Guardians Mock Draft (First Three Rounds)

Which four players might find themselves in a Cleveland cap by pick 84?

On December 5th, 2023, The Guardians were awarded with a franchise altering opportunity. They will have the #1 pick in the draft for the first time in franchise history, and with the team playing as well as they have this season, it couldn’t have come at a better time. The Guardians have an opportunity to add a big time talent to a team that is already one of the best in the entire MLB.

There are so many different scenarios and possibilities for how this draft could play out. Will the Guardians pick the best player on their board? Will they try and cut a deal to spread the money around and maximize the value of all of their picks? Could they do both at the same time? It is truly fascinating to see how this front office will approach this once in a lifetime opportunity. Here is how I see the first 3 rounds playing out for the Guardians.

Round 1, Pick 1:

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State-

I think this pick is between three players, 2B Travis Bazzana, 3B/OF Charlie Condon, and SS/2B JJ Wetherholt. It wouldn’t surprise me if any of these three were the pick, but I’d be STUNNED if it wasn’t one of them.

All three players come with their own sets of pros and cons. Charlie Condon has 40 Home Run potential and just lead college baseball in Home Runs and Batting Average while playing in the toughest conference by far. His defensive position is still up in the air and he struggled to make contact consistently against breaking balls this season, albeit in a small sample. JJ Wetherholt likely has the best hit tool in the entire class, and he also has a real shot to play shortstop at the big league level, but multiple hamstring injuries in the last year that kept him off the field makes him a bit risker than you’d like when drafting first overall.

Now this brings me to who I believe the pick will be. It’s almost impossible to find any holes in Travis Bazzana’s offensive game. He hits for contact, he hits for power, he has incredible plate discipline which leads to plenty of walks. Maybe the best part about the Australia native is that his near flawless offensive profile may not even be his best tool. Bazzana is a tireless worker with ELITE makeup. Everyone who knows him raves about his work ethic and mentality, he’s even drawn comparisons to guys like Kobe Bryant and Tom Brady. This is the same kid that would drive hours to Driveline to optimize his bat path and launch angle and do everything he could to make himself the best player that he could possibly be. This is the same kid that gave analytical presentations to his college teammates to try and make them the best players that they could be as well. This is the type of player that you want to bet on, the type of player that works so hard, that failure won’t be an option.

Competitive Balance Round A, Pick 36:

Kash Mayfield, LHP. Elk City (OK)-

This would be a very exciting pick for the Guardians. I debated a couple different high school pitchers here, and despite Mayfield being old for the class, something that the Guardians typically don’t like, I still think Mayfield makes the most sense for them. Mayfield won Oklahoma’s Gatorade Player of the Year in 2024 and struck out 109 batters in 46.2 inning pitched. He is a left handed pitcher that sits 92-95 mph with the fastball but has been up to 98 mph. Mayfield also throws a plus changeup and a solid slider, similarly to Guardians prospects Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick in that regard.

Other potential options here: RHP William Schmidt, OF Slade Caldwell, RHP Braylon Roughty, SS Carter Johnson

Round 2, Pick 48:

Gage Jump, LHP, LSU-

Maybe this is a tad bit early for Jump, as he’s ranked a little lower than this on most boards, but I really like this kid. I watched him dominate one of the best lineups in college baseball against Charlie Condon and Georgia on one of the biggest stages. Jump missed all of the 2023 season after getting Tommy John surgery, and while a lot of pitchers struggled upon returning after TJ, that didn’t happen at all for Jump. He pitched to a 3.47 ERA and struck out 101 batters while walking just 22 in 83 innings pitched. The fastball is 92-96 from the left side with a TON of carry on it. He also has the potential to throw two plus breaking balls. It’s pretty rare to be able to find a starter with potential for 3 plus pitches in the second round, I think the stuff is just too good to pass on at pick 48.

Other potential options here: Ben Hess, Mike Sirota, Luke Holman, Blake Burke

Round 3, Pick 84:

Cole Mathis, 1B, College of Charleston-

This pick might be a bit of a dream, he’s ranked right at 84th overall on MLBPipeline, but I think a smart team is going to take him earlier than this. If not, this would be a home run pick for the Guardians. All he’s done throughout his career is MASH. He slashed .330/.439/.579 with 41 walks to 37 strikeouts as a sophomore, then he went and destroyed the cape cod league, which we know the Guardians value heavily, posting a slash line of .318/.381/.667 with 11 home runs in just 147 plate appearances. He followed that up by hitting .335/.472/.650 with 14 home runs, and 46 walks to just 32 strikeouts this season. This is a professional hitter that has a chance to hit for contact and power at the big league level.

Other potential options here- RHP Aiden May, RHP Michael Massey, SS Josh Kuroda-Grauer