Captains Pitchers Braylon Doughty and Franklin Gómez Named 2026 Midwest League All-Stars

EASTLAKE, Ohio – On Wednesday, Sept. 16, Minor League Baseball (MiLB) announced its High-A League All-Star Teams and award winners for the 2026 season.

Two Lake County Captains were named Midwest League All-Stars for the 2026 campaign.

RHP Braylon Doughty, MLB Pipeline’s No. 3 Guardians and No. 71 MLB prospect, and LHP Franklin Gómez were both honored for their efforts with the Captains this year.

Lake County now has five Midwest League All-Star pitchers since the 2024 season. Doughty and Gómez join LHP Josh Hartle (2025 Midwest League Pitcher of the Year), MLB Pipeline’s No. 30 Nationals prospect, and the 2024 duo of RHP Austin Peterson and LHP Matt Wilkinson, MLB Pipeline’s No. 30 Giants prospect, as Captains pitchers to be named Midwest League All-Stars over the last three years.

BRAYLON DOUGHTY, STARTING PITCHER

Doughty had a stellar showing for the Captains in 2026, which resulted in his promotion to the Double-A Akron RubberDucks on June 30. The right-hander made 14 starts for Lake County, going 3-3 with a 3.02 ERA, 74 strikeouts to just 11 walks, and a 1.17 WHIP in 59.2 innings pitched.

At the time of his promotion to Double-A Akron, Doughty led qualified Midwest League pitchers in ERA (3.02) and games started (14, tied), while ranking top-10 in WHIP (1.17, second), strikeouts (74, tied for fourth), win percentage (.500, tied for sixth), opposing AVG (.252, eighth), and innings pitched (59.2, 10th). The 20-year-old was the only High-A pitcher and one of just four MiLB arms with at least 74 strikeouts and 11-or-fewer walks at the time of his promotion to Double-A.

Doughty ended his Captains tenure with a spectacular month of June, earning Midwest League Pitcher of the Month honors. The Murrieta, California native made four starts for Lake County, going 2-0 with a 1.64 ERA and 24 strikeouts to just two walks in 22 innings of work. He led High-A with a 12.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio and led the Midwest League with a 1.64 ERA, a 0.73 WHIP, and a .173 opposing batting average during the month of June.

Doughty was selected by the Cleveland Guardians in Competitive Balance Round A (36th overall) of the 2024 MLB Draft out of Chaparral High School (CA).

FRANKLIN GÓMEZ, STARTING PITCHER

Gómez had a strong 2026 campaign for the Captains, which resulted in his promotion to the Double-A Akron RubberDucks on Aug. 21. The southpaw made 12 starts for Lake County (all as a 20-year-old), going 3-1 with a 3.10 ERA, 66 strikeouts to just 18 walks, and a 1.24 WHIP in 58 innings pitched.

Through the games of June 13, when Gómez made his final start for the Captains, he led qualified Midwest League pitchers in innings pitched (58.0) and games started (12, tied), while ranking second in ERA (3.10), strikeouts (66), and WHIP (1.24), as well as sixth in opposing batting average (.245). The 21-year-old was eventually placed on the 7-day injured list on June 27 with left elbow discomfort before being activated and promoted to Double-A nearly two months later on Aug. 21.

Gómez logged arguably his best outing of the season on May 1 versus the Beloit Sky Carp, earning Midwest League Pitcher of the Week honors for his outstanding performance. The Ocumare de la Costa, Venezuela native threw six strikeouts without a walk in five scoreless innings of work, retiring 15 of 16 batters faced. His only baserunner allowed was a one-out double surrendered in the second inning, after which the left-hander set down the final 11 Beloit batters in order.

Following Midwest League All-Star nods for LHP Josh Hartle in 2025 and LHP Matt Wilkinson in 2024, Gómez gives the Captains an All-Star left-handed starting pitcher for the third consecutive year.

Gómez was acquired by the Cleveland Guardians from the New York Mets on Jan. 15, 2026 in exchange for international bonus pool money.

Lake County will open its 2027 season with a three-game road series against the West Michigan Whitecaps. First pitch for the Captains’ 2027 season opener is scheduled for Friday, April 2, 2027 at a time to be determined from LMCU Ballpark in Comstock Park, Michigan.

Lake County will begin its 2027 home schedule with a six-game series versus the Dayton Dragons. First pitch for the Captains’ 2027 home opener is scheduled for Tuesday, April 6, 2027 at a time to be determined from Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake. Tickets will be available for purchase at a later date at MiLB.com/lake-county/tickets.

Lake County’s 2027 games will be broadcast on the Bally Sports Live App, the MiLB App, MLB+, and StreamGuys, with social media coverage courtesy of @LCCaptains on X and Instagram.

About the Lake County Captains:

The Lake County Captains are the professional High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians located in Eastlake, Ohio. Our mission is to honor the rich history of our organization, while also introducing baseball to a new generation of fans through innovative means. We are committed to supporting our community, sports teams, and each other by demonstrating passion and having fun every day.