GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Third-ranked Guardians prospect George Valera is anything but timid when he digs into the batter’s box. Armed with his patented bat waggle and smooth swing, the left-handed-hitting outfielder has dived headlong into the opportunity that the early days of Spring Training afford, squaring off with Major League hurlers on practice fields in an attempt to make his mark.

“When I’m in the box, I don’t care who you are,” Valera said. “I’m going to compete and I’m going to try to beat you. It doesn’t matter if you’re my mom or my dad, I’m going to try my best.

“I don’t really see it as Major League or Minor League pitchers. I just see it as competition and somebody I got to beat right now.”

That competitiveness has long been a feature of Valera’s game, and a necessary one. MLB Pipeline’s No. 51 overall prospect has seen just five of his 1,165 pro plate appearances against younger pitchers. Despite that consistent challenge, Valera has hit at every level throughout his career: .977 OPS at High-A, 129 wRC+ at Double-A in 2022 and a .227 ISO in an abbreviated Triple-A stint.

A passive observer would deduce that Valera’s 11-game stint with Estrellas de Oriente this past winter had minimal impact on his game; after all, he hit just .171 and struck out in 26.8 percent of his at-bats. But getting to return to San Pedro de Macoris, Dominican Republic, is a return home for Valera, who moved between the city and the Bronx, N.Y., throughout his childhood.

Getting to play against revered Dominican stars such as Robinson Canó on their home turf -- in a league known for its festival-like crowd participation -- is a reliable way to expedite development.

“It's crazy to play with those guys, learn from them, watch them play, see how they take care of the game,” Valera said. “I play for my hometown team, so that's super special to me. I get to have my family there, and a lot of people that can't travel here to Stateside, they get to see me in person for the first time playing baseball.”

Valera first had his development stunted by a broken hamate bone in his right hand in 2018. Then, the cancellation of the ‘20 Minor League season struck. An oblique strain slowed him with a four-week absence in ‘21, but the injury bug was stamped out last year, as he was named to the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game, which he started in left field for the American League squad.

Even in a system chock full of precocious talent, Valera has made his mark through an exhilarating blend of power and patience (and exit velocities). His two-hour move southwest from Akron to Columbus in August moved him to the proverbial doorstep of Progressive Field, despite playing the entire 2022 season at just 21 years old.

The results may have been below what Valera would have liked from his 42 games in his first taste of Triple-A (.221/.324/.448), but considering that he was more than five years younger than the average age of competition, the lefty slugger was again able to bank intel for his future development.

“It makes you mature as a ballplayer and as a person, too,” Valera said of his time being around older players at Triple-A. “Hopefully I'm going to put [what I learned] into play in the big leagues … sometime during the season.”

The Guardians put the league on notice in 2022, claiming the AL Central crown despite being the youngest team in the Majors in average age. In that sense, Valera, complete with a take-on-anyone, anytime attitude, is an embodiment of a club that tasted postseason success on the back of key contributions from the club’s pipeline.

Cactus League play kicks off Saturday against the Reds at 3:05 p.m. ET (live on MLB.TV), marking the Guardians’ first step in what they hope is a season that carries deep into October. Many fans will be getting a look at Valera -- and other young stars -- for the first time this spring. For all the pageantry and hype, what can they expect from an outfielder who is looking to earn that first big league callup sometime in 2023?

“I’m going to do my best to win the game no matter what I do. I’m going to have fun because it’s a game at the end of the day. But I’m a winner,” Valera said. “We’ve got a very, very good squad. … We’re all on the same mission and I’m one of those guys that is in the same mindset:

“I want to bring a championship to Cleveland.”