Cleveland Baseball Insider

Cleveland Guardians Offseason Acquisition Continues To Impress in Minors

After coming way via trade this offseason, this Cleveland Guardians' prospect continues to impress throughout the 2025 season.
Dylan Feltovich|
May 25, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Wake Forest pitcher Josh Hartle (23) throws a pitch in the second inning against Florida State during the ACC Baseball Tournament at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images
May 25, 2024; Charlotte, NC, USA; Wake Forest pitcher Josh Hartle (23) throws a pitch in the second inning against Florida State during the ACC Baseball Tournament at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

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Cleveland Guardians

While the Cleveland Guardians did not acquire many instant-impact players last offseason, one new addition continues to make rumbles within the franchise's minor league system.

After the Guardians traded second basemen Andres Gimenez to the Toronto Blue Jays for Spencer Horwitz, Cleveland flipped the 27-year-old first basemen to the Pittsburgh Pirates for a trio of pitchers, which included starter Luis Ortiz. However, the best part of the trade may have been 22-year-old lefty Josh Hartle.

Coming out of Wake Forest, Hartle was selected in the third round of the 2024 MLB Draft by the Pirates. And despite receiving first-round hype prior to his final collegiate season, the 6-foot-5, 210 lbs. lefty made one appearance for the Pirates Single-A affiliate Bradenton Marauders. During that game, he would give up three earned runs on five hits while recording two strikeouts in 1.2 innings pitched.

Luckily for Hartle, he would prove that his first Single-A appearance would be a fluke, as the young prospect is off to an electric start in 2025. Through his first 12 games with the Guardians' High-A affiliate Lake County Captains, Hartle has a 2.77 ERA and a 1.17 WHIP while recording a 5-1 record.

With his impressive frame, Hartle possesses all the attributes to become a talented pitcher at the MLB level. His pitch arsenal includes a low-90s fastball, which is perfectly complimented by a sharp slider and a nice cutter/changeup mix. While he does not have an overpowering fastball, Hartle's combination of control and off speed pitches from the left side gives him a huge advantage against opposing hitters.

Hartle is the Guardians No. 22 prospect with an MLB ETA of 2027, according to MLB.com. While fans will have to wait to see the young talent, he could become the next dominant starting pitcher for Cleveland in the future.

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Dylan Feltovich
DYLAN FELTOVICH

Dylan Feltovich attended John Carroll University and started working for numerous sites in the On SI network in 2023 as a staff writer. He has covered high school and college events around the Northeast Ohio area for several years.

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