Cleveland Guardians Top 30 Prospects: #16 Will Brennan
As good as the Cleveland Guardians have been identifying position players with above-average bat-to-ball skills and plate vision the major drawback has been concerns surrounding exit velocities and quality of contact. We saw in 2022 what can happen to the offense when the lineup goes stagnate, and the team is lacking consistent power from anyone besides first-half Jose Ramirez. Despite those fears, the Guardians are occasionally able to pluck a player capable of being productive despite those concerns in their profile, and Will Brennan may be an exception.The Guardians drafted Brennan in the 8th round of the 2019 MLB Draft out of Kansas State where he was a two-way player capable of hitting 93 with his fastball. Now in the Cleveland system, Brennan is a full-time outfielder with strong contact skills and an affinity for putting the ball in play from the left-handed batter's box. He joins the list of Hunter Gaddis, Xzavion Curry, Nick Mikolajchak, and Andrew Misiaszek from the 2019 crop of picks looking to make an impact with the Major League club in 2023.[embed]https://twitter.com/Official_CGBI/status/1509741647428562972?s=20&t=DAzK5_5dXy_cIjY7pKGKiw[/embed]Brennan, freshly 25, made his Major League debut — an 11-game cup of coffee and making the club's postseason roster — after a strong 2022 split between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. Brennan played 129 games between both levels, slashing .314/.371/.479 while collecting 40 doubles, 13 home runs, stealing 20 bases, and drawing 50 walks (8.5%) to 69 strikeouts (11.7%). The surface numbers are sparkling, but if you've followed Brennan's Minor League career this felt like the natural trajectory of things, though doubling his home run total from 2021 to 2022 is certainly promising.Brennan climbed the ranks quickly despite losing the 2020 Minor League season to Covid. Overall he's played 288 games across three seasons in the minors posting a career .296/.367/.435 batting line, 79 doubles, 20 home runs, 44 stolen bases, and 118 walks (9.2%) to 158 strikeouts (12.3%). Brennan has been as consistent as they come, having registered a batting average below .280 and a wRC+ below 107 just once at any level, both coming in 2019 during a 26-game stint in Low-A.Brennan is the quintessential Guardians blueprint for a position player. He possesses the bat-to-ball skills to succeed at the Major League level, but despite the plate vision to draw walks, his preference to try to put the ball in play leads to some over-aggressiveness at times, chasing pitches out of the zone instead of taking what's given to him. He's never had a strikeout rate above 16.4%, but Brennan will have to rely on his eyes a bit more to get on base and make as much of an impact as possible at the big-league level.[embed]https://twitter.com/CleGuardians/status/1576637468564127744?s=20&t=DAzK5_5dXy_cIjY7pKGKiw[/embed]Unlike other entrants on my top 30 list, Brennan isn't devoid of power, though it's unclear just how much more Cleveland can squeeze out of him. It's likely he'll produce lower home run totals than average, but a 15-home run ceiling still raises Brennan's offensive floor considerably. His speed is a respectable tool providing a quick first step both out of the box and in the outfield, allowing him to man either corner outfield spot without much concern. He has been caught stealing 15 times on the base paths so there's room to grow, however Brennan may be a beneficiary of the new bag dimensions and placement.As a left-handed hitter, Brennan likely won't help Cleveland's issues against left-handed pitching but will make an excellent platoon or fourth outfielder option for the Guardians in 2023. He'll enter Spring Training competing with the likes of Will Benson and George Valera for a spot on the Opening Day roster. Brennan is a high-floor player, and it's to be determined if the ceiling can rise to everyday player status, though he should represent an above-average bench option for Cleveland from the jump.The List so Far:17. Joey Cantillo18. Juan Brito19. Nate Furman20. Petey Halpin21. Will Benson22. Doug Nikhazy23. Tanner Burns24. Joe Lampe25. Isaiah Greene26. Jake Fox27. Jhonkensy Noel28. Jack Leftwich29. Trenton Denholm30. Peyton Battenfield