Cleveland Guardians center fielder Chase DeLauter

Hedgesville grad DeLauter makes MLB debut

Berkeley County Schools

October 2, 2025

Published in The Journal on October 1, 2025, link to article HERE.

Hedgesville graduate Chase DeLauter made a bit of history on Wednesday when he made his Major League Baseball debut with the Cleveland Guardians during Game 2 of the American League Wild Card Series against the Detroit Tigers.

In being called up, DeLauter, who started at center fielder and was seventh in the lineup, became the first Cleveland player to make his debut in postseason game and one of only six players with that distinction. The other players include Mark Kiger (Athletics), Adalberto Mondesi (Royals), Alex Kirilloff (Twins), Ryan Weathers (Marlins) and Shane McClanahan (Rays).

DeLauter's debut got off to a shaky start after he dropped a fly ball in the first inning, but he more than made up for with an assist in the fourth inning, throwing out the Tigers' Zach McKinstry at third base after a hit by Javier Baez.

At the plate, Delauter walked in his first at-bat in the second inning, then grounded out in the fifth inning and lined out in the seventh inning. The Guardians won the game 6-1 and tied the series at 1-1.

DeLauter, currently the team's No. 2 prospect and No. 54 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, was drafted by the Guardians as the 16th overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. This year, in 34 games with triple-A Columbus, he hit .278 with 35 hits, including five home runs and 31 RBI.

DeLauter, who starred at James Madison, likely would have been called up before the playoffs but dealt with a pair of injuries this year, both of which required surgeries.

While with the Dukes, DeLauter was a first-team all-CAA in 2021 and second-team all-CAA in 2022. While at Hedgesville, he was named the 2018 West Virginia Baseball Player of the Year and Eastern Panhandle Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was first-team all-state that year, as well.