Justin Campbell is our No. 17 Guardians prospect. Who should be No. 18?

Feb 2, 2023 - 3:00 PM

Justin Campbell joins fellow 2022 draftee Chase DeLauter on our top prospect list, edging out Petey Halpin for the No. 17 spot with 33% of the vote.

There is not a whole lot to go on for Campbell as he has yet to throw a professional inning, but his pre-draft hype should have Guardians fans excited regardless. He stands at a towering 6-foot-7 on the mound with the ability to hit the upper-90s on the radar gun (likely looking even faster to batters thanks to his extension) and at least three (potentially four) usable pitches.

As with most of Cleveland’s most prominent pitching prospects, he joins the system as a polished college arm, having pitched three years at Oklahoma State. A two-way player in college, he threw a no-hitter in 2021 and was the last player to get a hit off of Jack Leiter before he left for the MLB draft.

He’s still a couple of years away from the majors, but for my money, Campbell is one of the pitchers to keep an eye on when he makes his MiLB debut next season, and I suspect he’ll crack the top-10 next season. He checks all the boxes for a guy that the Guards will be able to mold into something great — tightening up some of his mechanics and bringing up his glove to mask his release point will go a long way.

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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.

Will Dion, LHP (Age 22)
2022 (A): 115.1 IP, 23 GS, 30.7 K%, 6.7 BB%, 2.26 ERA, 3.20 FIP
2022 (A+): 12.2 IP, 2 GS, 33.3 K%, 6.7 BB%, 0.71 ERA, 2.85 FIP

A 2021 9th round pick nicknamed “Baby Kershaw” for his funky southpaw delivery, he earned Carolina League Pitcher of the Year honors in 2022.

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.

Jake Fox, 2B/OF (Age 19)
2022 (A): 470 PA, .247/.381/.374, 5 HR,21 SB, 15.7 BB%, 19.1 K%, 118 wRC+

A high school bat taken in the 3rd round in 2021, Fox has shown patience at the plate at the lower levels, but we’re still waiting for louder hit tools to arrive.

Angel Genao, SS (Age 18)
2022 (ACL): 171 PA, .322/.394/.416, 2 HR, 6 SB, 9.4 BB%, 23.4 K%, 127 wRC+
2022 (A): 33 PA, .179/.303/.214, 0 HR, 0 SB, 12.1 BB%, 15.2 K%, 60 wRC+

Another talented, switch-hitting international middle infield prospect, Genao graduated to full-season ball in the latter half of 2022 as an 18-year-old.

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.

Jack Leftwich, RHP (Age 24)
2022 (A): 60.1 IP, 5 GS, 36.4 K%, 4.3 BB%, 2.39 ERA, 1.82 FIP
2022 (A+): 49.0 IP, 10 GS, 29.0 K%, 7.3 BB%, 3.12 ERA, 3.30 FIP

2021 7th round pick as a college senior, advanced from piggy-back partner at Lynchburg to full-time starter at High-A.

Parker Messick, LHP (Age 22)
54th overall pick in 2022 MLB Draft

Heavy strike-thrower with the potential for four quality pitches.