Who is Fangraphs top prospects for Cleveland Guardians; Daniel Espino or Bo Naylor?

Who did Frangraphs put at the top of their Top 50 prospects list for the Cleveland Guardians; Bo Naylor or Daniel Espino?

The folks at Fangraphs are compiling the Top 50 prospects for each Major League club, and the Cleveland Guardians were one of the first five teams to have their prospects evaluated. The team has a lot of great young talent to talk about, like Logan Allen, Gabriel Arias, Tanner Bibee, and Gavin Williams. And while each of those guys has bright futures in the Guardians organization, none of them was in the top two.

So who was? The right-handed, starting pitcher Daniel Espino and the highly touted catcher, Bo Naylor. Both guys are expected to see time in the Majors at some point in 2023 but of the two, which one was able to get the edge over the other?

Well, according to Fangraphs, the guy they think has the best upside is Espino. They gave Espino a “Future Value” score of 60, while Naylor got a 50. In fact, Naylor shares that score with pitchers Allen, Bibee, and shortstop Brayan Rocchio.

So that should make some fans happy about how deep and talented the minor league squads apparently are. Is it fair to say that Espino is a better prospect than Naylor? No, and we’ll tell you why.

Both Daniel Espino and Bo Naylor have question marks

Any Cleveland Guardians fan (or Cleveland sports fan), will tell you that prospects aren’t always a slam dunk. You can miss sometimes, and it’s going to happen more than not. After all, it’s impossible to know who can take the next step.

Espino may be the best-rated prospect right now, but remember he only pitched 18 innings in 2022. He pitched well but clearly, his shoulder issues are something to worry about. Naylor played most of the year and played very well in Double-A Akron to start the season. Yet, as he moved up from Double, to Triple-A and then to the Majors, he declined hard in each of the callups.

So Espino needs to stay healthy, and Naylor needs to show he can raise his performances to the level of competition he’s against. It’s easy to overtake Single-A and Double-A pitching when you know those guys have reached the highest they’ll ever get in their pro careers.

It’s very different to face the elite of the elite. So both guys have a lot to prove.