Cleveland Guardians minor league players

Below is a partial list of minor league baseball players in the Cleveland Guardians system.

Players

Jason Bilous

Jason Peter Bilous (born August 11, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Bilous attended Caravel Academy in Bear, Delaware. As a junior in 2014, he went 11–1 with 84 strikeouts over  innings alongside batting .483. He underwent Tommy John surgery during the fall of his senior year, and did not play a game that season. He was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 29th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and instead enrolled at Coastal Carolina University where he played college baseball.

In 2016, as a freshman at Coastal Carolina, Bilous pitched  innings, going 3–1 with a 4.43 ERA and 47 strikeouts as Coastal Carolina won the 2016 College World Series. As a sophomore in 2017, he appeared in 13 games (ten starts) in which he went 3–2 with a 4.61 ERA and sixty strikeouts over  innings. In 2016 and 2017, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. In 2018, his junior year, he started 16 games and pitched to a 7–3 record and 4.00 ERA, striking out 105 over  innings. Following the season's end, he was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 13th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft.

Bilous signed with the White Sox and made his professional debut with the Great Falls Voyagers of the Rookie Advanced Pioneer League, going 0–4 with a 7.85 ERA over  innings. In 2019, he played with the Kannapolis Intimidators of the Class A South Atlantic League where he pitched to a 6–10 record with a 3.70 ERA over 31 games (17 starts), striking out 113 batters over  innings. He did not play a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Bilous began the 2021 season with the Winston-Salem Dash of the High-A East and was promoted to the Birmingham Barons of the Double-A South in late May. Over twenty starts between the two clubs, Bilous went 3–8 with a 5.76 ERA and 106 strikeouts over  innings.

On November 19, 2021, Chicago selected Bilous' contract and added him to their 40-man roster. He returned to the Barons to open the 2022 season. In early August, he was promoted to the Charlotte Knights of the Triple-A International League. Over 31 games (21 starts) between the two teams, he went 6–11 with a 6.30 ERA, 131 strikeouts, and 79 walks over  innings.

On February 3, 2023, Bilous was designated for assignment by Chicago following the acquisition of Frank German.

On February 9, 2023, Bilous was claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Guardians. The Guardians designated Bilous for assignment on March 30. He cleared waivers and was sent outright to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers on April 1.

Juan Brito

Juan Manuel Brito (born September 24, 2001) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Brito was signed by the Colorado Rockies as an international free agent on July 7, 2018. 

On November 15, 2022, the Rockies traded him to the Cleveland Guardians in exchange for Nolan Jones; the same day, the Guardians added Brito to their 40-man roster to protect him from selection by another club in the 2022 Rule 5 draft. Brito was optioned to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers to begin the 2023 season.

Joey Cantillo

Joseph Lopaka Cantillo (born December 18, 1999) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Cantillo attended Kailua High School in Kailua, Hawaii where he played baseball. He committed to play college baseball at the University of Kentucky. In 2017, his senior year, he was named the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for the state of Hawaii after pitching to a 5–1 record and 1.24 earned run average (ERA) along with batting .517. After his senior year, he was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 16th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft and signed for $302,500.

After signing with the Padres, Cantillo made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona League Padres; over eight innings, he compiled a 4.50 ERA. In 2018, he spent the majority of the year back in the Arizona League in which he went 2–2 with a 2.18 ERA over 11 games (nine starts), striking out 58 over  innings. He also pitched in one game for the Fort Wayne TinCaps of the Class A Midwest League at the end of the year. Cantillo returned to Fort Wayne to begin 2019. During the season, he earned Midwest League Pitcher of the Week three times alongside earning Pitcher of the Month honors for June. After pitching to a 9–3 record and a 1.98 ERA while striking out 128 batters over 98 innings (19 starts) with Fort Wayne, he was promoted to the Lake Elsinore Storm of the Class A-Advanced California League in August. With Lake Elsinore, Cantillo made three starts in which he compiled a 4.61 ERA before being shut down for the season due to reaching his innings limit.

On July 31, 2020, Cantillo was one of six players (along with Austin Hedges, Cal Quantrill, Josh Naylor, Gabriel Arias, and Owen Miller) sent to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for Mike Clevinger, Greg Allen, and Matt Waldron. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He began the 2021 season on the injured list with abdominal soreness. He was activated in late August and joined the Akron RubberDucks of the Double-A Northeast. He pitched eight innings for the year, going 0–2 and giving up four runs. He returned to Akron for the 2022 season. In early August, he was placed on the injured list with a shoulder injury and missed the remainder of the season. Over 14 games (13 starts), he went 4-3 with a 1.93 ERA and 87 strikeouts over  innings.

On November 15, 2022, the Guardians selected Cantillo's contract and added him to the 40-man roster. He returned to Akron to open the 2023 season. Cantillo was promoted to the Guardians' Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers, on May 18, 2023. He was selected to represent the Guardians at the 2023 All-Star Futures Game.

Will Dion

William Chad Dion (born April 17, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Dion attended Sulphur High School in Sulphur, Louisiana, and played college baseball at McNeese State University. As a junior at McNeese State in 2021, he started 16 games and went 9-4 with a 3.07 ERA and a school-record 121 strikeouts. After his junior year, Dion was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the ninth round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft.

Dion signed with Cleveland and made his professional debut with the Arizona League Indians and the Lynchburg Hillcats, throwing 12 scoreless innings between both teams. Dion played the 2022 season with Lynchburg and Lake County Captains. Over 25 starts, he went 8-5 with a 2.11 ERA and 157 strikeouts over 128 innings. He opened the 2023 season with Lake County and was promoted to the Akron RubberDucks in mid-July.

Nic Enright

Nicholas Crispen Enright (born January 8, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Enright attended The Steward School in Richmond, Virginia. As a senior in 2015, he was the Gatorade Baseball Player of the Year for Virginia. He was drafted by the New York Mets in the 19th round of the 2015 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and played college baseball at Virginia Tech. In 2018, he briefly played collegiate summer baseball with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Enright was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 20th round of the 2019 MLB draft, and signed.

Enright made his professional debut with the Arizona League Indians. He did not play for a team in 2020 due to the Minor League Baseball season cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned in 2021 to play for the Lake County Captains and Akron RubberDucks. Enright started 2022 with Akron before being promoted to the Columbus Clippers.

On December 7, 2022, Enright was selected by the Miami Marlins in the 2022 Rule 5 draft, adding him to their 40-man roster.

On February 13, 2023, Enright announced that he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December, and had already completed his first round of treatments. Enright began a rehab assignment with the Single-A Jupiter Hammerheads on April 28, and was later elevated to the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. On May 29, Enright was activated off of the injured list and designated for assignment by the Marlins. He was returned to the Guardians on June 1, 2023.

Jake Fox

Jacob Gage Fox (born February 12, 2003) is an American professional baseball second baseman and outfielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Fox grew up in Lakeland, Florida and attended Lakeland Christian School. He hit .378, with three home runs, 22 RBIs, and 32 stolen bases in 28 games played as a senior. Fox had committed to play college baseball at Florida prior to signing with Cleveland.

Fox was selected in the third round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Cleveland Indians.After signing with the team he was assigned to the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Indians, where he batted .405 in 13 games played.

Isaiah Greene

Isaiah Jordan Greene (born August 29, 2001) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Greene attended Corona High School in Corona, California. He was selected by the New York Mets with the 69th overall selection of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. He signed for $850,000, forgoing his commitment to play college baseball at the University of Missouri. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On January 7, 2021, the Mets traded Greene, Amed Rosario, Andrés Giménez, and Josh Wolf to the Cleveland Indians for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. He made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Indians, slashing .289/.421/.368 with one home run, 16 runs batted in (RBIs), four stolen bases, and nine doubles over 43 games.

Steve Hajjar

Steven George Hajjar (born August 7, 2000) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Hajjar attended Central Catholic High School in Lawrence, Massachusetts. He was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 21st round of the 2018 Major League Baseball draft, but did not sign and played college baseball at the University of Michigan. After three seasons at Michigan, Hajjar was drafted by the Minnesota Twins in the second round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft. Hajjar made his professional debut in 2022 with the Single-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. In 12 starts, Hajjar recorded a 2-2 record and 2.47 ERA with 71 strikeouts in 43.2 innings pitched.

On August 2, 2022, the Twins traded Hajjar, Spencer Steer, and Christian Encarnacion-Strand, to the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for Tyler Mahle. He spent the remainder of the year with the High-A Dayton Dragons, where he pitched to a 6.43 ERA with 10 strikeouts across 2 starts.

On March 25, 2023, Hajjar was traded to the Cleveland Guardians as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Will Benson to Cincinnati.

Petey Halpin

Peter Lyndon Halpin (born Mary 26, 2002) is an American professional baseball outfielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Halpin Saint Francis High School in Mountain View, California. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the third round of the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. He made his professional debut in 2021 with the Lynchburg Hillcats.

Halpin played 2022 with the Lake County Captains and started 2023 with the Akron RubberDucks.

Jack Leftwich

Jack Harrison Leftwich (born September 26, 1998) is an American professional baseball pitcher in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Leftwich attended TNXL Academy in Altamonte Springs, Florida and was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 39th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball draft. He did not sign with the Tigers and played college baseball at the University of Florida. In 2019, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League. After four years at Florida, Leftwich was drafted by the Cleveland Guardians in the seventh round of the 2021 MLB draft, and signed.

Leftwich made his professional debut in 2022 with the Lynchburg Hillcats and was promoted to the Lake County Captains. He started 2023 with Akron RubberDucks.

Kyle Manzardo

Kyle Thomas Manzardo (born July 18, 2000) is an American baseball first baseman in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Manzardo grew up in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and attended Lake City High School, where he played baseball and basketball. As a senior, he batted .594 and was named the Inland Empire League MVP after batting .471 as a junior.

Manzardo played college baseball at Washington State for three seasons. He hit for a .272 average as a freshman and led the team with 31 RBIs. After the season, Manzardo played collegiate summer baseball for the Portland Pickles of the West Coast League. He hit .435 through 16 games as a sophomore before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. During the summer, he played for the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League. As a junior, Manzardo batted .365 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs and was named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

Manzardo was selected in the second round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft by the Tampa Bay Rays. He signed and made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Rays, slashing .349/.440/.605 with two home runs, eight RBIs, and five doubles over 13 games. Manzardo began the 2022 season with the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods. He slashed .329/.436/.636 with 17 home runs in 63 games before being promoted to the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double-A Southern League.

On July 31, 2023, Manzardo was traded to the Cleveland Guardians for starting pitcher Aaron Civale.

Washington State Cougars bio

Ángel Martínez

Ángel Martínez (born January 27, 2002) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Martínez signed with the Cleveland Indians as an international free agent in 2018. He made his professional debut in 2019 with the Dominican Summer League Indians.

Martínez did not play in 2020 due to the Minor League Baseball season being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He returned in 2021 to play for the Low-A Lynchburg Hillcats and started 2022 with the High-A Lake County Captains.

The Guardians selected Martínez's contract on November 15, 2022, adding him to their 40-man roster. Martínez was optioned to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers to begin the 2023 season.

His father, Sandy Martínez, played in MLB.

Nick Mikolajchak

Nicholas Austin Mikolajchak (; born November 21, 1997) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Mikolajchak went to Klein Collins High School in Harris County, Texas, where he played baseball and basketball. He was FirstTeam AllDistrict in his junior season and District MVP in his senior season of high school. He committed to Sam Houston State to play college baseball starting in 2016.

In 2016 as a freshman, Mikolajchak worked exclusively as a reliever and a closer for the team, posting a 3.38 ERA and an 0–4 record in 32 games. As a sophomore in 2017 for Sam Houston State, he played in 22 games, starting 9 and closing 2 of them. He went 5–4 with an earned run average of 4.19 in 73 innings. Mikolajchak played collegiate summer baseball for the Falmouth Commodores of the Cape Cod Baseball League in 2018, pitching in 8 games and scoring an earned run average of 1.84. For Mikolajchak's junior season in 2019, he pitched in 23 games, starting and closing 7 games each. He pitched 64.2 innings and compiled a 5–4 record with 74 strikeouts, improving from 32 in his freshman year. Mikolajchak was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 11th round with the 340th overall pick, becoming the third player from San Houston State to be drafted at that point.

Mikolajchak elected to forgo his senior season at San Houston State and signed with the Indians on June 14, 2019. In his first professional season with the Indians, Mikolajchak played for two of the Indians' minor league affiliates, combining for a 1–1 record with an 0.36 earned run average and 36 strikeouts across 17 games. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Mikolajchak made the Indians' alternate site roster for the beginning of the 2021 season. He spent the year with the Double-A Akron RubberDucks, recording a 2-5 record and 3.18 ERA with 57 strikeouts and 8 saves in 39.2 innings of work. Mikolajchak played the 2022 season with the Triple-A Columbus Clippers, working to a 5-2 record and 3.04 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 6 saves in 50.1 innings pitched across 47 appearances.

In spring training the following year, Mikolajchak seemed poised for a spot in the Guardians’ bullpen after pitching to a 1.93 ERA over seven appearances. However, he left an appearance against the Arizona Diamondbacks on March 18, 2023, and was later diagnosed with a sprained right ulnar collateral ligament.

Jhonkensy Noel

Jhonkensy Noel (born July 15, 2001) is a Dominican professional baseball infielder in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Noel signed with the Cleveland Indians organization as an international free agent on July 15, 2017. He made his professional debut in 2018 with the Dominican Summer League Indians, batting .243 with ten home runs and 34 runs batted in over 64 games. In 2019, he played for the Arizona League Indians where he hit .287 with six home runs and 42 runs batted in over 47 games. He did not play a game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season. Noel split the 2021 season between the Arizona League, the Lynchburg Hillcats, and the Lake County Captains, slashing .340/.390/.615 with 19 home runs and 66 runs batted in over 70 games.

The newly named Cleveland Guardians selected Noel to their 40-man roster on November 19, 2021. Noel was optioned to the Triple-A Columbus Clippers to begin the 2023 season.

Micah Pries

Micah Jeffrey Pries (born February 27, 1998) is an American professional baseball outfielder and first baseman in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Pries JSerra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, California and played college baseball at Point Loma Nazarene University. In 2018, he played collegiate summer baseball with the Yarmouth–Dennis Red Sox of the Cape Cod Baseball League. He was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in the 13th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball draft.

Pries did not make his professional debut in 2020, due to the Minor League Baseball season being cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He debuted in 2021 for the Arizona Complex League Indians, Lynchburg Hillcats and Lake County Captains. He played 2022 with the Akron RubberDucks and started 2023 with the Columbus Clippers.

Carson Tucker

Carson Wesley Tucker (born January 24, 2002) is an American professional baseball shortstop in the Cleveland Guardians organization. He was selected 23rd overall by the Cleveland Indians in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft.

Tucker attended Mountain Pointe High School in Phoenix, Arizona, where he played baseball. In 92 games at Mountain Pointe during his high school career, he hit .390 with five home runs and 68 runs batted in. In 2013 and 2014, he was selected for U-12 United States national baseball team. He committed to play college baseball at the University of Texas.

Tucker was selected by the Cleveland Indians with the 23rd overall pick in the 2020 Major League Baseball draft. Tucker signed with the Indians on June 26 for a $2 million bonus. He did not play a minor league game in 2020 due to the cancellation of the minor league season caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. He made his professional debut in 2021 with the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League Indians, but appeared in only six games due to a hand injury. He was assigned to the Lynchburg Hillcats of the Low-A Carolina League to begin the 2022 season. In early May, he was placed on the injured list with a right forearm strain. Over 38 games, he hit .137 with one home run, nine RBIs, and five doubles.

Tucker's brother, Cole, plays in the Colorado Rockies organization.

Full Triple-A to Rookie League rosters
Below are the rosters of the minor league affiliates of the Cleveland Guardians.

Triple-A

Double-A

High-A

Single-A

Rookie

Foreign Rookie

References

Lists of minor league baseball players
Minor league players