Going 77–53 last season, the title marks the second championship in Lake County’s history. However, this year’s ceremony was something unique. Captains manager, Omir Santos, and the rest of the Lake County coaching staff joined last year’s team in collecting their rings moments before managing Friday’s 2025 Spring Breakout game. Attending Mariners fans and Guardians fans had the chance to watch the ceremony at Goodyear Ballpark.

Before the ceremony, Santos expressed his excitement for seeing the team’s hard work pay off.

“All I can say is that I just want to see those happy faces,” Santos said. “All they’ve worked for, and to be recognized as the Team of the Year by Baseball America, all that they’ve accomplished, it’s all them. They work hard.”

Championship seasons aren’t easy to come by, either. According to Santos, last season’s team was special for multiple reasons.

“What stood out about last season’s team is the locker room and how the guys went about their business all year-round,” Santos said. “Every day was a grind in that clubhouse. Every day somebody was stepping up that night. It wasn’t one or two players, it was the whole team.”

“Stepping up” is exactly what the Captains did. In addition to securing the 2024 Midwest League East First Half Division title, they became the first team since 2011 to lead the Midwest League in runs scored and fewest runs allowed. After losing Game 1 of the Championship Series against the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Lake County took the final two games of the series and clinched the Midwest League Championship title. The grit displayed by the Captains during that series was nothing new. They had already built a culture centered around resilience.

“Me and our staff, we felt like we had a chance every night. Even when we were losing in the seventh or the eighth, those guys would get it together,” Santos said. “It was fun to watch. It’s not hard to see, but it’s something that you don’t see often.”

While their season started behind players like Parker Messick and Cooper Ingle, the Captains ended their season with a roster full of new talent. Both groups were also on display during the Guardians 2025 Spring Breakout Game. Whether it was Angel Genao, Ralphy Velazquez, and Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson coming in from Lynchburg, or players like Travis Bazzana and Jacob Cozart joining the Captains after being selected by the Guardians in the 2024 MLB Draft, Lake County’s new additions immediately adapted to the team’s culture.

“I’m gonna be honest, it was something that I have not seen before. Right when new guys came in, they were feeling welcome,” Santos said. “They were well prepared. When they came in, they stepped in. We lost some guys and they just filled those shoes right away. It was fun to watch how they came and contributed to the team right away. Pitching, fielding, hitting; it was like they were there from the beginning.”

Whether it’s their quirky viral social media posts or their now famous Toilet Row, Cleveland’s High-A affiliate has a knack for being different in the best way possible. As far as the Clubhouse, Santos emphasized that the environment they created was about being supportive while also having fun.

“We were trying to work as a staff and create an environment where you want to come to the field every day and have fun. It’s six to seven months that we’re going to be together and create that environment where even if you’re not doing good or you’re kind of struggling, we have that environment where you want to come to the field and have fun and play hard and work hard. That was the main goal — to always be supportive and never forget that the game is hard to play, so make those guys feel at home.”

Later that night, the Guardians prospects went on to defeat the Mariners prospects with an 8–7 victory in the Spring Breakout Game. The Captains will begin their 2025 season on the road with a six-game series against the Great Lakes Loons; their first game will be on Friday, April 4, in Midland, Michigan.

Captains Receive Rings After Championship Season was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In 27 games for the Tiburones de la Guaira, INF Gabriel Arias slashed .292/.364/.547. He also slugged six homers during the Winter Ball season, two of which came in the same game.

After connecting for two doubles, one run, and one RBI in the 2024 LVBP All-Star Game, Gabriel Arias was crowned MVP.

After making his MLB Debut in 2024, OF Johnathan Rodriguez played 26 games with Los Gigantes de Carolina in Puerto Rico.

Rodriguez (.245/.357/.447) signed a three-year contract extension with Los Gigantes after his 26-game Winter Ball stint. He posted the seventh-highest batting average on the team and connected for 23 hits and a team-high 20 RBI. His standout performances also come after a dominant 2024 season in Triple-A Columbus, where he was named the 2024 International League MVP after playing 118 games with the Clippers.

The Cleveland Guardians will open Spring Training against the Cincinnati Reds at 1:05 p.m. MST in Goodyear, AZ on February 22, 2025.

Arias and Rodriguez Arrive in Arizona After Standout Winter Ball Seasons was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Upon signing to the Guardians organization, international players are involved in a high school program at the Guardians academy in the Dominican Republic. With this program, international players do not have to give up their education in order to pursue their baseball dreams. Players at the academy train in the morning and attend classes with their teachers in the afternoon; many players posed for a photo with their teachers on the big day.

A lot of the players had families, friends, and other teammates in attendance. Players whose families were not able to attend received a special video from their families to congratulate them for all that they had accomplished.

After the ceremony concluded, the players spent the day posing at the photo booth, eating with their families and friends, and enjoying their personalized graduation gifts.

As the 2025 season begins and Spring Training starts, some members of this graduating class will be heading to Arizona for the first time in their professional careers.

Guardians Celebrate Graduating Class was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Eight Guardians prospects participated in Arizona Fall League:

RHP Alaska Abney

RHP Allan Hernandez

RHP Dylan DeLucia

RHP Zak Kent

RHP Andrew Misiaszek

C Kody Huff

INF Milan Tolentino

OF Chase DeLauter

Offensively, Chase DeLauter led Guardians prospects with a .340 average through 12 games. He posted 12 walks and a .986 OPS.

Milan Tolentino made his presence known with 20 walks and 12 stolen bases, both of which were the second-highest in the AFL. He scored 19 runs, which led the rest of the Guardians prospects, and ranked seventh amongst all AFL participants.

Zak Kent finished his AFL season with a 3–0 record and a 3.78 ERA across 16.2 IP. He joins Allan Hernandez (2–0, 3.48 ERA, 10.1IP) as one of two Guardians prospects to notch at least two wins. Meanwhile, Andrew Misiazek twirled 5.1 scoreless innings over six Fall League appearances.

The Suprise Saguros finished with an 18–10 record, including a trip to the AFL Championship Game where they fell 3–2 to the Salt River Rafters.

Shifting gears from Arizona Fall League, let’s take a look at how Guardians prospects are performing in Latin America.

Puerto Rican OF prospect Johnathan Rodriguez has become on offensive asset for the Gigantes de Carolina in the Roberto Clemente Professional Baseball League. He made his Winter Ball debut on Nov. 21, 2024. In 11 games, Rodriguez is batting .300 (12-for-40) with 3 home runs, 14 RBI, and a .958 OPS.

Down in Venezuela, Gabriel Arias is playing with the The Tiburones de La Guaira. He’s batting .361 with 22 hits and 6 homers across 16 games. Arias joins OF Alexfri Planez, RHP Deretd Parra and LHP Steven Perez as one of four Guardians prospects playing in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League.

To continue to follow Guardians Prospects during this Winter Ball season, follow GuardsInsider on X and Instagram.

Winter Ball Update was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

For the players, signing with a team is an emotional experience. There are tears, celebrations and a magnitude of photos. Before the ceremony begins, players arrive one by one dressed to impress alongside their family. As families gather around, players take their seats in preparation for their time at the signing table. Each player eventually has their individual time to sign their contract. Although the ceremony is annual, the emotions and excitement that come on January 15 are anything but mundane.

Prior to the start of the big day, we talked to Jose Mejia, who is a former Dominican Summer League manager and is currently the field coordinator at the Guardians academy in the Dominican Republic. Over the years, Mejia has seen multiple “J15 signings,” and as a former DSL manager he understands the importance of signing great players to the organization.

Q) What are some important qualities that a player in this organization should have?

A) The philosophy we have here is to try to prepare the younger players that we sign on January 15. [The first] is to prepare their personality, the second thing is the ability that they have, but the most important thing for us is to create a good person and good people for the world. It’s not just only who they are as players, because we know they have ability. Scouts do a perfect job signing those players. In the academy, we try to have all of the facilities to prepare them for the future, because in the Latin countries [the players] don’t have all of the facilities or all of the things that we have to prepare them.

Q) Why is scouting so important in order to sign players that are a good fit for the organization?

A) The scouting is the first step; it’s the most important step because [the scouts] take time to project the players. They have a hard job [in] projecting players and competing to get the best players they can for us and for the organization. Honestly, they do an excellent job.

Q) How exciting is this day for you and for everyone else here?

A) It’s very exciting for everyone. It’s exciting for the scouting department, for the player development department, for the families and for the players because this is the day that they start a professional career in baseball. This day when they sign [the contract], it’s all of a sudden a career in baseball. You know, they have a lot of dreams. We projected the players, but everything starts on this day. They’re starting a baseball career and they’re starting a process to have a chance to play in Major League [Baseball].

Signing Day Q & A with Jose Mejia was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

“As we looked at our footprint globally, we recognized that the Dominican Republic has a high-potential student population,” said Amy Pausche, Eaton’s Director of Community Affairs. “As we think about giving back, we couldn’t think of a better place to invest in the people and invest in schools because we know they’re the future leaders of STEM.”

Also making the trip was Guardians owner Paul Dolan, who was joined by his wife, Karen. The pair got a chance to hear first-hand about Eaton’s efforts in the Dominican Republic while also meeting plenty of members of Eaton’s staff in its Dominican plants. The Dolans’ attendance not only provided the couple with the opportunity to get a first-hand look at Eaton Corporation in action, but together, the Dolans took time to build relationships with Eaton’s staff over a shared interest of giving back to the Dominican Republic.

“I believe that people really connected to the Dolans in terms of the interests that we have and the speeches that we made, so it has been great to contribute together,” said Fernando Ceccarelli, Eaton’s President of Protection Controls and Solutions Group.

According to Ceccarelli, getting to know the couple through the partnership has been a great experience for Eaton’s staff.

“Working with them, being with them, and having fun together…this is great for us. I hope it has been a positive experience for the team as well.”

Together, both the Cleveland Guardians and the Eaton Corporation have donated to schools in the Dominican Republic to support education efforts in the country and make sure that students in the area are equipped with the resources they need to continue their studies. Before each school visit concluded, Paul Dolan took the time to formally donate funds to each school. For Dolan, the funds reflect the Guardians’ passion for education.

“It furthers what we’re trying to do here, and it sends a message that playing baseball is important, but getting an education is even more important,” said Dolan.

The Guardians donated a combined 840,000 Dominican pesos between both the Instituto Poliétcnico Loyola and the Instituto Politécnico Haina, which is equivalent to about $15,000 between the two schools.

Guardians Kick Off Dominican Republic Trip with Visits to Local Schools was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The Cleveland Guardians season of giving never ends. Guardians Front Office staff took to the Muni Lot Thursday, November 4 for the Cleveland Food Bank’s distribution day.

The Guardians presented the Cleveland Food Bank with a $15,000 check to cover food for the event and also had 50 volunteers sign up to load cars. Thanks to the support of hundreds of volunteers, there were 2,277 families served at the Muni Lot distribution.

There were several reasons to smile on this 65-degree, sunshine-filled November day. Clevelanders were supporting fellow Clevelanders, with the city’s skyline in the backdrop. Shouts of “Go Guards” and “Go Cavs” could be heard as cars pulled away. Volunteers sang along to “SpongeBob Squarepants” and “YMCA,” dancing and loading cars simultaneously.

The Guardians had a blast in the community, courtesy of the Food Bank’s preparation and execution of a great event.

The best news? Muni Lot Distribution is a bi-weekly event, and all Clevelanders have the opportunity to participate. Those wishing to volunteer on their own or with their company are encouraged to register and join the fun — and maybe even sing along to a wonderful playlist!

Guardians Food Bank Distribution Day was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The return of Wayside Furniture’s Ready to Respond this past season created lifetime memories for our Northeast Ohio First Responders and members of the Guardians bullpen.

Throughout the year, the Ready to Respond program, spearheaded by bullpen coach Brian Sweeney, recognized and celebrated local first responders by providing a unique game-day experience to those who devote their time and livelihoods to protecting our communities. The Guardians bullpen hosted over 100 local firemen, police officers, EMS and 911 dispatchers as well as their families to 12 select home games. Groups received complimentary lower bowl tickets, T-shirts, food and drink vouchers, and baseballs signed by each Guardians relievers.

Participating families and first responders sat down with Sweeney and a relief pitcher to swap stories about their time on duty, training and pranks shared within their respective departments. Sweeney, a volunteer firefighter in his home state of New York during the offseason, recalled anecdotes from his times on call, relating to the visiting first responders who often use pranks, hijinks and other antics to pass time when things are quiet.

The following groups were invited to Progressive Field in 2022 thanks to Wayside Furniture and Ready to Respond:

• 911 Dispatchers
• Cleveland Fire
• Grafton Township Fire Department
• Lake County Sheriff’s Department
• Cleveland EMS
• Willoughby Fire Department
• Mentor Police Department
• East Cleveland Fire

During each visit, first responders and their families signed a commemorative plaque for Sweeney and Cleveland’s bullpen. The plaque displays the four sectors of participating emergency services around the Guardians’ “Diamond C” logo. Guests were excited to sign their names, titles and stations on the plaque, which served as a surprise for the bullpen when they received it at Fan Appreciation night during the Guardians final regular-season homestand.

Now proudly hanging in Progressive Field’s home ‘pen, the plaque recognizes all first responders who dedicate their lives to protect and serve their local communities. With over 100 names on the 2022 Ready to Respond plaque presented by Wayside Furniture, Guardians bullpen coaches and pitchers will always be reminded of the selfless sacrifices made by the first responders with whom they shared fond experiences during their 2022 A.L. Central-championship season.

Guardians Wrap Up 2022 Ready to Respond Initiative was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Tabbed as the 16th-best prospect in the Guardians Player Development System at the beginning of the 2022 campaign, Bo began the season with Double-A Akron, recording a .271/.427/.471 slash line with 6 home runs and 21 RBI in 52 games for the RubberDucks, before earning a promotion to Triple-A Columbus on June 21. Armed with a great batting eye, the left-handed-hitting backstop put his plate discipline on full display with Akron, sporting the second-highest qualified on-base percentage and third-most walks (45) in the Eastern League at the time of his callup.

Since his promotion to the Triple-A level, Bo has tapped into his power, slashing .247/.358/.489 with 13 doubles, 2 triples and a team-leading 13 home runs in that time frame. Industry experts have taken notice of Bo’s standout performance in 2022, as the catcher now finds himself slotted as the 5th-best prospect in the Cleveland player development system (77th overall), as of MLB.com’s midseason pipeline rankings.

—

Bo was originally selected by Cleveland with the 29th overall pick of the 2018 draft out of St. Joan of Arc Catholic Secondary School (Mississauga, Ontario) — just three years after Josh was taken by the Miami Marlins with the 12th overall selection, making them the first Canadian siblings both selected in the draft’s first round.

Standing 6-feet tall and weighing in at 205 pounds, Naylor has always excelled defensively behind the dish. In 2022 alone, the Canadian backstop has thrown out 23 of 70 (32.9%) of potential base-stealers. Meanwhile, at the MLB level, catchers have nabbed opposing runners just 20.5% of the time in 2022. It’s that type of defensive dexterity that Bo hopes will translate seamlessly to big league ball.

Bo’s defensive prowess has netted him recognition as the “best defensive catcher in Cleveland’s system” (MLB.com). If there was one question mark for Naylor entering this season, it was his offensive production — he’s even managed to address that aspect of his game in 2022.

When asked about what has enabled Bo to take his offensive game to the next level this season, his brother Josh, who is a cerebral player in his own right, referenced the mental side of the game. “I think it’s [his] confidence,” Josh said. “Just going to the field knowing that he’s the best. He can make anything happen, and he’s a phenomenal player. He keeps himself positive [now], even on the down days, which is a big difference from last season.”

While both brothers know the dream of playing on the same team at the Major League level is an imminent possibility, they choose to stay focused on their own grind and getting better each day. “We just take it day-by-day and don’t really talk about baseball off the field,” Josh remarked. “We leave that to the clubhouse. But it’s an exciting time and hopefully it arrives soon.”

With Bo’s minor league season nearing an end and Cleveland’s youth mindset clearer now than ever, it might not be long before the Naylor brothers join forces at the Corner of Carnegie and Ontario.

Minor League Spotlight: C Bo Naylor was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

At the Major League level, Cleveland has established its identity as a contact-oriented club which employs a “small ball” approach to generate offense and frustrate opponents. No Guardians prospect embodies that philosophy more than Columbus Clippers outfielder Will Brennan.

The 24-year-old was tabbed as Cleveland’s No. 21 prospect in MLB.com’s Mid-Season Rankings after being excluded from the list last season. Brennan has earned his place among the organization’s most promising prospects, turning in one of the more impressive seasons by a Guardians farmhand in recent memory. He currently paces all of Minor League Baseball in hits (157), while tying for 4th in doubles (38) and tying for 8th in RBI (101).

Brennan’s profile has drawn comparisons to that of Guardians rookie outfielder Steven Kwan, relying on elite contact skills, paired with a patient approach, to overcome a lack of power. Scouts have raved about his impressive hit tool, and it has been on display all season long. No Cleveland Minor Leaguer has accumulated more hits in a single season since Jordan Brown collected 161 knocks in 2007.

Brennan has been encouraged by witnessing the Major League success of other contact-first hitters in the Guardians organization, a group that is headlined by Kwan.

“It’s really nice to see that approach working,” Brennan told The News-Herald earlier this summer. “Being able to see how [Kwan] works and being able to pick his brain is really great. We got really close last year. He’s someone I can reach out to at any time and pick his brain on things.

“It’s really refreshing to see that in the game and see guys like Kwan playing well. Same with a guy like Richie Palacios — guys that make contact and hit doubles and hit some homers. Those guys are going to help teams win, and it’s good for the game.”

While his production has stood out at every level of his professional career, his success hasn’t come easily. Brennan has dedicated countless hours to adjusting his swing while diving deep into the analytical side of hitting.

“I was a super handsy hitter in college,” Brennan explained to Cleveland.com prior to the season. “I didn’t have much juice. I’ve made a lot of changes. You have to. To play in the big leagues, you have to hit a lot of homers and doubles or steal a lot of bases. You have to evolve and change who you are.”

Brennan’s newfound approach has paid dividends, culminating in career-highs in home runs (11), extra-base hits (53), slugging percentage (.473) and stolen bases (20) in 2022.

“When we got him here, we talked about our philosophy,” said Guardians Director of Player Development Rob Cerfolio. “Our hitting group has been tremendous about working with him to try and figure out what best adjustments he could make coming out of the college game so he could be the best pro possible. As a result, you’ve seen more and more extra-base hits come out of him. He’s a super powerful kid and really athletic.”

Prior to joining the Guardians organization as the club’s 8th-round selection in the 2019 MLB Draft, Brennan emerged as one of the best contact hitters in the nation at Kansas State, topping NCAA Division I in at-bats per strikeout (18.6) as a junior in 2019. Over three seasons with the Wildcats, Brennan fanned just 35 times over 732 plate appearances, good for a 4.8 percent strikeout rate.

Brennan began his steady ascent up the ladders of the Guardians Farm System in 2019, batting .266 (57-for-214) with a .723 OPS across 57 games between Cleveland’s Arizona Rookie League affiliate and short-season Mahoning Valley Scrappers.

After being forced to sit out for a full year following the cancelation of the 2020 Minor League season, Brennan continued his upward trajectory in 2021, slashing .286/.369/.410 (111-for-388) over 142 games between High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron. His stellar season reached its pinnacle when he launched a game-tying homer in the 9th inning during Akron’s come-from-behind, championship-clinching victory against Bowie last fall.

“It’s number one,” Brennan said of the homer. “That’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I’m not a big home run guy. I’m working on it, but that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever done.”

After returning to Akron to open the 2022 campaign, Brennan earned a promotion to Triple-A Columbus on May 26 and has since established himself as one of the top young hitters at the Triple-A level, pacing the International League in hits (115) and doubles (26), while ranking second in RBI (63) and fourth in batting average (.318) since his promotion.

The 6-foot, 200-pounder is currently enjoying one of the most successful stretches of his career, while sitting on the doorstep of the Majors, delivering multiple hits in each of his last 6 games. The lefty has batted a league-leading .516 (16-for-31) in that span with 4 doubles, one triple, 3 RBI and a 1.241 OPS. His performance in last week’s series against Louisville was largely responsible for Columbus remaining within 2.5 games of the driver’s seat in the International League’s West Division, as the Clippers seek their first division title since 2019.

Brennan has the tools to succeed at the highest level of baseball and has made significant strides in every year of his brief professional career. His patient and decisive approach at the plate flawlessly fit the mold of Cleveland’s big-league squad, making him one of the organization’s most intriguing prospects. For now, Brennan has his sights set on guiding Columbus through a deep playoff run this October.

Minor League Spotlight: OF Will Brennan was originally published in The Guards Post on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.