Minor League Baseball season is upon us.
The Cleveland Guardians’ Minor League affiliates revealed their Opening Day rosters for the 2026 season on Tuesday. Throughout the club's four minor league affiliates, fans can see plenty of Cleveland's future stars, including four of MLB’s Top 100 prospects.
Let’s start in Low-A with the newly named Hill City Howlers. The former Lynchburg Hill Cats return 18 players from last season’s Carolina League Championship, including five of the Guardians Top 30 prospects.
The full Hill City Howlers roster can be found here:
Moving up to Single-A with the Lake County Captains, where Eastlake is set to be a hub for some of the Guardians' most exciting young talent. 2025 first-round draft pick Jace LaViolette will make Classic Auto Group Park home this year.
“You hear from everyone in our organization that, you know, he's one of the strongest, fastest, at most powerful athletes we have," the Guardians manager said this spring regarding the hard-hitting outfielder out of Texas A&M. “His presence, you see it.”
The full Lake County Captains roster can be found here:
Out in Akron, the Double-A RubberDucks infield features two of Major League Baseball’s top 100 prospects: Ralphy Velazquez and Angel Genao. On the mound, a Cleveland minor-league fan favorite gets the call-up from Lake County. The Captains' all-time strikeout leader, Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson, now dons a ‘Ducks uniform.
The full Akron RubberDucks roster can be found here:
Finally, in Columbus, the Clippers' season is well underway. Plenty of familiar faces can be found with the Guardians Triple-A affiliate, including OF Nolan Jones, Logan Allen, and rehabbing OF George Valera and RHP Hunter Gaddis. INF Juan Brito has already impressed, batting 6-12 with 4 doubles through the first three games of the season. But of course, all eyes will be on the Guardians' top prospect and the 18th-ranked player in baseball: Travis Bazzana.
"I felt like we got to see Travis's full game," Stephen Vogt said earlier this spring about the 2024 first overall pick. “He's a really good player, and we're very excited about Travis's future, and we know he's going to help us win a ton of games, but it was a very impressive showing for Travis this spring.”
The most recent version of the Columbus Clippers roster can be found here:
