Punxsutawney Phil didn’t see his shadow, which can mean only one thing – spring is coming. Tuesday marked the first day of full-squad workouts for the Cleveland Guardians at the Spring Training complex in Goodyear, Arizona. This marks the first season in over a decade for the Cleveland Guardians under a manager not named Terry Francona. Stephen Vogt takes over a squad that finished third in the AL Central last season, a year removed from a division title and Wild Card Series win. There is no shortage of storylines entering the season. Here are a few key Cleveland Guardians Spring Training battles to watch.
Shortstop
Amed Rosario was the club’s primary shortstop for the previous three seasons. However, the team finally moved on from him at last year’s trade deadline. That opens the door for one of Cleveland’s many young, unproven middle infielders to take over and become Platinum Glove Andrés Giménez’s double-play partner. Gabriel Arias is the favorite to win the job for Opening Day. Arias got the majority of the playing time after Rosario was traded. Brayan Rocchio and Juan Brito are the other two primary candidates.
Gabriel Arias clobbered this one!
— Bally Sports Cleveland (@BallySportsCLE) September 28, 2022
His first MLB home run! #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/QLd0znNPNv
Rocchio received limited playing time for the MLB team last year and is a highly regarded prospect. Rocchio has more contact ability than Arias but lacks the power that Arias is capable of. Brito is a bit of a combo between Rocchio and Arias offensively. He has a higher contact ability while also showing signs of power potential. Brito lacks the defensive prowess of Arias and Rocchio, however, and would be better suited at second base, pushing Giménez over to shortstop.
Designated Hitter
Last offseason the Guardians signed Josh Bell in hopes to fill this role and provide much-needed power. Bellwas traded away at the deadline after not performing up to the team’s hopes. There are a number of possible suitors this year. Deyvison De Los Santos was a Rule 5 selection, meaning if he doesn’t make the team and stay on the roster throughout the season, he has to be sent back to the Arizona Diamondbacks. De Los Santos offers light-tower power, but has never played above AA and is only 20 years old.
Kyle Manzardo was acquired in the Aaron Civale trade last year and is a top prospect with an elite hit tool. Manzardo is looked at as the future first baseman/designated hitter partner with Josh Naylor. However, Cleveland notoriously keeps their young prospects in the minors to manipulate service time and he is unlikely to make the Opening Day roster. The other option is a committee approach. This would allow the spot to be filled by any player based on pitching matchups and rest days and is the likely outcome of Spring Training.
No. 2 @CleGuardians prospect Kyle Manzardo crushes his first homer in the @MLBazFallLeague for Peoria.
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) October 9, 2023
108 mph | 446 ft. pic.twitter.com/A4DI1fDFGq
Centerfield
Centerfield has been manned by Myles Straw for the last two and a half seasons. Straw is on the hot seat after back-to-back miserable offensive seasons. Enter Estevan Florial. A former top prospect for the New York Yankees, Florial was acquired via trade this offseason. Florial has all the tools to be an upgrade, but lacks MLB experience and has a lot of swing-and-miss at the plate. The Guardians have put most of their eggs in Florial’s basket, hoping he can provide something offensively that the team has lacked.
GONE! ☄️
— SWB RailRiders (@swbrailriders) September 10, 2023
Estevan Florial sends a three-run blast 390 ft. and 105.2 mph off the bat for his 27th home run of the season. #EverythingMajor #RepBX pic.twitter.com/Ynu0jRHNvS
The Cleveland Guardians come into the 2024 season with a lot of unknowns. Between a new manager and new faces, the 2024 club will look a lot different than it has in years past. A lot of excitement comes with the news. Here’s to a fun spring with interesting Spring Training Battles to watch.
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