Guardians prospect Ralphy Velazquez is forcing his way into long-term plans

There are very few players who have the power that Ralphy Velazquez does.

The 20-year-old prospect out of San Pedro, Cali., was selected by the Cleveland Guardians with the 23rd overall pick in the 2023 MLB June Amateur Draft. Known for his power and defensive play behind the plate, he's transitioned into a sneaky-athletic first baseman and outfielder.

After three seasons in minor league ball, he's finally starting to get the rightful praise he deserves.

While it may be hard to fully take the spotlight, primarily due to the excitement surrounding guys like Chase DeLauter or Travis Bazzana, Velazquez deserves to slowly join that company.

He jolted his way into the headlines this past offseason after the public noticed just how good he really was in 2025. He led the Guardians' minor league system in RBIs with an impressive mark of 85 across High-A and Double-A ball.

He nearly drove in more runs than the number of games he played at Double-A.

Ralphy Velazquez has the most RBI among all #Guardians prospects in the minor leagues.

Velazquez has 85 RBI on the season.

(via @GuardsInsider)#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/qxSuoPceOX
— Guardians Nation (@GuardiansNation) January 14, 2026

Velazquez's 2025 campaign

In his first week of Double-A ball, he went 12-of-22 from the plate for a .545 batting average, while also tacking on an impressive .615 on-base percentage and 1.364 slugging percentage. That was good enough for a 1.979 OPS.

Putting up numbers like these are just turning 20-years-old is unheard of.

There were also only five prospects age 20 or younger with 300+ plate appearances and an ISO over .220 in the final weeks of the 2025 season, with Velazquez being a part of that elite company. Out of all five, which includes Samuel Basallo, Bryce Eldrige, Lazaro Montes and Josue Briceno, he has the highest contact rate out of all of them.

By the end of the 2025 campaign, he had slashed a clean .265/.342/.497 for an OPS of .839 as one of the Guardians' best minor league prospects.

The excitement surrounding a player like Velazquez isn't just his raw power, but his athleticism and speed to go along with it as well. To be able to slug the way he does at 6-foot-3, 240 pounds, and then take off to snag 28 doubles and nine triples is incredible. He hasn't yet showcased an ability to steal bases, grabbing just one in 2025, but with more coaching to further his lethality on the base paths could push his value into untouchable territory.

But his success didn't come without bumps in the road.

Through the first 40 games of the season, he was widely considered to be trending towards bust territory with a batting average under .200, but seeing him bounce back to near .300 territory by the end of the year across both levels of minor league action showed resilience.

That's especially important for a guy like Velazquez, who, more than likely, will end up jumping from Double-A to Triple-A this year. When moving through different levels of the minors, struggles are going to occur, but he's shown that he can weather that storm head-on.

The first look at Velazquez in 2026 should come in the upcoming MLB Spring Training, which is set to begin on Saturday, Feb. 21, with first pitch set for 3:05 p.m. against the Cincinnati Reds.