Petey Halpin is our No. 18 Guardians prospect. Who should be No. 19?

Feb 6, 2023 - 3:00 PM

If Myles Straw doesn’t work out for the Guardians, they may have another similar player in our No. 18 prospect, Petey Halpin.

Now, granted, Halpin doesn’t have the defensive acumen of Straw, but few do. Halpin does have a lot of speed and contact ability without the slugging, though — which makes him an ideal replacement for Straw in this imaginary contest I’ve made up in my head.

Halpin was a third-round pick in 2020 and doesn’t turn 21 until May. He spent all of last season in High-A, slashing .262/.346/.385 in 105 games. His peak was an eight-game hitting streak from June 29 to July 9 in which he racked up 13 hits with five doubles. He finished the season with a 10.4% walk rate and a 21.2% strikeout rate.

Although the raw power might never be there in the future, Halpin is the quintessential “will grow into his frame” type of prospect. He’s only 20 and stands at six feet tall and 185 pounds, so he’s clearly a growin’ boy. Whatever power does come from his growth will be a bonus to his contact ability — and will probably come as a result of that contact.

Halpin bats with a very open stance, with his lead foot angled toward foul territory, which he adopted when he joined the Guardians organization. Pre-draft he was more of a standard, parallel stance. Perhaps he’s doubling down on good plate discipline? Even with the open stance, he went opposite field 42.8% of the time last season, as opposed to 35.5% pull side, and 21.7% down the center.

Halpin will have a few big names to battle for a spot in the outfield down the road, but he has the tools to at least compete for an everyday spot.

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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.

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.