Cleveland Guardians Top 30 Prospects: #24 Joe Lampe

The seventh installment in my Cleveland Guardians top 30 prospect list feels like a great time to remind those of you still reading, and frankly myself, that prospects are nearly impossible to predict. On top of that I'm just some guy who really likes the Guardians, but that doesn't stop me from getting attached to and excited about certain prospects. Sometimes there's little reason for it. There are times when you just really like a player and no matter what you've read, you're always going to defend and follow that player.Sometimes you can find yourself reading nothing but good things about one of these players, and it quickly becomes confirmation bias. You double down on players, convinced they're just one adjustment or a decent season away from breaking out. It's hard to let go when those players don't pan out, but that's just probability since there's thousands of prospects and only 780 open jobs each season. Most recently it was Tyler Naquin for me. I was convinced he was going to be the next great Guardians outfielder, and some of his brightest moments made it even more difficult when the team moved on from him.My number 24 prospect in the Guardians system is going to be more of the latter description of my attachment to prospects, and my fixation this time is on outfielder Joe Lampe. Lampe, 22, was a third round pick of the Guardians in the 2022 MLB draft out of Arizona State following two seasons with the Sun Devils. Alright, maybe by now you've looked him up on FanGraphs and maybe you're wondering "okay Ethan, why are you so attached to a player who's only got three professional games under his belt?"Well, everything I can find and consume about Lampe all points to a player with a floor of at least a fourth outfielder at the Major League level. Even as I'm writing this I'm wondering why I have him ranked 24th, but let's discuss his collegiate career and tools, then I'll attempt to pump the brakes and justify where I currently have him ranked.[embed]https://twitter.com/ASU_Baseball/status/1515456480270426119?s=20&t=d_-adQBIAujxHKzZApzjzQ[/embed]In Lampe's two seasons with the Sun Devils, he showed marked improvement year over year, and earned his fair share of accolades. During the 2021 season he slashed .294/.383/.461 in 55 games, collecting 13 doubles, four home runs and six stolen bases while drawing 21 walks (7.8% BB%) and striking out 27 times (12.4% K%). He also earned Pac 12 All-Defensive Team honors and a nomination for an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove for his defensive efforts in his sophomore season.Lampe played 57 games as a junior, flaunting an improved .340/.394/.590 triple slash. He tallied a career-best 37 extra base hits that included 22 doubles and 12 home runs, swiped 17 bags, and maintained his plate discipline numbers with 22 walks (7.8% BB%) and 30 strikeouts (10.6% K%). The extra efforts earned Lampe Perfect Game Third-Team All-American honors for the 2022 collegiate season. Lampe's power surge was reportedly dominantly pull-side from the left-handed batter's box, which shouldn't be a problem in the grand scheme of things.So, we have an outfielder with excellent plate vision and discipline, elite speed to both be a threat on the base paths and stick in center field, contact skills, and growing power. What's wrong with him? The answer is not much, really. Lampe's floor has high upside as a fourth outfielder already, and if he grows into some more power and can draw some extra walks he's the perfect prototype for a threat at the top of the order in an every day lineup.[embed]https://twitter.com/bigdonkey47/status/1518042294250840064?s=20&t=d_-adQBIAujxHKzZApzjzQ[/embed]Every time I say that it seems too simplistic. Lampe had a 129 point jump in his slugging percentage between 2021 and 2022, but it's worth noting he played 32 games for the Cape Cod League between those seasons and mustered just two extra base hits in 137 plate appearances in his first taste of wooden bats. He did on the other hand lead the league in walks (21) and on-base percentage (.416) that summer. The Cape Cod League isn't a direct prediction of players transitioning to professional ball, it just seems worth mentioning as something to keep an eye on.Lampe is very toolsy and fairly polished for a college player, and that's why I'm so high on him in general. However, I have him at 24th simply because I want to see how he handles his first full season with Lynchburg before I jump the gun too much. If he displays the abilities he did in college early with the Hillcats then I expect Lampe to move up this list quite a few spaces when we revisit it at the All-Star Break. We know what he can do, and to take the next step to being a legitimate prospect involves finding some more power and channeling the strong plate vision and discipline into more walks, but those things aren't a given. Even if Lampe doesn't push his ceiling the Guardians found a gem, and I'll be excited to see what he can do in more than three games in the minors. The List so far:25. Isaiah Greene26. Jake Fox27. Jhonkensy Noel28. Jack Leftwich29. Trenton Denholm30. Peyton Battenfield