Cody Morris is our No. 12 Guardians prospect. Who should be No. 13?
If he stays healthy, Morris could be the next staple in Cleveland’s starting rotation. That’s a big if.
In the biggest blowout of the prospect countdown voting yet for Covering the Corner, Cody Morris walked away with a massive 64% of the vote, outpacing second-place Jhonkensy Noel (22%) by a whopping 42 percentage points.
It’s been a long time coming for Morris, who many have hyped as one of the Cleveland system’s next big things for a few years and he finally made his MLB debut in 2022 with positive results.
With a fastball pumping in the upper 90s paired with a filthy changeup and a decent cutter and curveball, Morris initially looked like he might steal a starting rotation spot for Cleveland out of Spring Training.
Unfortunately, a shoulder sprain delayed his 2022 debut until mid-July, where he dominated opposing hitters to the tune of a ridiculous 51.7% strikeout rate, earning an opportunity with the big league club in September, where he more than held his own as the team’s No. 5 starter with a 2.28 ERA spread across seven appearances and five starts.
Health has always been the biggest question mark for Morris. He had Tommy John surgery in high school, was shut down by Cleveland after being drafted in 2018 and had a late start to the 2021 season due to a lat strain. The most innings he’s ever pitched in a season since being drafted was 89.0 in 2019.
Morris is MLB-ready right now and has nothing left to prove at the minor-league level unless Cleveland wants to stretch him out. He could be an effective weapon out of the bullpen, but with four quality pitches (including an above-average cutter he debuted last season), it seems like a waste of a chance to have a competent starting pitcher.
Juan Brito, 2B (Age 22)
2022 (A): 497 PA, .286/.407/.470, 11 HR, 17 SB, 15.7 BB%, 14.3 K%, 129 wRC+
Acquired from the Rockies in November. Would not be surprised to see the Guardians bump him straight to Double-A to see how he fares with his advanced hitting tool.
Joey Cantillo, LHP (Age 23)
2022 (AA): 60.2 IP, 13 GS, 35.5 K%, 11.4 BB%, 1.93 ERA, 2.51 FIP
Didn’t pitch a full season at Double-A, but looked dominant when he did. When healthy, Cantillo has all the makings of a solid member of a starting rotation.
Justin Campbell, RHP (Age 21)
37th overall pick in 2022 MLB Draft
Two-way player in college who can touch the mid- to upper-90s on the mound.
Jaison Chourio, OF (Age 17)
2022 (DSL): 175 PA, .280/.446/.402, 1 HR, 14 SB, 22.9 BB%, 12.6 K%, 140 wRC+
The younger brother of consensus top 10 prospect in all of MLB Jackson Chourio, Jaison had a solid pro debut in the 2022 Dominican Summer League (higher wRC+ than Jackson in 2021) and the hype is building.
Xzavion Curry, RHP (Age 24)
2022 (AA): 69.0 IP, 11 GS, 28.4 K%, 6.7 BB%, 3.65 ERA, 3.75 FIP
2022 (AAA): 53.0 IP, 10 GS, 23.5 K%, 10.0 BB%, 4.58 ERA, 4.98 FIP
2022 (MLB): 9.1 IP, 2 GS, 6.4 K%, 12.8 BB%, 5.79 ERA, 6.11 FIP
Another Cleveland pitching factory success story. Curry exploded through the system in 2021, then advanced three more levels in 2022 to make two spot starts at the MLB level.
Welbyn Francisca, SS (Age 16)
2023 international free agent signing
One of the most highly regarded hitting prospects in the 2023 IFA class; a twitchy, athletic fielder at shortstop.
Petey Halpin, OF (Age 20)
2022 (A+): 434 PA, .262/.346/.385, 6 HR, 16 SB, 10.4 BB%, 21.2 K%, 107 wRC+
Despite being young for his level, posted his second straight season with an above-average wRC+ in full-season ball.
Parker Messick, LHP (Age 22)
54th overall pick in 2022 MLB Draft
Heavy strike-thrower with the potential for four quality pitches.
Jhonkensy Noel, 1B/3B/OF (Age 21)
2022 (A+): 252 PA, .219/.286/.509, 19 HR, 1 SB, 7.1 BB%, 31.7 K%, 111 wRC+
2022 (AA): 278 PA, .242/.338/.488, 13 HR, 2 SB, 10.8 BB%, 22.7 K%, 122 wRC+
2022 (AAA): 18 PA, .176/.222/.235, 0 HR, 0 SB, 5.6 BB%, 38.9 K%, 20 wRC+
The most powerful prospect in Cleveland’s system, Noel blasted 33 home runs in 2022 and actually improved after being promoted to Double-A.
Jose Tena, SS (Age 21)
2022 (AA): 550 PA, .264/.299/.411, 13 HR, 8 SB, 4.5 BB%, 25.1 K%, 91 wRC+
2022 (AAA): 23 PA, .368/.478/.632, 1 HR, 0 SB, 17.4 BB%, 17.4 K%, 194 wRC+
An AFL darling who has shown glimpses of greatness in small sample sizes. We’re still waiting to see it over the course of a full season.