Guardians Baseball Insider

Lake County is 4-3 over its last seven games and two games out of first place. With recent promotions taking away core pieces from this year’s team, it will be interesting to see how the individuals still on the roster perform as well as the allocation of plate appearances and defensive assignments.

Day-by-Day

7/27:  W 7-4 vs. Dayton; W: Coulter; L: Feliz; SV: Ramírez

7/28: L 4-5 vs. Dayton: W: Ghyzel; L: Kelly; SV: Peguro

7/29:  L 1-4 vs. Dayton; W: Keys; L: Draper; SV: Karcher

7/30: W 8-5 vs. Dayton; W: Herrin L: Garby; SV: Ramírez

7/31: W 9-0 vs. Dayton; W: Gaddis L: Spiers; SV: Ocker

8/1: W 7-2 vs. Dayton; W: Hickman L: Feliz

8/3: L 1-8 vs. Lansing; W: Cushing; L: Draper; SV: Hall

Player of the Week

OF Micah Pries: 9-21, 3 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 9 K, 0 BB

Since being promoted from Low-A Lynchburg, Pries has been on fire at Lake County. Pries has a quick and compact swing and a contact-oriented approach, and a surprising bit of pop as he has multiple seasons with double-digit home runs in college. He also has a sound approach at the place but it has yet to be seen at Lake County due to the small sample size. The outfielder has professional baseball bloodlines as his older brother is a catcher in the Yankees organization.

Who’s Hot?

INF Jose Tena: 6-13, 3 R, 3 HR, 3 RBI, 6 K, 4 BB

The versatile infielder has been one of the best players on the Lake County roster so far this season, and he has definitely moved up the rankings in the Cleveland farm system in my opinion. The 2017 J2 signee has displayed improved swing decisions and plate coverage to go along with the ability to drive the ball to all fields with a whippy and fluid left-handed swing, and he has definitely put pundits, fans, and everyone else on notice.

OF George Valera: 5-19, 4 R, 1 3B, 3 RBI, 4 K, 7 BB

Outfielder George Valera has been an absolute on-base machine for Lake County this year, walking almost as much as he has struck out in 190 plate appearances. The top prospect’s approach at the plate has always stood out when compared to his peers, especially when taking into account that he was one of the youngest players in the New York-Penn League when he was at Mahoning Valley in 2019 and he is one of the youngest players in all three High-A leagues.

Who’s Not

INF Aaron Bracho: 4-20, 4 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 8 K, 4 BB

Aaron Bracho has had a dissapointing season to date, but not all is lost for the young Venezuelan infielder. While Bracho has a 65 wRC+ and a batting average under the Mendoza line, he has still walked 11% of the time and that is impressive to see from a 20-year-old who has been one of the best in the world since he was a child. The Cleveland brain trust is going to give Bracho more time due to the extremely advanced approach and above-average power that he brings to the batter’s box.

OF Quentin Holmes: 3-22, 1 R, 12 K, 2 SO

Time is running out for the speedy outfielder from Queens, NY as he has scuffled in every level of his professional career so far. Holmes as a big developmental bet as a sushi-raw cold weather bat with athleticism but no track record versus top tier competition, and the other shoe was already on the floor from the jump sadly. The issues with repeatedly making quality contact and getting on base are still persisting, and who knows if they’ll ever go away at this point.

Up Next

8/4: vs. Lansing, 7:00 pm

8/5:  vs. Lansing, 7:00 pm

8/6:  vs. Lansing, 7:00 pm

8/7:  vs. Lansing, 7:00 pm

8/8:  vs. Lansing, 1:30 pm