Cleveland Guardians: Petey Halpin Is The Future In LeadOff Role
Which Cleveland Guardians prospect will make the biggest impact at Progressive Field? According to most, the Cleveland organization has one of the deepest farm systems in baseball. Stevan Kwan and Bryan Lavastida cracked the opening day roster despite both being fringe top-15 organizational prospects. The optimistic Cleveland franchise is stacked to the gills with talent. This extends not only to their AAA roster but all the way down to the team’s Single-A squad. Choosing one particular player in a loaded system as a surefire star isn’t possible. There is one particular name to who many aren’t really giving credit.
When it comes to hitting prospects in the Guardians system, George Valera, Jhonkensy Noel, Brayan Rocchio, and Gabriel Arias are the names you’ve been hearing. Assuming you ask the right analysts, all four of these names are top-100 prospects. These four players are definitely projected to have some extra juice in their bat. While the Guardians have a true leadoff option in Myles Straw playing CF and providing speed on the bases, that’s the one thing the Guardians seemingly don’t have a lot of outside of Straw (especially in their fair system).
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For that reason, I’m highlighting, Petey Halpin as a true breakout and off-the-beaten-path player. When it comes to a true leadoff hitter in the making, Halpin, the 14th ranked prospect in the Guardians system accoriding to the MLB pipeline, is the ideal candidate to take over when Straw is no longer an option.
In my humble opinion, Halpin is the complete opposite of what these other Guardians top prospects are. Halpin was projected coming out of high school as a power hitter. While Halpin will indeed grow into his frame, he doesn’t project to hit for a lot of power (15-20 HR’s a year), the main draw to Halpin needs to be his speed and contact ability. Which is why Halpin is perfect to be developed as a leadoff player.
When playing for Lynchburg (Lo-A) in 2021, Halpin hit .294 with 11 steals in 54 games. The average, while high, doesn’t scream star at the Lo-A level. His stolen base totals, while higher than average, are also met with a bit of caution. Halpin got caught 9 times in 20 tries. Looking at a player like Straw, who as a true leadoff bat, is crucial to the Guardians with his swiping ability, Halpin has shown growth there. Combine that with an inate ability to make contact, he’s a solid bet to be a major league caliber starter.
In full transparency, Halpin might be the only Guardian in the system with a true position identity. MLB Pipeline has his hit tool at 55 (out of 70), which tells us many expect him to be a solid hitter in the majors. The issue Halpin will run into, trying to develop his power beyond what he needs to. The Guardians coaching staff has really developed standout power hitters over the years. However, knowing Halpin’s true potential as a leadoff bat, they (or he) can’t afford to lose that ability to make contact and get on base to try and become a more established power hitter.
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I’m fully convinced that given his skills as a runner and contact hitter, Halpin has one of the safest floors of any Guardians prospect. Does he have the star appeal and ceiling of the other top prospects? I don’t think he does. Yet, his true value to the Guardians will come by giving them a consistent option at the top of the lineup that can create scoring chances for those other top prospects coming up.
Petey Halpin will continue his MLB journey at Hi-A Lake County in 2022. It’s unclear as to how the Guardians intend to use him in the batting order. What’s also unknown, is how much does the organization want to try and tap into that power? Do they let him grow into the frame and develop as a better-than-average home run hitter? Or does the coaching staff let the hit tool take over and allow Halpin to develop as an on-base machine? With all the hype over other power bats in the Guardians farm, I’m hoping the latter for Halpin. The Guardians could definitely benefit from him.
Image Source: @peteyhalpin (Twitter)
Daniel is a guru of baseball and basketball prospects. He’s a very experienced Amusement Park traveler as well. Follow him and his hot takes on Insta @dgentleman9288
