Cleveland Guardians Top 30 Prospects: #6 Tanner Bibee

So far in this list I've discussed a pair of Cleveland's pitching prospect successes, taking pitchers with advanced pitchability and adding some velocity or tweaking delivery and mechanics to elevate an arsenal. In this case, those pitchers are my 17th-ranked prospect Joey Cantillo who now cements his arsenal of plus breaking pitches with a fastball in the mid-90s and 7th-ranked prospect Logan Allen who now sits 93 with his fastball which allows it to play up with his extension and delivery.Not every pitcher finds this level of growth, but even then there are still outliers in the system. Now, my 6th-ranked Guardians prospect is a bit of an extreme outlier. If Cleveland were capable of improving pitchers to this degree at will they would be under investigation. Fortunately for the Guardians system this is legitimate development, and until proven otherwise we should just sit back and enjoy the show.Tanner Bibee is the pitcher in question, a right-handed pitcher selected in the 5th round of the 2021 MLB Draft from Cal State Fullerton. Bibee, 24, was a fourth-year junior for the Titans seen as an advanced pitchability prospect out of high school, but never took the next step in college. He's not a decorated player by any means, and his numbers were pedestrian compared to other arms in his class.Still, that didn't stop Cleveland from grabbing him 156th overall. As we know by now when the Guardians see something they like in a pitcher they go all in. After just one offseason Bibee joined the Guardians organization as a completely different pitcher in almost every way, and the numbers back it up.Before Bibee's metamorphosis, he appeared in 54 games (40 starts) for the Titans over parts of four seasons. In those games he compiled a career 16-21 record in 271 innings pitched with a 3.82 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 73 walks (6.3%) to to 236 strikeouts (20.3%). Bibee's fastball sat 86-91, and his 6 foot 2 frame was 190 pounds in college. He got by with plus secondary stuff as his fastball velocity could fade deeper in games, but that all changed in 2022.[embed]https://twitter.com/JL_Baseball/status/1565171350460928002?s=20[/embed]Bibee split his first professional season between High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron. Between both levels he started 25 games spanning 132.2 innings pitched with an 8-2 record, 2.17 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, and 27 walks (5.2%) to 167 strikeouts (32.4%). Among all of Cleveland's minor league pitchers Bibee ranked second in innings pitched (132.2), second in strikeouts (167), fourth in ERA (2.17), and allowed the fifth fewest walks (27). Even more impressively Bibee was better after being promoted to Akron, posting a 1.83 ERA and 2.61 FIP in 13 starts for the Rubberducks.Bibee's arsenal features three Major League ready offerings. His fastball has completely transformed from college, with the velocity spiking from 86-91 to 93-97, turning it into a true power fastball. Paired with the fastball he features a changeup that sits 80-85 and a mid-80s slider, both of which Bibee is exceptionally comfortable with and commands with repeated precision. He also features a low-80s curveball that isn't utilized as much, lacking a consistent shape, but can be thrown for strikes and to catch hitters off guard.[embed]https://twitter.com/MLBPipeline/status/1562962177606029313?s=20[/embed]Bibee's elite command and control paired with the now power fastball are what makes him so lethal. He has such good feel for his arsenal and is comfortable enough to throw any pitch in any count, sometimes doubling and tripling up on a single pitch. There are concerns the fastball can be prone to going over the fence if he misses in the zone, but in 2022 his HR/FB ratio dipped from 14% in Lake County to 4.8% in Akron, posting a season-long 0.82 HR/9.Bibee's abrupt emergence should absolutely be seen as an outlier rather than the gold standard for the Guardians system. His combination of delivery tweaks with the Guardians staff and time with Driveline Baseball in the offseason are extreme stories of success, but in Bibee's case it's very legitimate. He spent all offseason rebuilding himself from the ground up, coming out the other side with a serious velocity spike and 15 pounds of added muscle, weighing in at 205 pounds for the 2022 season.[embed]https://twitter.com/CleGuardPro/status/1571305981983735812?s=20[/embed]Bibee is one of the fastest movers in a system notorious for progressing pitchers quickly, and there's a legitimately terrifying rotation forming in Triple-A Columbus. I would expect Bibee to either start 2023 with the Clippers, or back in Akron with a very quick promotion in order. Not many pitchers — especially those in their first professional season — improve significantly going from High-A to Double-A, and the organization may think he doesn't have anything left to prove with the Rubberducks. He doesn't have to be added to the 40-man roster until December of 2024, but it's hard to imagine a scenario where Bibee isn't under consideration for an emergency start as soon as this season if he can repeat his success from 2022. The List so Far:7. Logan Allen8. Chase DeLauter9. Angel Martinez10. Cody Morris11. Justin Campbell12. Jose Tena13. Xzavion Curry14. Gabriel Arias15. Jaison Chourio16. Will Brennan17. Joey Cantillo18. Juan Brito19. Nate Furman20. Petey Halpin21. Parker Messick22. Doug Nikhazy23. Tanner Burns24. Joe Lampe25. Isaiah Greene26. Jake Fox27. Jhonkensy Noel28. Jack Leftwich29. Trenton Denholm30. Peyton Battenfield