From the Field: Caleb Lomavita, c, Washington Nationals

This is an exciting one! In 2001, catcher Caleb Lomavita was the best prospect in Hawaii. Of course, back then I was not paying as close as attention as I am not to prep baseball in the islands, so I didn’t get him before he went off to play at Cal. At Cal, Lomavita went on to become one of the best prospects in D1 baseball, and in 2024 was taken No. 39 overall by the Washington Nationals in the MLB Draft.
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What’s extra cool about this? While I am originally from Cleveland, I have been living in Ewa Beach for over 20 years. Its home. And I have to listen to the people I work with–generally a pretty affluent group–pick on me for it. But I love this part of the island. Ewa Beach is also the hometown of Lomavita, though he went to high school at St. Louis School vice Campbell High. Still, it’s neat to see a guys from Ewa go on the first day of the draft.
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Lomavita is back on Oahu right now, coaching a team at the Five Tool Hawaii showcase. So, I was able to correct my mistake and get him today. The best part? He was friendly. I was nervous, being a first rounder, he might already be sick of autographs. Not yet! So, this made my day. I am very excitied to see him kick off his first pro season in 2025, and hope he has a long career in professional ball.

Former Arizona Diamondbacks’ top prospect outfielder Sócrates Brito is an interesting player. This past season with the Korea’s Kia Tigers, he posted an impressive .310/.359/.516 line, hitting 26 home runs—his third consecutive strong season with the club. His bat has caught the attention of major league teams, and there is a chance he will come back to the States in 2025.
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From 2012 to 2018, Brito was a top prospect in the Diamondbacks’ pipeline, ranking as high as #4 in their system during the 2016 and 2017 seasons. While he spent parts of four seasons in the majors with both Arizona and Toronto, Brito struggled to establish himself as a regular at the big league level. In 2022 he left the States for Korea, signed with Kia, and has been mashing ever since.

From the Field: Welbyn Francisca, ss, Cleveland Guardians
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Guardians shortstop Welbyn Francisca is one of the organization’s top prospects. What’s especially nice with Francisca is that he is a toolsy 18-year-old that you don’t have to squint hard to see the potential, since he is already putting up the numbers. This season he knocked the ball around in the Arizona League (.941 OPS), then continued to do it in Low-A (.803 OPS). He is part of a class of Cleveland prospects–to include Jaison Chourio, Ralphy Velazquez, Angel Genao, and CJ Kayfus–who will make the 2027 Guardians team something potentially special.
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Cleveland already has a pile of middle infield prospects in the organization, and the shortstop depth chart at the major league level is stacked with young players (Brayan Rocchio, Gabriel Arias, and Daniel Schneemann), so it wouldn’t surprise me to see him get some reps in the outfield at some point. Either way, his hit tool will be enough to get him to the majors.

Infielder Alex Mooney (7th round, 2023) came into the 2024 season as one of Cleveland’s top 25 prospects. He put up great numbers with low-A Lynchburg (.729 OPS, 11 HR over 405 at-bats), but struggled on his promotion to high-A Lake County (.475 OPS and no homers over 66 at-bats). His prospect status is holding, but 2025 will be important–he needs to prove he can hit more advanced pitching.

From the Field: Andrew Walters, p, Cleveland Guardians

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This autograph is fun. I got it the first week or so of the minor league season. And it was shipped to me not long after. It only took roughly five months to get here to Hawaii. I gave up on it long ago, so its arrival was a nice surprise.

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Andrew Walters was Cleveland’s second-round pick of the 2023 draft, out of the University of Miami. A pure pen arm, he was always slated to move quickly through the system. And that he did. Walters made his major league debut this past September, just over a year after being drafted. And he more than held his own in his first taste of the big league, only allowing one hit and striking out six in 8.2 innings. During his brief look in the show, the Guards thought enough of him to keep him on the post-season roster, where he appeared in four games.

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Bullpens are notoriously fickle. Good one year, bad the next. There is a good chance that Cleveland’s historically good 2024 bullpen will regress in 2025, but you have to feel good about a relief corp with Walters,  Emmanuel Clase, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, and even Nick Sandlin. To say nothing of the dozen or so prospects coming up through the system who could easily make their big league debut in the next couple of seasons.

From the Field: Cooper Ingle, c/of, Cleveland Guardians

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Cooper Ingle was drafted by the Guardians in the 4th round of the 2023 draft out of Clemson, and is now one of the Top 15 prospects in the Cleveland system. He opened the 2024 season in High-A and carried a .897 OPS to AA, where he continued to hit well (.794 OPS). He ended the season with 11 HR and a solid .419 OBP. As far as catchers go, he is the best prospect in the system and could move quickly through the system if he sticks at the position.

I don’t pretend to think that Rickey Henderson is the greatest player ever. Ruth, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays are the guys in that conversation. Still, it is surprising, considering his career, that he is still only the 19th all-time (111.1) in career WAR. Alex Rodriguez has him beat with 117.6, good for 16th overall. The nearest active player? Mike Trout with 86.2 (50th).

Inducted in 2001:

• Jim Brown – Fullback
• Len Ford – Defensive End
• Frank Gatski – Center
• Otto Graham – Quarterback
• Lou Groza – Offensive Tackle/Kicker
• Leroy Kelly – Running Back
• Dante Lavelli – End
• Mike McCormack – Offensive Tackle
• Bobby Mitchell – Wide Receiver/Halfback
• Marion Motley – Fullback
• Ozzie Newsome – Tight End

• Paul Warfield – Wide Receiver
• Bill Willis – Middle Guard

Inducted in 2003:

• Joe DeLamielleure – Offensive Guard

Inducted in 2007:

• Gene Hickerson – Offensive Guard

Legends Inductees

Class of 2001:

• Ray Renfro – Wide Receiver
• Greg Pruitt – Running Back

• Gene Hickerson – Offensive Guard
• Bernie Kosar – Quarterback
• Michael Dean Perry – Defensive Tackle

Class of 2002:

• Mac Speedie – Wide Receiver
• Brian Sipe – Quarterback
• Clay Matthews – Linebacker

Class of 2003:

• Bob Gain – Defensive Tackle
• Dick Schafrath – Offensive Tackle
• Hanford Dixon – Cornerback

Class of 2004:

• Tommy James – Defensive Back
• Dub Jones – Wide Receiver
• Gary Collins – Wide Receiver/Punter
• Mike Pruitt – Running Back

Class of 2005:

• Jim Ray Smith – Guard
• Frank Ryan – Quarterback
• Jerry Sherk – Defensive Tackle
• Frank Minnifield – Cornerback

Class of 2006:

• Walt Michaels – Linebacker
• Jim Houston – Defensive End/Lineback
• Doug Dieken – Offensive Tackle
• Earnest Byner – Running Back

Class of 2007:

• Horace Gillom – Punter/Wide Receiver
• Bill Glass – Defensive End
• Don Cockroft – Kicker/Punter
• Kevin Mack – Running Back

Class of 2008:

• Warren Lahr – Defensive Back
• Paul Wiggin – Defensive End
• Walter Johnson – Defensive Tackle
• Eric Metcalf – Running Back

Class of 2010:

• John Wooten – Offensive Guard
• Cody Risien – Offensive Tackle

Class of 2011:

• Vince Costello – Linebacker
• Tom DeLeone – Center

Class of 2012:

• Clarence Scott – Defensive Back
• Ernie Green – Running Back

Class of 2013:

• Abe Gibron – Offensive Guard
• Galen Fiss – Linebacker

Class of 2014:

• Robert Jackson – Offensive Guard
• Milt Morin – Tight End

Class of 2015:

• Don Colo – Defensive Tackle
• Bob Golic – Nose Tackle

Class of 2016:

• Dick Ambrose – Linebacker
• Thom Darden – Free Safety

Class of 2017:

• Bernie Parrish – Defensive Back
• Tony Adamle – Linebacker/Fullback

Class of 2018:

• Erich Barnes – Defensive Back
• Eddie Johnson – Linebacker

Class of 2020:

• Josh Cribbs – Wide Receiver
• Webster Slaughter – Wide Receiver

Class of 2021:

• D’Qwell Jackson – Linebacker
• Bill Nelsen – Quarterback

Class of 2022:

• Joe Thomas – Offensive Tackle
• Darrel “Pete” Brewster – Defensive End/Tight End

From the Field: Luis Castro, if, Staten Island FerryHawks
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Infielder Luis Castro had a fantastic season in the independent Atlantic League in 2024. The 29-year-old Castro hit .356 with a .449 OBP and 1.085 OPS, hitting 24 HR. He would end the season with the league batting crown. Castro has been around–this is his third season in Indy ball and 11th season of pro ball, but he has been a solid hitter just about everywhere he went, though has yet to get past AAA-ball. He’s had some highlights, though: in 2019 while playing in the Rockies organization with their high-A affiliate, he hit .317/.425/.584 with 25 HR was selected to the California League All-Star team, and was both the league regular and post-season MVP.

From the Field: Pan Wen-Hui, p, Philadelphia Phillies
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In 2023 the Phillies signed 20-year old pitcher pitcher Pan Wen-Hui out of Taiwan. Pan was both a starter and reliever in Taiwan and has remained a swingman since coming to the States. He didn’t pitch too much in 2024 because of a broken finger, but when he did he was good: over 29.1 innings he only allowed 22 hits and struck out 35. He ended the season pitching with the Phillies high-A club and should open the 2025 season there. Pan is pitching in the 2024 Arizona Fall League to make up for the lost innings and is likely the best prospect for the player they sent. I’m very fond of Taiwan players, so I’m hoping all the best for him on his path to the majors.