News

(official Guardians release) 7-13-25

GUARDIANS SELECT OF JACE LaVIOLETTE

WITH 27th OVERALL SELECTION IN 2025 MLB DRAFT

CLEVELAND, OH – The Cleveland Guardians today announced the selection of OF JACE LaVIOLETTE with the 27th overall selection in the 2025 MLB Draft.

LaViolette, a 21-year-old out of Texas A&M, set school career records with 68 homers and 169 walks in three seasons with the Aggies, leading them to the College World Series Finals in 2024.

The 6-foot-6, 230-pound lefty posted a career .285 average at Texas A&M, slashing .258/.427/.576 with 61 RBI, 56 runs, 18 home runs and 27 extra-base hits during his junior campaign, drawing a team-high 57 walks and a 1.003 OPS. The Katy, Texas native suffered a broken left hand during A&M’s second-round win against Auburn on May 22 in the SEC Tournament, having surgery on it prior to being in the lineup for the quarterfinal game against LSU on May 23.

MLB Pipeline’s No. 20 prospect was named a third-team All-American by Perfect Game and the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association this past season. He was also named a semifinalist for the 2025 Dick Howser Award, given to the national collegiate player of the year.

The outfielder played for Falmouth in the 2023 Cape Cod League, hitting .381 (8-for-21) with one double and 2 RBI over 6 games. LaViolette followed that up by enjoying his best season with the Aggies during his sophomore campaign, slashing .305/.449.726 with 29 home runs and 78 RBI. He also set a single-season freshman home run record at A&M in 2023 with 21 longballs.

During his senior season at Tompkins High School in Fort Bend County, Texas, LaViolette batted .591 with 9 doubles, 12 triples, 11 home runs, 53 RBI, 55 runs and 13 stolen bases. He was named Texas High School Baseball (THSB) Hitter of the Year, All East Texas MVP and an ABCA All-America first team outfielder.

LaViolette is the first outfielder that Cleveland has selected in the first round of the MLB Draft since selecting CHASE DeLAUTER in the 2022 MLB Draft (16th Overall).

MLB Pipeline on the No. 20 ranked prospect

Few high schoolers in the 2022 class could match LaViolette’s combination of physicality and athleticism, but swing-and-miss concerns left teams hesitant to buy him out of his Texas A&M commitment. A down junior season ended his chances to become the first four-year college outfielder to go No. 1 overall since Darin Erstad in 1995, but he’s still one of the best college position players available. He set school career records with 68 homers and 169 walks and led the Aggies to the College World Series Finals last year.

Possessing as much raw power as anyone in the Draft, LaViolette is built to crush balls with a quick left-handed stroke, the strength and leverage in his impressive 6-foot-6 frame and a focus on launching pitches to his pull side. He also makes quality swing decisions but the lone flaw in his offensive game does scare some teams. He frequently swings and misses within the strike zone, even on fastballs, leading to a .258 average with a 25 percent strikeout rate as a junior.

Remarkably athletic for his size, LaViolette posts solid run times out of the batter’s box and is even quicker once he gets going. He played the outfield corners as a freshman before moving to center field last spring, with most evaluators projecting him to spend the bulk of his big league career in right. His power and solid arm strength fit the right-field profile to a tee.