Brayan Rocchio

The Guardians are one of the cheapest teams in the league, so while Rocchio doesn't project to perform like an everyday-caliber player in 2024, he may still get those opportunities. The switch-hitting shortstop has been a quality prospect dating back to an impressive pro debut as a teenager in 2018, but despite posting ISO's over .160 and slugging percentages over .425 across High-A and Double-A in 2021 and 2022, his power output has declined steeply since reaching Triple-A and the majors. It's possible he was able to get himself into more hitter's counts that allowed him to swing for the fences more against High-A and Double-A pitching and that has not carried over against pitchers with better control. Aside from limited raw power, Rocchio has a lot going for him. He is an excellent defensive infielder who had an 11.2 percent walk rate and 12.3 percent strikeout rate with 25 steals in 116 games at Triple-A. Barring an offseason acquisition of a more seasoned big-league shortstop, Rocchio could be Cleveland's starter at the position while likely hitting in the bottom third of the lineup.

As Rocchio, a switch-hitting shortstop who turns 22 this offseason, nears MLB readiness, his fit on the Guardians might be becoming a bigger question than his skill set. Andres Gimenez and Amed Rosario are theoretically entering their primes and they were worth a combined 8.5 fWAR last year. Part of the reason teams like Cleveland build with up-the-middle position players is so that they can move down the defensive spectrum when needed, but none of Rocchio/Gimenez/Rosario have the power typically associated with the corners, and Jose Ramirez probably isn't going anywhere. While he waits his turn at Triple-A, Rocchio could work on doing more damage when he makes contact. He has excellent bat-to-ball skills (84.7 Contact% at Triple-A), but too often he was swinging at pitchers' pitches and making weak contact (50.4 GB%). Rocchio has only run a high BABIP once in full-season ball (.350 at Double-A in 2021), so that excellent run (135 wRC+) should probably be considered the outlier until he improves his contact quality. He was 14-for-23 on stolen-base attempts, so that's another area he could improve.

Rocchio gets lazily tagged as a high-floor/low-ceiling prospect, but a 20-year-old switch-hitting infielder who hits 15 home runs, steals 21 bases and slashes .277/.346/.460 as one of the youngest players at High-A and Double-A would seem to be a pretty appealing prospect in dynasty leagues. What makes Rocchio's season more impressive is the fact that he got better as the season went on and his competition got stronger. He had a 135 wRC+ at Double-A versus a 110 mark at High-A, and slashed .295/.370/.492 from June 1 on. Nicknamed The Professor, Rocchio has excellent instincts and intangibles, and he is clearly a player who has improved each season of his pro career. He has yet to walk at high clips in pro ball, but he also hasn't logged alarming strikeout rates, and it's hard to ding him too much for the lack of walks given how aggressively he's been pushed up the ladder. He is built like the organization's former switch-hitting franchise shortstop, Francisco Lindor, and thus many are skeptical of his power potential in the majors. Rocchio's swing is even eerily similar to Lindor's, and it's worth noting that Lindor never logged a minor-league ISO anywhere near the .212 mark Rocchio posted at Double-A. At the very least, he should play everyday and steal double-digit bases, but there's a very real chance Rocchio is a legitimate five-category anchor in his prime. He could set himself up for an everyday job in 2023.

A slight 5-foot-10, 160 pounds, Rocchio may never rank highly on exit velocity or barrel leaderboards, but he is about as safe a bet to make the majors as a hitting prospect who has never played full-season ball can be. Travel restrictions during the pandemic prevented Rocchio from returning from Venezuela for Cleveland's alternate training site or the fall instructional league, but he went 3-for-6 with a home run and a strikeout in four games during big-league spring training before the shutdown. His potential as a plus hitter with plus speed is the main selling point for dynasty leagues. He is a significantly better bet to stick at shortstop than org. mate Tyler Freeman, although Freeman has an even better hit tool and more power. The game comes easy to the switch-hitting Rocchio, so he could spend little time at Low-A during his age-20 season before getting the bump to High-A.

Nicknamed "The Professor", Rocchio is incredibly advanced for his age on both sides of the ball. At 5-foot-10, 150 pounds, he needs to be polished, as he is one of the least physically imposing players on the field at all times. His best offensive trait is elite bat-to-ball skill. He was the youngest hitter in the New York-Penn League, yet his 13.6 K% was the fourth-best rate on the circuit. Rocchio is a plus runner, but has not excelled at putting that speed to work on the bases (63.2% success rate in 57 career stolen-base attempts). He will never grow into above-average power but could hit 10-15 home runs during his peak years. Rocchio lacks a plus arm, but every other aspect of his shortstop defense is excellent, so at worst he would be a plus defender at second base. Given his lack of power and physicality, Rocchio needs to develop at least a plus hit tool to be an everyday player.

He is only listed at 5-foot-10, 150 pounds, but the switch-hitting Rocchio is already the apple of many Arizona-based scouts' eyes. A July 2, 2017 signee, Rocchio only netted a $125,000 bonus out of Venezuela -- top international prospects typically get seven figures. However, many evaluators now project a plus hit tool with plus speed and zero questions about his ability to stick in the middle infield. As the third-youngest hitter in the AZL, Rocchio finished third in the league in AVG (.343), had the fourth-lowest K% (10.8), ranked fifth in steals (14) and managed to post a 137 wRC+ despite hitting just one home run in 158 PA. The "will he hit for power?" questions will undoubtedly follow him up the ladder until he silences those critics on the field, but given his age, defensive home and hit tool, nobody should care how many home runs he hits in 2019 or 2020. Rocchio is an ascending asset whose floor is higher than any of his classmates, save Wander Franco.