Jaison Chourio is going to be a name to remember in a few years
With an overwhelming 42% of the vote, 17-year-old outfielder Jaison Chourio narrowly makes our top-20 prospect list at No. 19.
Chourio was an international free-agent signing last January for $1.2 million. I won’t pretend to know too much about him, having never seen him play with my own eyes, but he was the 20th overall IFA free agent according to MLB Pipeline last year.
The brother of Baseball America’s No. 3 overall prospect Jackson Chourio, Jaison hit the ground running in his first professional season, slashing .280/.446/.402 with a home run and 14 stolen bases. It was only 40 games in the lowest level of the minors, but his walk rate (22.9%) compared to his strikeout rate (12.6%) should raise some eyebrows.
FanGraphs tagged him with a 40+ future value (expected to at least make the majors, perhaps as a bench player) and named him Cleveland’s No. 16 prospect. He’s a young switch-hitter with the potential for power and obviously plenty of room to grow.
#Guardians 17yr old switch hitting OF prospect Jaison Chourio taking BP back home in Venezuela. Chourio put up a 140 wRC+ in 2022 making his pro-debut in the Dominican Summer League. Over 40 games he collected 40 walks to just 22 strikeouts. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/GttAMSZHBt
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) February 2, 2023
Now, with all that said, we have reached the final vote of the 2023 top prospects list. If this is where you dip out after casting your final ballot, thank you for coming along for the ride and keeping the spirit of the top prospect countdown alive and well. It’s always one of my favorite times of the offseason just because everyone gets to passionately discuss the deepest depths of the farm system.
This is arguably one of the deepest farm systems Cleveland has ever had, and you can expect a couple “Best of the Rest” articles from Brian Hemminger in the near future.
Xzavion Curry, RHP (Age 24)
2022 (AA): 69.0 IP, 11 GS, 28.4 K%, 6.7 BB%, 3.65 ERA, 3.75 FIP
2022 (AAA): 53.0 IP, 10 GS, 23.5 K%, 10.0 BB%, 4.58 ERA, 4.98 FIP
2022 (MLB): 9.1 IP, 2 GS, 6.4 K%, 12.8 BB%, 5.79 ERA, 6.11 FIP
Another Cleveland pitching factory success story. Curry exploded through the system in 2021, then advanced three more levels in 2022 to make two spot starts at the MLB level.
Will Dion, LHP (Age 22)
2022 (A): 115.1 IP, 23 GS, 30.7 K%, 6.7 BB%, 2.26 ERA, 3.20 FIP
2022 (A+): 12.2 IP, 2 GS, 33.3 K%, 6.7 BB%, 0.71 ERA, 2.85 FIP
A 2021 9th round pick nicknamed “Baby Kershaw” for his funky southpaw delivery, he earned Carolina League Pitcher of the Year honors in 2022.
Welbyn Francisca, SS (Age 16)
2023 international free agent signing
One of the most highly regarded hitting prospects in the 2023 IFA class; a twitchy, athletic fielder at shortstop.
Jake Fox, 2B/OF (Age 19)
2022 (A): 470 PA, .247/.381/.374, 5 HR,21 SB, 15.7 BB%, 19.1 K%, 118 wRC+
A high school bat taken in the 3rd round in 2021, Fox has shown patience at the plate at the lower levels, but we’re still waiting for louder hit tools to arrive.
Angel Genao, SS (Age 18)
2022 (ACL): 171 PA, .322/.394/.416, 2 HR, 6 SB, 9.4 BB%, 23.4 K%, 127 wRC+
2022 (A): 33 PA, .179/.303/.214, 0 HR, 0 SB, 12.1 BB%, 15.2 K%, 60 wRC+
Another talented, switch-hitting international middle infield prospect, Genao graduated to full-season ball in the latter half of 2022 as an 18-year-old.
Jack Leftwich, RHP (Age 24)
2022 (A): 60.1 IP, 5 GS, 36.4 K%, 4.3 BB%, 2.39 ERA, 1.82 FIP
2022 (A+): 49.0 IP, 10 GS, 29.0 K%, 7.3 BB%, 3.12 ERA, 3.30 FIP
2021 7th round pick as a college senior, advanced from piggy-back partner at Lynchburg to full-time starter at High-A.
Parker Messick, LHP (Age 22)
54th overall pick in 2022 MLB Draft
Heavy strike-thrower with the potential for four quality pitches.
