt Jachec, Reny Artiles, Rorik Maltrud, Steven Perez, Joshua Harlow, Jack Jasiak, Wardquelin Vasquez

Analysis: I’m going to predict that Alex Clemmey will be a top 100 prospect this time next season, the stuff is just so good. I trust in the Guardians pitching factory to get the best out of him. Jackson Humphries is another player I’m very excited to watch, he struggled with control last season, but his ability to miss bats is evident, and at his age, I’d rather have a player miss bats and have control issues than the other way around. Matt Wilkinson is also another interesting prospect to look out for, he’s from a small school but he dominated in the cape cod league in a limited sample.

Overall Analysis: This is by far the most excited I’ve been to watch Lynchburg in years. They are definitely the affiliate I will be watching the most this season, and that has never been the case for me. Ralphy Velazquez, Jaison Chourio, Alex Clemmey, and Rafael Ramirez all have the potential to have monster seasons and launch themselves onto top 100 prospect lists. The overall pitching could be pretty rough, as is the case for most of the Guardians’ minor league teams this year, but there are still plenty of interesting arms to watch here. I couldn’t be more excited for this season to finally start!