Futures

Ralphy Velazquez, Cooper Ingle are top candidates for MLB Futures Game

Web Desk Send an email June 1, 2026
0 1 4 minutes read
Ralphy Velazquez, Cooper Ingle are top candidates for MLB Futures Game

Now that we’ve hit June, the MLB All-Star week looms one month away. Every year, All-Star week includes the MLB Futures Game, where the sport’s top prospects compete against each other.

The Cleveland Guardians have more than a few options to represent the system in Philadelphia — and that’s with prospects including Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana and Parker Messick graduating from prospect status this year — all top 100 prospects, with Bazzana and Messick pushing to be in the MLB All-Star Game themselves.

Ralphy Velazquez, who turned 21 on May 28, should be a top choice at first base. There are no AL first basemen anywhere close to his production and hype. Velazquez appeared in the Futures Game back in 2024, before he really broke out. Making two appearances isn’t unheard of. Mike Trout and even Carlos Carrasco and Roberto Hernandez (when he was known as Fausto Carmona) appeared twice.

The competition for AL shortstops will be stiff. But with the Mariners’ Colt Emerson now in the majors, the Guardians’ Angel Genao has a chance up against the Athletics’ Leo De Vries and the Red Sox’ Franklin Arias.

The easiest call to make the Futures game for Cleveland is catcher Cooper Ingle. Kansas City’s Blake Mitchell is striking out a ton in High-A and the Twins’ Eduardo Tait is struggling in High-A, while Ingle is thriving offensively in Triple-A. Those would appear to be his main competition as AL backstops.

A wild-card entry for Cleveland could be reliever Daniel Espino. He has never been selected to the Futures Game and isn’t considered a top-100 prospect. But the rosters for this game are heavily influenced by the clubs themselves, the MLB’s official website top-100 prospects, as well as getting big names, power and velocity on the roster.

Espino brings the heat they like and is a great comeback story from his past injuries. It would just depend on who is on the roster ahead of him and if Cleveland would allow it. He could make the roster and not even pitch, due to the fact the game is only seven innings now.

Cleveland Guardians prospects news and notes

• The 2026 College World Series kicked off this past weekend, and there are some names to watch playing over the next month for the Guardians pick at 19 during the MLB Draft this year, which also takes place during All-Star week, for some reason.

Cleveland showed a different type of player to target in 2025, going for more power and patience, while tolerating more swing and miss, as well as a mix of less control-first college and high school arms.

Assuming that is a new pattern and not an anomaly based on who was available in last year’s draft class, here are some College World Series participants to watch:

• 3B Ace Reese (Mississippi State): Solid power, mild chase.

• SS Tyler Bell (Kentucky: Good ability to hit pulled fly balls, doesn’t chase, plays up the middle, hit well this year on an injured left labrum.

• OF Caden Sorrell (Texas A&M): Left-handed hitting outfielder with power, swing and miss, moderate chase.

• OF Caden Bogdenpohl (Missouri State): Big, physical left-handed hitting outfielder, good raw power, mild chase rate, game power really regressed this season, so buy-low candidate.

• RHP Tegan Kuhns (Tennessee): Classic pitcher’s build, big stuff, draft-eligible sophomore. Cleveland hasn’t drafted a college pitcher in the first round since Gavin Williams in 2021.

• RHP Cade Townsend (Auburn): Shorter build but big stuff, plus extension, SEC credentials.

• RHP Logan Reddemann (UCLA): Strike thrower with a good package of stuff and size. Hasn’t pitched since April due to an undisclosed injury.

• C Bo Naylor reported to Columbus this week after one game in the Arizona Complex rookie league, somewhat changing his stance. He has served as the DH and caught twice, batting 2-for-10 with an RBI in three games as of May 29.

• RHP Justin Campbell continues to make an incredible comeback in 2026, after not pitching since his college days in 2022. He logged a career high in innings on May 26 at Akron, with five, where he allowed a run on four hits and a walk, and struck out five. He pushed to 70 pitches, also a career high now.

• RHP Khal Stephen has now thrown 11 straight scoreless innings in Akron over this last two starts with just seven hits allowed, three walks and seven strikeouts. He last allowed a run back on May 15, just one run in 5 1/3 innings, so he’s allowed just that one run in his last 16 1/3 innings.

• 2025 first-round pick, OF Jace LaViolette, had the best week of his short career last week. From May 18-24, he hit three homers and had two doubles, hitting .435/.519/.1.000, with just six strikeouts and three walks in 28 plate appearances. He still boasted a 33% strikeout rate in May and almost 38% for the season, so he has a long way to go for his bat to be playable and promotable. But last week was a step in the right direction.

• 18-year-old OF Juneiker Caceres with the Hill City Howlers has been sidelined with a hamstring issue since May 9. He was hitting .280/.384/.419 with two homers in 112 plate appearances before the injury. He returned to DH on May 30.

• It has been a tough start to the 2026 season for RHP Joey Oakie in Hill City, coming off a brilliant end to his 2025 season. He struck out eight in 3 2/3 innings on May 28 with just a run allowed on two hits and two walks, which was his best start of May despite the length. High pitch counts and control have been his issue.

• RHP Yorman Gomez commenced a rehab assignment in Arizona for his shoulder issue. He allowed three runs on three hits with a walk and a strikeout in 1 2/3 innings.

Web Desk Send an email June 1, 2026
0 1 4 minutes read

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