Gary Streiffer
Cleveland Baseball Insider's 2024 Season Top 50 Prospects: No. 39 OF Guy Lipscomb
As we prepare for a new year and spring training to begin, there’s no better time to bring you an up-to-date look at Cleveland Baseball Insider's top 50 prospects.
Rankings are based on seeing the players live, watching videos, and having conversations with evaluators within and outside of the organization, as well as other writers.
While prospect lists are fun and entertaining for fans, they are not an end-all-be-all in terms of who makes it eventually to the Major Leagues. Remember, José Ramírez was never a top-100 prospect nationally, and players like Steven Kwan and Will Brennan weren't considered top-20 prospects in the Guardians organization by many outside publications.
The ultimate goal here is to inform our readers and give you information on some of the young talent in the organization that they can follow and look forward to seeing in the future at the MLB level.
Guy Lipscomb - OF
AGE - 22 | BATS - L |
DOB - 3/11/2001 | THROWS - R |
HT - 6'2' | DRAFTED - 2022, 5th Rnd |
WT - 195 | ETA - 2025 |
Lipscomb was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft out of Belmont University, signing for $275K. He made his pro-debut during the 2023 season at Low-A Lynchburg, where he played in 75 games. He missed nearly a month-and-a-half of the season with a fractured left wrist.
Scouting Grades
Hit - 50 | Arm - 50 |
Power - 30 | Field - 55 |
Run - 70 | Overall - 40 |
Lipscomb is extremely athletic, starring in both football and baseball in high school. He has an extremely high IQ and understanding of the game, along with being a tremendous competitor. His best tool is his 70-grade speed. Lipscomb is able to get to top speed in a short amount of distance. This quick acceleration makes him a dangerous threat on the basepaths.
Lipscomb is another Guardians prospect that has terrific bat-to-ball skills, and does a terrific job keeping his barrel in the strike zone to increase the amount of contact he makes. He is able to extend counts with his ability to foul off tough two-strike pitches consistently. He has an outstanding eye at the plate as well, with the ability to draw walks and get on base at a very high rate.
He has the frame to potentially add more power, but for at least now, it didn't really show up in his first pro season with just 17 extra-base hits and one home run in 75 games.
Lipscomb himself has been quoted as saying, "I have a lot more power in the tank. I think sometimes I cut myself off, you know. I don't give myself credit, like, it's in there. I just have to find out how to use it. I don't just have to be a slap hitter or a singles guy. I can drive it into the gaps.”
Defensively, he is very solid, and should be able to stick in center field with his plus speed and range. His arm is considered average.
2023 Stats
G | AB | R | H | 2B | 3B | HR | RBI | BB | SO | SB | AVG | OBP | SLG | ISO | OPS | wRC+ |
75 | 262 | 47 | 69 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 45 | 53 | 56 | 48 | .263 | .386 | .351 | .088 | .737 | 118 |
Lipscomb spent his entire first pro season at Low-A Lynchburg, playing in 75 games. If not for a fractured left wrist he suffered in early July, he may have been a candidate to earn a promotion to High-A Lake County later in the season.
Despite missing a month-and-a-half due to injury, Lipscomb still led the Guardians farm system with 48 stolen bases on the season. Overall, he hit .263 with an impressive .386 OBP and a 118 wRC+ over 321 plate appearances. He drew 53 walks to just 56 strikeouts, posting a 16.5% BB% on the year.
Lipscomb didn't have enough plate appearances to qualify, but amongst all Guardians Minor League players, his 16.5 BB% would have ranked first in the organization, and his .386 OBP would have been good enough for second. His 118 wRC+ would have also qualified for fifth-highest in the system.
2024 and Future Outlook
Look for Lipscomb to start his 2024 season with High-A Lake County. If Lipscomb can repeat the success he saw in his first pro season, getting on-base, stealing bases, and providing to be a top of the order threat, he could see a possible promotion to Double-A Akron sometime during the second half of the 2024 season.
Lipscomb's ceiling may come down to if he is able to develop more power at the plate and produce more hard contact. If he is able to do this moving forward, he could be a possible top-of-the-order, high on-base MLB regular in center field who would be an outstanding base-stealing threat.
His floor is that of a fourth or fifth outfielder that can handle all three outfield positions and be an asset as a pinch runner/base-stealing threat late in games.
