The sweet-swinging outfield slugger is finally on the cusp of making his MLB debut.
Since Covering the Corner voters don’t apparently enjoy close votes, George Valera captured 39% of the vote, outpacing Tanner Bibee (25%) by a wide margin for the No. 3 spot on our 2023 prospect ranking list.
One of Cleveland’s top international signings out of the heralded 2017 class, Valera has done his best to live up to the hype ever since.
Believe it or not, 2022 was the first season since making his minor league debut that the talented outfielder stayed healthy. Valera’s previous career high for games played in a season was 86 in 2021, but he played a whopping 132 games in 2022 between Double-A and Triple-A.
The performance and results speak for themselves.
Over his first 90 games at Double-A, Valera slashed .264/.367/.470, posting a 25.8% strikeout rate and a 13.8% walk rate with 15 home runs, which was good for a 129 wRC+ in his age-21 season.
Valera’s performance earned him an invite to the Future’s Game, then a promotion to Triple-A for his final 42 games of the season.
That’s where his performance really got interesting. Despite getting promoted to the final level before reaching MLB, Valera actually dropped his strikeout rate from 25.8% to 25.1% and didn’t sacrifice his walk rate much either, dropping to 12.3%. He also increased his power, slugging nine home runs and raising his ISO from .206 to .227.
The one area that he struggled was BABIP, dropping to a career-low .248, which reduced his batting average to .221 and kept his wRC at an average 103.
Barring a Kwan-esque spring training, Valera will begin the 2023 season at Triple-A and he’ll be knocking on the door in case Myles Straw or Oscar Gonzalez falter in the Cleveland Guardians starting outfield.
Please enjoy some Valera bat flips while we wait for him to make his MLB debut.
Gabriel Arias, SS (Age 22)
2022 (AAA): 323 PA, .240/.310/.406, 13 HR, 5 SB, 7.7 BB%, 24.1 K%, 89 wRC+
2022 (MLB): 57 PA, .191/.321/.319, 1 HR, 1 SB, 14.0 BB%, 28.1 K%, 90 wRC+
After struggling in his first two promotions, Arias seemed to settle in his third time being called to the big leagues in 2022, posting a 158 wRC+ from September on.
Tanner Bibee, RHP (Age 23)
2022 (A+): 59.0 IP, 12 GS, 37.2 K%, 5.6 BB%, 2.59 ERA, 3.04 FIP
2022 (AA): 73.2 IP, 13 GS, 28.4 K%, 4.9 BB%, 1.83 ERA, 2.61 FIP
Fifth-round pick in 2021 who quickly established himself in High-A and added velocity throughout the season.
Will Brennan, OF (Age 24)
2022 (AA): 157 PA, .311/.382/.504, 4 HR, 5 SB, 10.8 BB%, 10.2 K%, 139 wRC+
2022 (AAA): 433 PA, .316/.367/.471, 9 HR, 15 SB, 7.6 BB%, 12.2 K%, 122 wRC+
2022 (MLB): 45 PA, .357/.400/.500, 1 HR, 2 SB, 4.4 BB%, 8.9 K%, 155 wRC+
Started hot in Double-A in 2022 and literally never stopped raking, even after being promoted to Cleveland and making the playoff roster.
Chase DeLauter, OF (Age 21)
2022 (NCAA): 118 PA, .437/.576/.828, 8 HR, 10 SB, 23.7 BB%, 17.8 K%
One of the most impressive college hitters out of unheralded James Madison University, DeLauter will make his pro debut this season with high expectations.
Angel Martinez, SS (Age 20)
2022 (A+): 331 PA, .288.384.477, 10 HR, 10 SB, 12.1 BB%, 17.5 K%, 139 wRC+
2022 (AA): 103 PA, .244.356.451, 3 HR, 2 SB, 11.7 BB%, 17.5 K%, 120 wRC+
Another blossoming middle infield prospect who didn’t slow down after being promoted to Double-A at 20 years old. Added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster in November.
Cody Morris, RHP (Age 26)
2022 (AAA): 15.1 IP, 3 GS, 51.7 K%, 10.3 BB%, 2.35 ERA, 2.46 FIP
2022 (MLB): 23.2 IP, 5 GS, 23.0 K%, 12.0 BB%, 2.28 ERA, 4.34 FIP
An early shoulder injury likely prevented him from earning a permanent spot in Cleveland’s starting rotation in 2022. Morris impressed in limited appearances at the MLB level.
Bo Naylor, C (Age 23)
2022 (AA): 220 PA, .271/.427/.471, 6 HR, 11 SB, 20.5 BB%, 20.9 K%, 151 wRC+
2022 (AAA): 290 PA, .257/.366/.514, 15 HR, 9 SB, 12.8 BB%, 25.9 K%, 131 wRC+
2022 (MLB): 8 PA, .000/.000/.000, 0 HR, 0 SB, 0 BB%, 62.5 K%, -100 wRC+
Offense roared back with a vengeance in 2022 with a rare 20/20 season for a catcher, culminating with a cup of coffee in the big leagues.
Brayan Rocchio, SS (Age 22)
2022 (AA): 432 PA, .265/.349/.432, 13 HR, 12 SB, 9.7 BB%, 18.8 K%, 114 wRC+
2022 (AAA): 152 PA, .234/.298/.387, 5 HR, 2 SB, 7.9 BB%, 13.8 K%, 81 wRC+
Has the contact, speed, and defense the Guardians love, along with an 80-grade nickname of “The Professor”.
