Guardians Could Make Head-Turning Move With Surprising Prospect

The Cleveland Guardians definitely need some help in the outfield, as they just demoted Jhonkensy Noel to the minor leagues, and Nolan Jones has been a major disappointment.

Yes, the Guardians called up Johnathan Rodriguez, who was very impressive in spring training and has been raking at Triple-A Columbus, but there could be another interesting name Cleveland may turn to at some point this season.

We already know about top prospect Chase DeLauter, and we have also heard the buzz about C.J. Kayfus, but what about fellow outfield prospect Petey Halpin?

Guardians Prospective outlined the case for Halpin, who has been terrific at Triple-A this year and makes sense as a call up due to his current status on the 40-man roster.

I get all the calls by fans for Kayfus and DeLauter but don't sleep on Petey Halpin.

The 23yr old outfielder is an outstanding defensive center fielder that is currently hitting .292 on the season with an .834 OPS at Columbus.

One other factor is that Halpin is on the 40-man…
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) June 8, 2025

Halpin was the Guardians 27th-ranked prospect by MLB.com heading into 2025, and at the time, his low ranking made sense due to his performance over his first three years in Cleveland's minor-league system. However, the 23-year-old has broken out this season.

Through 51 games at Triple-A Columbus, Halpin is slashing .292/.362/.472 with five home runs, 12 doubles, four triples and 19 RBI. He has also stolen five bases.

Halpin's career numbers don't look nearly as impressive, as he is a lifetime .258/.334/.400 minor-league hitter, but perhaps something has clicked for him?

The San Mateo, Ca. native was originally selected by the Guardians in the third round of the 2020 MLB Draft and was finally promoted to Triple-A for the first time this season.

Is it possible that Cleveland could give Halpin a shot over DeLauter or Kayfus? It remains to be seen, and it likely depends on how Rodriguez performs. But it's an intriguing situation to monitor, nonetheless.

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