Ralphy Velasquez is our No. 9 Guardians prospect. Who should be No. 10?

Bruising backstop Ralphy Velasquez is our No. 9 prospect, earning 32% of the vote on Friday and squeaking past some tough competition by about 50 votes.

Velasquez joins No. 1 vote-getter Chase DeLauter and No. 4 Daniel Espino as a former Cleveland Guardians No. 1 draft pick. He was selected in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft out of Huntington Beach High School.

Velazquez played in 30 games his senior season and hit .402 with six homers, eight doubles, a triple, a .525 on-base percentage and a .706 slugging percentage during his senior season. He also was a mainstay on the showcase circuits for high school players, where his bat and his throwing arm were standout tools.

He didn’t get a ton of opportunities, but in six games at the Arizona Complex League, Velasquez impressed, slugging two home runs while slashing .348/.393/.739. Of those six games, he played catcher once, first base once and designated hitter four times.

Velasquez’s hit tool and power tools are what stand out for him most according to scouts, so it would benefit him best if he can stay at catcher, but there’s a chance he could move to first base down the line.

Here’s him bashing a homer in one his Arizona Complex League games.

Look for Velasquez to make his full-season debut at Lynchburg this season. We’ll learn a lot about him with a much bigger sample size to draw from.

Jaison Chourio, OF (Age 18)

2023 (CPX): 189 PA, .349/.476/.463, 1 HR, 19 SB, 20.1 BB%, 19.6 K%, 147 wRC+
2023 (A): 42 PA, .200/.310/.229, 0 HR, 1 SB, 14.3 BB%, 35.7 K%, 65 wRC+

Younger brother of top 3 overall prospect Jaxon, has showcased elite eye, speed and contact as he advanced to full season in his age-18 season.

Alex Clemmey, LHP (Age 18)

2023: Second round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft.

Standing 6-foot-6 with a 99 mph fastball and a filthy curveball, Clemmey had one of the most electric arms of all high school prep prospects for 2023, but lacks command.

Deyvison De Los Santos, 1B/3B (Age 20)

2023 (AA): 481 PA, .254/.297/.431, 20 HR, 4 SB, 5.2 BB%, 26.0 K%, 88 wRC+

Selected by Cleveland in the 2023 Rule 5 Draft out of Arizona’s farm system, the powerful De Los Santos will need to spend the entire 2024 season at the MLB level or be returned.

Will Dion, LHP (Age 23)

2023: (A+) 4 GS, 33.2 IP, 1.87 ERA, 2.44 FIP, 30.8 K%, 7.5 BB%
2023: (AA) 15 GS, 83.0 IP, 2.60 ERA, 3.03 FIP, 26.7 K%, 7.6 BB%

Nicknamed “Baby Kershaw” for his similar pitching style to Clayton. Dion the most impressive season of any full-season pitcher in Cleveland’s MiLB in 2023.

Welbyn Francisca, SS (Age 17)

2023 (DSL): 179 PA, .316/.419/.500, 3 HR, 11 SB, 13.4 BB%, 19.6 K%, 144 wRC+

The top-rated international signing by Cleveland in 2022, Francisca impressed in his professional debut in the Dominican Summer League.

Angel Martinez, SS (Age 22)

2023 (AA): 437 PA, .245/.321/.392, 11 HR, 10 SB, 8.5 BB%, 19.0 K%, 96 wRC+
2023 (AAA): 154 PA, .268/.320/.401, 3 HR, 1 SB, 6.5 BB% 23.4 K%, 78 wRC+

A top international signing in 2018, Martinez has been one of the team’s best international prospects as a middle infielder, although he had a down year in 2023.

Parker Messick, LHP (Age 23)

2023: (A) 13 GS, 56.2 IP, 3.02 ERA, 2.73 FIP, 26.0 K%, 6.0 BB%
2023: (A+) 11 GS, 65.0 IP, 4.43 ERA, 4.86 FIP, 26.3 K%, 8.8 BB%

Cleveland’s second round pick in 2022, Messick showcased consistent stuff at both Lynchburg and Lake County in his debut season while staying healthy.

Jose Tena, SS (Age 22)

2023 (AA): 362 PA, .260/.353/.3750, 4 HR, 16 SB, 11.3 BB%, 28.7 K%, 103 wRC+
2023 (AAA): 66 PA, .350/.394/.667, 4 HR, 0 SB, 6.1 BB%, 25.8 K%, 157 wRC+
2023 (MLB): 34 PA, .226/.294/.290, 0 HR, 0 SB, 8.8 BB%, 38.2 K%, 66 wRC+

In a crowded middle infield, Tena was slightly above average in Double-A, then had a great Triple-A performance in a small sample size before making his MLB debut in 2023.

Ryan Webb, LHP (Age 24)

2023: (A+) 17 GS, 82.0 IP, 3.29 ERA, 3.70 FIP, 23.8 K%, 9.7 BB%
2023: (AFL) 6 GS, 22.2 IP, 4.37 ERA, 3.97 FIP, 37.8 K%, 14.7 BB%

A fourth round pick in 2021 who had to recover from Tommy John surgery, Webb has shown flashes of brilliance and most recently led the 2023 AFL in strikeouts.