Cleveland Guardians bringing 15 invitees to Spring Training

The Cleveland Guardians are willing to be surprised this spring training.

The Cleveland Guardians are opening up the competition to anyone and everyone that they think can help the squad. According to MLB rules, teams can invite up to 60 players to Spring Training, including the entire 40-man active roster, and up 20 other players. These could be minor leaguers, they could be guys on minor-league deals but have major league experience, and they could even be ex-cons from the California Penal League.

If you get an invite to Spring Training, you have a shot at making the major league roster, no matter what. And the Guardians are giving 15 players a chance to make the 26-man roster in 2023.

This year’s invites feature some of the better prospects and some interesting young vets. Let’s see who got the invite this year.

"Internal playersLogan Allen, LHPPeyton Battenfield, RHPDavid Fry, CNick Mikolajchak, RHPAndrew Misiaszek, LHPLuis Oviedo, RHPMicah Pries, INFCade Smith, RHPExternal playersCaleb Baragar, LHPCam Gallagher, CMichael Kelly, RHPRoman Quinn, OFCaleb Simpson, RHPTouki Toussaint, RHPMeibrys Viloria, C"

What playres have the best shot of making the Cleveland Guardians’ big league roster?

SBNations’ Covering the Bases seem to think that Touki Toussaint, Cam Gallagher, and Meibrys Violoria are the most “interesting” names to get the invite from the external side of things. The Guardians have their new catcher in Mike Zunino, but the conversations about who will back him up are ongoing. Bo Naylor is the heir apparent but he may not be ready to take that spot in 2023.

So Gallagher and Violoria could earn that backup catcher spot if they perform well well enough. Covering the Bases note Toussaint as well due to his minor league contract with the Guards.

Yet, the best bet is Logan T. Allen, not to be confused with the other Logan Allen that was on the Guardians’ main roster a few seasons back. This Allen is a highly-touted prospect who very easily could make the starting rotation, and help expedite the departure of Zach Plesac.

It’s going to be an uphill battle for anyone to make the club, even Allen, but with the team’s need for live arms, he has as good of a shot as anyone to make the club.