Arizona Fall League Prospect Report: DeLauter, Manzardo Show Off Power
Image credit: Kyle Manzardo (Photo by Bill Mitchell)
PEORIA, Ariz.—Kyle Manzardo and Chase DeLauter have a lot in common. Lefthanded sluggers in the Guardians system? Check. Seasons shortened by injuries in 2023? Check. Members of BA’s Top 100? Yep.
Oh, and they both hit massive home runs in Peoria’s tilt with Surprise in the first game of the second week of the Arizona Fall League.
Manzardo, who ranks No. 58 on the Top 100, struck first. In the sixth inning, the former Rays prospect, sent a pitch from Rangers righthander Justin Slaten deep to center field and off the batter’s eye that put the Javelinas ahead.
The no-doubter was the first home run of the AFL season for Manzardo, who is looking to make up for time lost to a shoulder injury suffered just before he left for Los Angeles to represent Tampa Bay in the Futures Game.
Against (Slaten), he’s got a pretty firm carry heater,” Manzardo said. “So I tried to push that down (in the zone) and obviously get an offspeed pitch.”
Two innings later, DeLauter, a big, physical center fielder whom the Guardians plucked out of James Madison in the first round of the 2022 draft, gave the Javelinas some insurance with a blast of his own.
The victim this time was Reds righthander Andrew Moore, whose 95 mph fastball was redirected on a line well over the right-field wall and onto to the grassy berm beyond the bullpen.
Injuries have limited DeLauter—who ranks No. 90 on the Top 100—both in college and as a pro. Foot injuries were the culprit in both cases, but now DeLauter is back, healthy and proving why the Guardians were convicted enough in 2022 to select him with the 16th overall pick.
The home run was DeLauter’s second of the AFL, and it came on a 3-0 pitch. Despite the situation, he knew he had an easy green light from Peoria manager Morgan Ensberg.
“Skipper down there, he nodded his head, so I knew. Granted, you’ve still got to get the pitch you want, and I got it over the plate,” DeLauter said. “You know, “The last thing I want there is to get sawed off on a 3-0 pitch or get beat, so I made sure I got the foot down and gave it the best swing I can.”
Just like Manzardo two innings prior, the result was a loud, long home run. The Guardians hope both blasts were a preview of big things to come.
AROUND THE ARIZONA FALL LEAGUE
In his first start of the fall, Blue Jays lefthander Ricky Tiedemann went five full innings for the first time this season. On Monday, he did it again. This time, he allowed two runs on two hits—both courtesy of Rays prospect Dom Keegan—and struck out six against just one walk.
Throughout the course of the outing, Tiedemann showed off his signature three-pitch mix of a 93-96 mph fastball that touched a tick or two higher and a sweeper slider and changeup that each elicited whiffs.
Through two starts, Tiedemann has lasted 10 innings and allowed three runs on five hits and four walks with 13 strikeouts.
In the nightcap, it was Jackson Jobe’s turn to give AFL fans an encore performance. A week ago, in his Fall League debut, the righthander went four shutout innings with two hits, two walks and four strikeouts.
This time, he lasted four innings once more but gave up two runs (both earned) on three hits. He walked nobody and struck out four more hitters. He worked with a four-pitch repertoire of a four-seam fastball that averaged 97 mph, a high-spin sweeper in the low 80s, a changeup in the mid 80s and a low-90s cutter.
Jobe got nine whiffs on the evening, six on his four-seamer and three on his changeup.
Tuesday’s Arizona Fall League Probable Starting Pitchers
RHP Logan Workman (Peoria/Rays) vs. LHP Jake Eder (Glendale/White Sox)
RHP Zak Kent (Surprise/Rangers) vs. RHP Tekoah Roby (Scottsdale/Cardinals)
RHP Carter Baumler (Mesa/Orioles) vs. RHP Dylan Smith (Salt River/Tigers)
Monday’s Top Performers
| Player | Team | ORG | AB | R | H | RBI | BB | SO | AVG | OBP | SLG | Notes |
| Roberts, Caleb | SRR | ARI | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .400 | .400 | .600 | 2B |
| Vukovich, A.J. | SRR | ARI | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .500 | .750 | .500 | 2 SB |
| Rosier, Cory | GDD | BOS | 5 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .400 | .400 | .400 | SB |
| DeLauter, Chase | PEJ | CLE | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .250 | .250 | 1.000 | HR |
| Manzardo, Kyle | PEJ | CLE | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .333 | .500 | 1.333 | HR |
| Thompson, Sterlin | SRR | COL | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | .667 | .750 | 1.000 | 2B, SB, CS |
| Loftin, Nick | SUR | KCR | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .250 | .250 | .500 | 2B |
| Fernandez, Yeiner | GDD | LAD | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .500 | .750 | 1.500 | 3B |
| Clarke, Wes | SUR | MIL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .250 | .250 | 1.000 | HR |
| Rincones Jr., Gabriel | SCO | PHI | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | .500 | .600 | .750 | 2 SB |
| Bowen, Jase | SRR | PIT | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .500 | .500 | .500 | CS |
| Brannigan, Jack | SRR | PIT | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .250 | .250 | .500 | 2B |
| Rivas, Jeremy | SCO | STL | 4 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | .750 | .750 | .750 | CS |
| Scott II, Victor | SCO | STL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | .250 | .400 | .250 | 3 SB |
| Keegan, Dominic | PEJ | TBR | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .667 | .667 | 2.000 | 2B, HR |
| Pineda, Israel | SCO | WAS | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .500 | .500 | .500 |
| Player | Team | ORG | IP | H | R | ER | HR | BB | SO | ERA | |
| Olds, Wyatt | GDD | BOS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0.00 | |
| Penrod, Zach | GDD | BOS | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 0.00 | W |
| Hanner, Bradley | PEJ | CLE | 1.1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0.00 | |
| Flores, Wilmer | SRR | DET | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 3.00 | |
| Jobe, Jackso | SRR | DET | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 4.50 | W |
| Salinas, Royber | MSS | OAK | 3 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0.00 | L |
| Nett, Braden | PEJ | SDP | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 2.25 | W |
| Choate, Jack | SCO | SFG | 2.2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 10.13 | L |
| Wynja, Hayden | SCO | SFG | 2.1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0.00 | |
| Wicklander, Patrick | PEJ | TBR | 1.2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 10.80 | |
| Tiedemann, Ricky | SUR | TOR | 5 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 3.60 |
