Why This Former First-Round Selection for the Guardians Could Break Out in 2026

The Cleveland Guardians wouldn't be the Cleveland Guardians if they weren't lauded for their prospects.

Heading into the start of the 2026 season, which will begin with spring training in just under three weeks, the Guardians' farm system has been ranked one of the best in the league. In the recent MLB Pipeline top 100 rankings, the Guardians were lauded with six players believed to be some of the league's best youngsters.

The list includes infielder Travis Bazzana and outfielder Chase DeLauter, both of whom are viewed as some of the league's top talents, along with infielders Angel Genao and Ralphy Velazquez, pitcher Parker Messick and catcher Cooper Ingle.

But missing from that list is one player that could end up on the 2027 version: Jace LaViolette.

The former No. 27 selection in the 2025 MLB June Amateur Draft out of Texas A&M may be the next exciting, eye-popping outfielder to sport the navy blue and red. He's coming off an incredible three-year collegiate career where he slashed .285/.432/.651 for an OPS of 1.083 with nearly 70 home runs.

For a power-hitter, he also kept a keen eye, drawing 169 walks to 222 strikeouts.

Heading into 2026, he's more than likely going to be placed in High-A with the Lake County Captains, with a chance to quickly rise through the ranks. He has the talent, the timeline for development and most importantly, the grit.

And he'll end up flying under the radar.

Unbelievable. After getting surgery after his HBP yesterday, Jace LaViolette is in the lineup tonight and just delivered an RBI single. Swinging with one hand. pic.twitter.com/vghOr6eBF4
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) May 24, 2025

LaViolette's excitement at the plate and toughness that's unmatched

At the end of his college days, he suffered a broken hand after being hit by a pitch in the 2025 SEC Tournament. While the game was a win for the Aggies, the fear was that LaViolette would end up missing a big chunk of time, but at 7:00 p.m. that night, he decided to take the risk.

He underwent surgery and was back in the lineup the very next day for the quarterfinal matchup with LSU. While his toughness was great to see, it ended up resulting in him needing further surgery after the draft, causing him to miss out on any minor league action in 2025.

“He ended up having a follow-up procedure at the end of the [college] season once it concluded,” president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said late last season following LaViolette's surgery. “It’ll just depend upon his timeframe and how his rehab goes. We’ll hopefully have a little bit more information. He’s actually going to be out in Arizona at some point. We have to do his entrance physical first. That’ll give us a better indication of what the expected timeline would be.”

But that sets him up for a can't-miss 2026 year.

A first-rounder that couldn't play ball in months? He's going to come out with vengeance and determination to show the organization they didn't make a mistake taking him so high.

Throughout the offseason, LaViolette has remained active in the gym in preparation for the 2026 season. If he's able to put on even more strength, his power at the plate may end up surpassing or drawing comparisons to Chase DeLauter's, who's one of the most intriguing prospects in Cleveland's system heading into the upcoming year.

Cleveland #Guardians 22yr OF prospect Jace LaViolette getting in a Christmas Eve workout at Dynamic Sports Training out of Houston, Texas.

LaViolette the organizations 2025 1st Round Pick will make his pro-debut likely at High-A Lake County in 2026.#GuardsBall pic.twitter.com/gkFe2Ht5m2
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) December 24, 2025

In 2025, he spent all 55 games for the Aggies as the team's starting center fielder, a position that the Guardians haven't had success in for years.

“I would first talk about my defense before anything else,” LaViolette said in a recent interview. “I pride myself on any ball that's hit out there, just don't let it touch the grass. That's how I talk about it, and then obviously I like to hit the ball a long way.”

He's probably two to four years out from a major league debut. If he can stay healthy, he might be just behind Bazzana and DeLauter as the next can't-miss prospect.

While LaViolette won't get a chance in the 2026 MLB Spring Training window, he'll be able to take that extra time to get up to speed and prepare for the minor league season to begin.

However. a call-up to the spring training camp in 2027 should be in his future.