Live From The Carolinas League: Columbia Fireflies & Lynchburg Hillcats

Chris Clegg breaks down his live looks from the Royals and Guardians Single-A action.

Upon my return from Florida, I got several games of action in Columbia to check in on some Royals and Guardians prospects. I know the Columbia team quite well at this point, but it is not often that I get to see Cleveland prospects, so it was a welcomed opportunity for me to get some looks. Unfortunately, Ralphy Velazquez was out all week with an illness, though he was in the dugout, just not dressed out. He should be back this week. Regardless, I got to see him up close, and he looks the part. Sometimes, you see a list height/weight and never know if it is accurate. But I would say 6’3”/215 is right for Velazquez. I am sad I did not get to see him play.

But I still got to see two full-season debuts from pitchers, which was exciting, and we will talk about those now.

Guardians and Royals Single-A Breakdowns

Jacob Bresnahan, LHP, CLE, 19, A

Bresnahan has been featured quite a bit at the Dynasty Dugout since he made his complex debut back in May. The results were stellar, earning him a promotion to Single-A. Across 46 innings, Bresnahan has just a 2.54 ERA with 63 strikeouts and 16 walks. He cruised through three innings in Columbia before allowing a home run in the fourth that soiled his Single-A debut some, but still, the results were good.

In four innings of work, Bresnahan allowed just four hits and two earned runs, the majority of which came in the fourth inning. He walked two batters and struck out three.

Bresnahan pounds the zone with a high strike rate on his fastball that sits 91-93 mph. The 6’4” frame suggest there is room to add weight, so I would not be shocked to see him add velocity. He pairs the fastball with a mid-80s changeup and a low-80s slider. The changeup shows heavy fade, as you can see on the first pitch below, and the slider showed the ability to miss bats.

While the arsenal does not jump off the page at you, the fact Bresnahan is so young and already polished is good news for Cleveland. They have done a good job developing this type of arm and I would bet on it here.

Hiro Wyatt, RHP, KC, 19, A

Wyatt also made his full-season debut on Thursday but on the other side of the Lynchburg lineup. Wyatt was the Royals' third-round pick in 2023 as a high-upside arm with a fun arsenal. Wyatt did not pitch upon being drafted in 2023 and spent most of 2024 at the complex until last week. If you look on the surface, things don’t look great. Wyatt posted a 4.81 ERA at the complex with a 1.69 WHIP. There were some factors going against him, such as a .394 BABIP and a low 63 percent strand rate.

In his final five complex-level starts, Wyatt had a 2.95 ERA across 18.1 innings with 19 strikeouts. He came to Columbia looking to build on that success.

There were some ups and downs in his start, but Wyatt showed the ability to miss bats as he struck out five batters over four innings. There were also some non-competitive at-bats where he walked hitters on four pitches. He ended the day with a two hits allowed across four innings pitched with three walks and three earned runs while striking out five.

The fastball sat in the 91-94 mph range with a solid movement profile. Wyatt threw one cuter at 88 mph. The secondaries he threw most were a slider in the 79-81 mph range and a changeup that sat around 85 mph.

I do think there is some intrigue with Wyatt if he can find consistent command. The frame is good, and there is still projection that leaves some room to add velocity.

Jackson Humphries, LHP, CLE, 20, A

Humphries was young at the time of the draft in 2022 when the Guardians selected him in the eighth round and gave him an over-slot deal. After missing time in 2023, Humphries has been slow played this year but has built up and tossed five innings which tied a career high. Over those five innings, Humphries allowed just two hits and walked one batter while striking out three.

The fastball was uncharacteristically low in the start, sitting between 88 and 90 mph, while it usually sits around 91. He has topped out as high as 95 mph this year, so it was weird to see him low.

The upper-70s curveball was nasty, missed a ton of bats, and was easily his best pitch. Humphries also mixed in a changeup in the upper-70s to low-80s.

Humphries just turned 20 years old and is tall with a projectable frame. He will need to add a couple of ticks to the fastball and if he can sit around 93 regularly, there is a much high floor to succeed.

Jaison Chourio, OF, CLE, 19, A

Chourio was the player I was most looking forward to seeing in this series. The brother of Jackson has shown an excellent feel to hit throughout his entire carer dating back to the DSL in 2022.

The trip to Columbia led to a massive week for him, as he reached base 13 times in six games, which included a home run and a triple. He did show some whiffs against breaking balls in my looks but overall was very impressive. He is tall and skinny, having plenty of room to add weight, but he already has impressive bat speed.

Chourio utilizes a small leg kick after starting with an open stance. He has a longer stride, which creates good hand-to-hip separation, creating good torque in his swing. He has shown a good feel for the barrel and can get pitches both up and down, which you can see on the swings below.

It is pretty impressive that through his entire career, Chourio has walked more than he has struck out and that has continued this year. He has a good feel for the zone and rarely expands the zone. There is a lot to like from a hit tool standpoint, but you can also see the power developing.

He has doubled his home run total this year from the previous two seasons combined and has 28 extra-base hits. Chourio is a pretty easy dynasty investment right now.

Juan Benjamin, INF, CLE, 21, A

The second most impressive hitter in the Hillcats lineup was probably Juan Benjamin. He comes in the mold of about every other Cleveland middle infield prospect who is shorter but has a strong feel to hit.

He put quite a few balls in play in my looks, and while there is not much power to speak of at this point, when he gets on first, he is likely to steal second. The average and on-base are good at .278 and .346, respectively, but the slugging percentage of .361 leaves a lot to be desired.

Benjamin is nothing more than a watchlist type player at this point, but he is a young 21-year-old, so it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop.