Guardians Baseball Insider

Photo credit: Jay Gehres/Courtesy Columbus Clippers

It’s time again to start the exercise of looking at each position in the Cleveland Guardians farm system and ranking the prospects by position to get a jump start on the next season’s rankings. It’s not an exact science but it’s a good thought experiment and debate to see where we think the best prospects in the system rank by position. Our fifth look into the Guardians prospects by position is solely at second base. It’s a position that has some depth but a lot of question marks about the players on the list. Plus players can move around positions, as you’ll see here. And that includes potential shortstops we’ve yet to cover. But here are the second baseman prospects for this year that includes a lot of newcomers from the international class, draft and a trade.

2021 Top 10 Rankings by Position

2021 Cleveland Guardians top 10 catching prospects
2021 Cleveland Guardians top 10 relief pitching prospects
2021 Cleveland Guardians top 10 right handed pitching prospects
2021 Cleveland Guardians top 10 left handed starting pitching prospects
2021 Cleveland Guardians top 10 centerfield prospects
2021 Cleveland Guardians top 10 corner infield prospects
2021 Cleveland Guardians top 10 middle infield prospects
2021 Cleveland Guardians top 10 corner outfield prospects
2021 Cleveland Guardians Top 10 Outfield Prospects

2022 Top 10 Rankings by Position

2022 Cleveland Guardians Top 10 Outfield Prospects
2022 Cleveland Guardians Top 10 Catching Prospects
2022 Cleveland Guardians Top 10 Corner Infield Prospects
2022 Cleveland Guardians Top 10 Starting Pitching Prospects

1. Tyler Freeman

Age: 23
B/T: R/R
Level: MLB
Rule 5 status: On-40
Outlook: Somewhat surprisngly, Freeman was able to make his major league debut in 2023. He came back from a second shoulder surgery and played around the infield, mostly at short and third. We have him at second base long term and it’s still unclear where he ends up playing long term due to roster composition, but that’s where he projects best at. He showed his usual good contact ability and some more patience in a good approach.

2. Juan Brito

Age: 21
B/T: S/R
Level: Single-A
Rule 5 status: On-40
Outlook: One of a couple of newcomers on this list this year, Brito was acquired from Colorado for Nolan Jones. He’s on Cleveland’s 40 because he was Rule 5 eligible this year, which didn’t stop the Guardians from grabbing him and adding him even though he’s 21 and was only in Single-A this past year. So clearly he’s very highly thought of. with his high contact rate and quick stroke.

3.Jake Fox

Age: 19
B/T: L/R
Level: Single-A
Rule 5 status: 2025
Outlook: Though split his time between centerfield and second base, we have Fox as a fit at second long term. He’s got good patience that borders on passivity. But he doesn’t offer at bad pitches and has some interesting pop to his bat and speed.

4. Nate Furman

Age: 21
B/T: L/R
Level: Draft (college)
Rule 5 status: 2025
Outlook: Another highly ranked newcomer on our list, Furman has good bat control, good approach and a quick swing. He seems like a gamer at second with hustle, good defense and just overall hard nosed hustle. But it will be the bat that will be the impact of the bat that decides if he starts or is a utility guy long term.

5. Juan Benjamin

Age: 19
B/T: S/R
Level: Single-A
Rule 5 Status: 2023
Outlook: His time at Single-A was short, but Benjamin showed some interested batted ball data and a nice performance and swing. He looks like a solid option at second base with his compact size, and contract ability

6. Welbyn Francisca

Age: 16
B/T: R/R
Level: None (2023 J2 Signing)
Rule 5 status: 2027
Outlook:  This is a rare one. Francisca hasn’t even made his pro debut yet, let alone even collect any stateside at bats. But he’s here because the reports by people who have seen him play are pretty interesting, enough that he sounds like he is the second best rated played in the 2023 international signing class. It’s a bet that the bat is going to be special since he’s barely old enough to drive and has no pro at bats yet. A rare choice for us, but upside is upside in these cases.

7. Tyresse Turner

Age: 23
B/T: S/R
Level: College (draft)
Rule 5 status: 2026
Outlook: Turner is another player that was hard to strike out in college and walked nearly as much as he struck out. He’s probably more valuable as a shortstop for his defense but projects more as a second baseman, which is hwy he’s here but the bat is a question mark and will have to be better if he doesn’t have the value of a quality defensive shortstop backing him.

8. Fran Alduey

Age: 19
B/T: S/R
Level: ACL Complex
Rule 5 status: 2025
Outlook: Another bet on an international bat for Cleveland who has good reports though an underwhelming stateside debut in 2022, but the swing and some batted ball data are at least encouraging to bet on his future for now.

9. Christian Cairo

Age: 21
B/T: R/R
Level: High-A
Rule 5 status: 2023
Outlook: After three seasons in the minors and not advancing above High-A, Cairo is still on this list, A) due to depth, B) still works walks, C) plays good middle infield defense enough to be a potential utility player.

10. Aaron Bracho

Age: 21
B/T: S/R
Level: High-A
Rule 5 status: Eligible (unselected)
Outlook: At one time, Bracho would have made the top of this list. As recently as 2019, in fact. But he hasn’t hit and has had issues staying on the field enough to play. His defense was always a question mark at second base, but passable. Though there would be more uquestionsnow about his range without the shfit. But when it comes down to it, he’s here because at one time the bat was highly regarded and it just hasn’t panned out, but he’s on his last chance here due to depth I suppose.