Lake County Captains Announce 2024 Roster

Some initial analysis of the Guardians’ High-A team here

The Lake County Captains have announced their initial roster for 2024.

Catchers: Cooper Ingle, Johnny Tincher, Zac Fascia.

Analysis: Cooper Ingle is the player to watch here. He was Cleveland’s fourth round pick in the 2023 MLB Draft and put up impressive numbers in a small sample size last year, slashing .288/.464/.385 in 17 games played at Lake County spanning 69 plate appearances. Tincher was Cleveland’s 11th round pick in the same draft while Fascia went undrafted in 2021, but impressed at Lynchburg last year. Ingle could move quickly to Akron if he continues to hit.

Infielders: CJ Kayfus, Jose Devers, Alex Mooney, Nate Furman, Maick Collado, Tyresse Turner.

Analysis: There are several intriguing players to keep an eye on here. Kayfus was Cleveland’s third round pick last year and impressed in a small sample size at Lake County, slashing .271/.429/.542 over 17 games and could be in line for a quick promotion.

The middle infield is a bit more crowded. Devers put up a 113 wRC+ in his age-20 season last year at Lynchburg while Furman, a 2022 fourth-round pick, dominated at Lynchburg (159 wRC+) before struggling in the second half of the season at Lake County after getting promoted. Mooney was a seventh round pick last year, but received a huge overslot bonus, so he’s someone to keep an eye on. Collado has been above average at every level, including posting a 107 wRC+ at Lynchburg last year when he was 20, while Turner appears to be more infield depth than anything at the moment.

Outfielders: Justin Boyd, Jake Fox, Jorge Burgos, Jonah Advincula, Guy Lipscomb and Angel Zarate.

Analysis: Fox appears to be the player to keep an eye on as he repeats at Lake County after sporting a 105 wRC+ there last year in his age-20 season. I doubt he stays long. Boyd was one of the returns in the Will Benson trade, a competitive balance pick in 2022. He battled injuries and only played 15 games last season. Hopefully he’s fully healthy this year and can go back to showing what he’s capable of.

Burgos impressed at every level before finally having his first below average wRC+ season last year (97) at Lake County and he’s repeating as well. Lipscomb was a 2022 fifth-round pick and stole 48 bases at Lynchburg last year, definitely deserving of a promotion. Zarate was a 17th round pick in the same draft, but also was above average at Lynchburg last year with a 104 wRC+ spanning 68 games. Advincula is intriguing as an eighth-round pick in last year’s draft. He had a .519 OBP in six games at the Arizona Complex League.

Starting Pitchers: LHP Parker Messick, RHP Austin Peterson, LHP Steve Hajjar, RHP Jake Miller, RHP Trenton Denholm and RHP Carter Spivey.

Analysis: Messick was a 2022 second round pick and was the most successful pitcher out of that draft class in Cleveland’s system, earning a mid-season promotion to Lake County after dominating in Lynchburg. He’ll be the opening day starter for the Captains. Peterson was a ninth-round pick in 2022 and stayed healthy for all of last season at Lynchburg with pretty average numbers.

Spivey signed with the Guardians as an undrafted free agent out of East Carolina in January and has yet to make his pro debut, so it’s interesting that they’re starting him at High-A immediately. Hajjar was the other half of the Benson trade, a second round pick in 2021. He has good strikeout stuff, but his walk rate is egregious (8.16 BB/9) and needs to improve if he’s ever going to amount to anything. Miller has a high ceiling, but is still being worked back after Tommy John surgery in 2022. Denholm has good strikeout stuff, but may be destined for the bullpen.

Bullpen: LHP Adam Tulloch, RHP Zane Morehouse, RHP Magnus Ellerts, RHP Alaska Abney, RHP Jay Driver, RHP Zachary Jacobs, RHP Joshua Wolf, RHP Allan Hernandez and RHP Juan Zapata.

Analysis: Tulloch could get some starts after starting 20 games last year for Lynchburg with 10.82 K/9 as a 15th round pick in 2022. Morehouse may be on a short leash after an 8.22 ERA in seven games at Single-A, somehow earning four saves. Ellerts has elite strikeout stuff (15.66 K/9), but his walk-rate spiked to 7.02 BB/9 after he was promoted to Lake County last year.

Abney looked like a bullpen arm to keep an eye on, then he regressed badly while repeating last year at High-A and this will be his third straight season with the Captains. Driver was a ninth-round pick in 2023 and has a good strikeout arsenal, but needs to refine his control. Jacobs spent most of the 2023 season as a piggy-back partner, averaging just over three innings per appearance. Wolf was part of the Lindor trade, but injuries have sent him from start to the bullpen, where he struggled last year in 44 innings and is repeating at High-A this year.

Overall Analysis: The infield is definitely the area to keep an eye on with top draft picks Engle, Mooney and Furman playing alongside talented international prospects Devers and Collado. The outfield doesn’t have top prospects, but there’s a ton of speed there and they could be a nightmare for opposing pitchers on the basepaths. Messick intrigues me as a starting pitcher prospect while I have high hopes Miller can recover successfully from TJ surgery. The bullpen is a bit of a mess, but stranger things have happened.