The Cleveland Guardians’ system has been known for churning out quality pitching for years now, and it looks like that trend isn’t stopping any time soon.
Keith Law of The Athletic recently named his top minor league players of the year, and he named left-hander Matt Wilkinson as his Pitcher of the Year.
That might be a surprise to many fans, considering that Wilkinson is ranked as the No. 30 prospect in Cleveland’s farm system, per MLB Pipeline, and is graded as below-average.
But Wilkinson has had a phenomenal year.
He opened the year at Single-A Lynchburg, posting ridiculous numbers — a 1.12 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 71 strikeouts to just nine walks across eight starts (40 1/3 innings).
That earned him a relatively quick promotion to High-A Lake County, where he continued his success. Wilkinson has since started 16 games in High-A, recording a 2.30 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts to 28 walks over 78 1/3 innings.
Here's what Law had to say about Wilkinson:
“The man they call “Tugboat” was just a 10th-round pick in 2023 out of Central Arizona, a junior college located between Phoenix and Tucson, and all he did in his full-season debut was finish second in the minor leagues in strikeouts with 174," Law writes.
“Wilkinson still tops out in the upper 80s, but he’s got a 55 changeup, has a ton of deception in his delivery, and has a great idea of how to attack hitters — well, minor-league hitters, at least. I’m not that sanguine about his long-term outlook, given how soft the fastball is and the obvious questions about his build, but he had an incredible season across Low and High A, with a 1.90 ERA in 118 2/3 innings.”
Wilkinson has a projected call-up of 2026 per MLB Pipeline, and he will be a player to watch in the coming seasons.
Also of note, Law listed infielder Angel Genao, the team's No. 5 prospect, as an honorable mention for minor league Player of the Year.
“The 20-year-old Genao returned to Low A to start 2024 but hit so well that Cleveland moved him up to High A after 44 games, and he just kept on hitting, posting a .330/.379/.499 line on the year with a 15.5 percent strikeout rate,” Law writes. “He’s a natural shortstop but played some more second and third for High-A Lake County, all skill positions and all places where his bat is very likely to make him a strong regular or more. He even stole 25 bases in 30 attempts for a little more value.
“The Guardians had a number of candidates for this honor, including first baseman C.J. Kayfus, their 2023 third-round pick who demolished High A with a .338/.437/.578 line before cooling off in Double-A, and catcher Cooper Ingle, their 2023 fourth-round pick who hit .305/.419/.478 in 93 games, mostly in High A.”
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