Guardians Getting On Base More, Why Not Run More Too?

The hitting for the Cleveland Guardians has been a surprise this season, ranking third in the American League in runs scored to date. However, it has also sputtered at times.

The Guards have scored 10 runs or more five times this season, but they’ve also scored two runs or less 14 times, and it’s very tough to win doing that, and Cleveland is no different, going 1-13 when that occurs.

That’s not totally unusual. The league average per team is under four runs per game (3.97).

However, in the last week, the offense recently has reached a tough patch, with Josh Naylor out on the COVID list, and Jose Ramirez not being red hot.

We know the Guardians have embraced more of a contact approach this season. They have struck out less than any team in the AL, and rank 5th in the Junior Circuit in on base percentage.

One curious thing missing from the Cleveland offense is the stolen base, as the Guards rank just 10th in the league with 20 thefts. Tampa Bay, another low spending franchise, leads the league with 31.

Myles Straw has eight steals meaning he has 40% of the Guards’ stolen bases. But he is far from the only Cleveland player who can run.

They do use their speed in other ways. They are tied for the AL in triples as a team with 10 and are in the middle of the pack in doubles, ranking seventh with 62.

They need to have the stolen base arsenal in their back pocket when they aren’t getting doubles and triples. Otherwise, they need to get three singles or walks to push a run across.

As we said, they have very good team speed.

Amed Rosario has exceptional speed, although he isn’t an accomplished base stealer. He led the league in being caught stealing in 2019. Andres Gimenez, on the other hand, has only been caught once in his career, stealing 22 bases in 23 tries. He’s 14 for 14 in a Cleveland uniform.

We understand the organization may not want Jose Ramirez to run as much, but he’s stolen 20 bags or more in four different seasons.

We notice Ramirez has been more aggressive on the bases following the times he is pitched around by the opposition.

It doesn’t just have to be stolen bases either. With the contact rates of some of these players, why not use a play that most team eschew in today’s game: The “hit and run”.

Maybe Terry Francona will do more of that when he has more confidence in guys like Steven Kwan and Gimenez.

You don’t want to run into outs, but with the speed the Guardians’ have, it should serve to enhance the offense. Why not put more pressure on the opposition defense? Lately, the hitting hasn’t gotten into it early in games, but maybe running early would get the Guards on the scoreboard early.

The Guardians aren’t a team that can sit back and wait for the long ball, and to that end, they’ve embraced a more contact-oriented approach this season.

Why not take a further step and start stealing bases too. They have a roster that can pull it off.

Early Season For Guards? You Have To Be Encouraged

It seems like yesterday that the Cleveland Guardians opened the delayed 2022 season in Kansas City, but after yesterday’s doubleheader against Toronto, the Guards have hit the 1/6th point in the ’22 campaign.

What have we learned? The biggest takeaway is what we knew going into the year. This is a very young team and therefore prone to streakiness, so a close to .500 record (13-14) makes sense. Our guess is that will stabilize as the year goes on.

The offensive has improved, or has it? Cleveland ranks 2nd in the AL in runs scored per game at 4.68, trailing only the Yankees. However, remember the streakiness we discussed? Terry Francona’s squad has been held to two runs or less in 11 of the 27 games, and have scored 17 runs, 11 runs, 10 runs twice as well.

They are 1-10 when they score two or fewer, so when they get to three, their record is 12-4. Pretty good, eh?

In the off-season, we said the ability to get on base had to improve for Cleveland, and to date it has. The Guardians are 3rd in the league in on base percentage.

Last year, only Jose Ramirez and Myles Straw had OBPs of over .350. So far this season, there are five players with over 50 plate appearances (beside Ramirez and Straw, Owen Miller, Steven Kwan, and Andres Gimenez) who are getting on base 35% of the time or more.

Miller has already walked more this season than he did in all of the 2021 season.

And though we doubt Miller can continue to hit .353 or Kwan can hit .319, we also don’t think Franmil Reyes will continue to hit .204 even though his strikeout to walk ratio is an unsightly 43 to 3.

To be fair, we also don’t think Andres Gimenez will stay over .340 and Josh Naylor won’t hit over .300 either, but both should be in the lineup everyday.

The organization has shifted from the big swing players to guys who can put the ball in play, and we think that is a great move in the right direction.

They started scouting players with good contact rates in amateur ball a few years ago, figuring they can develop power easier than teaching players to make contact.

Surprisingly, the Guards’ team ERA is third last in the American League at 4.03. They have held opponents to three runs or less 11 times, going 8-3 in those games.

Part of the problem has been the slow start of Aaron Civale, who has a 9.45 ERA, but did turn in his best outing of the year Thursday night against Toronto. Zach Plesac has also struggled in his last two starts, allowing 10 ER in 8-2/3 innings.

The bullpen has stabilized. Emmanuel Clase had a bit of a struggle early but has looked like himself in the last week or so. Trevor Stephan and Nick Sandlin have emerged as the bridges from the starter to Clase.

Lefty Sam Hentges, pretty terrible last year as a starter, has thrived as a reliever, pitching 13 innings and allowing just one run. Most of his outings have been in low leverage situations, but that could change soon.

This is a fun team to watch for the most part, and we are intrigued to watch these young players develop. Also, there is no curious veteran playing for the most part, unless you are not an Amed Rosario fan (and we aren’t, really).

Hanging around .500 will keep you in the mix for a playoff spot for a while, and that’s what you want from the squad.

So far, so good for the Guardians.

Guardians: Walks Down, So Is The Run Count

Heading into the 2022 baseball season, our biggest concern about the offense of the Cleveland Guardians was the inability to get on base.

It looked like this improved in the first six games of the year, when the Guardians drew four or more walks in five of the first half dozen contests.

And the team scored seven or more runs in four of those games.

However, since then, Guards’ hitters have drawn four or more bases on balls just once (Monday night in Anaheim, they were shutout anyway), and have only scored more than five runs twice.

And one of those games was an 11-1 win over the White Sox in which the opponents committed four charged errors, and it could have been more.

After the initial six games, Guardian hitters have had a game with 15 strikeouts and no walks, 12 punchouts and one walk, and 10 K’s with two walks.

Cleveland currently sits fifth in the AL in on base percentage, mostly because they have the second highest batting average in the league (.253, my how the game has changed).

They are 11th in drawing walks, so really not that much improvement.

Myles Straw leads the Guards in walks with 10, followed by Steven Kwan with nine, and Jose Ramirez with seven. This trio has a little more than half the free passes Cleveland has received through the first 17 games of the season (26 out of 50).

The best strikeout to walk ratios belong to these players:

Batting average OPS
Kwan 6:9 .341 956
Ramirez 7:7 .353 1.151
Straw 14:10 .261 .669
Owen Miller 8:5 .450 1.300

As you can see, if you know the strike zone, you can be a better hitter. Compare those figures to these–

Batting average OPS
Oscar Mercado 14:0 .185 655
Franmil Reyes 30:3 .161 430
Austin Hedges 13:3 .125 405
Andres Gimenez 11:1 .286 804

Gimenez is the only Guardians’ hitter with a poor strikeout to walk ratio that is putting up good numbers.

On Monday, Reyes came to the plate with runners on first and second and no one out, and actually had a 3-0 count, before swinging at two pitches out of the strike zone. That’s probably the worst at bat by a Cleveland hitter this season to date.

Certainly, with Straw, Kwan, and Ramirez at the top of the lineup, for the most part, they are making opposing pitchers work to get outs. They see a lot of pitches in most plate appearances.

The rest of the lineup save for Miller? Not so much.

It is odd that notorious hacker Amed Rosario, is tied with Miller at five bases on balls, but he is usually up there swinging if a pitch is close, and that causes him to get himself out at times.

Meanwhile, the three players who have poor numbers at judging a ball from a strike, Mercado, Bobby Bradley, and Yu Chang have combined to strikeout 22 times without drawing a walk. Again, most of that has been done by Mercado.

For the offense to pick up again, the Guardians’ hitters have to be more selective and stop swinging at bad pitches. We know, easier said than done.

And Reyes has to be better. We know he can be streaky, and part of the reason is his idea of the strike zone. Teams have already started to pitch around Ramirez. The opponents have to pay for doing that.

Guardians Get Patient, Start Scoring.

What a turn around for the Cleveland Guardians, right?

That’s if you can use a two game sample size as the basis for any discussion, which of course a rational human being would not do.

Still, it is eye opening. After the first two games of the 2022 season, in which the Guardians played 19 innings and scored a lone run, Sunday’s game against the Royals featured Kansas City starting Kris Bubic, a left-hander.

Terry Francona gave Bobby Bradley the day off vs. the southpaw and curiously also gave Yu Chang the day off after the pair went 0 for 10 in games one and two with five strikeouts, four of them from Chang.

It was probably a coincidence on that day, but the Guards scored six in the first inning on their way to a 17-3 win, their first of the season.

They scored 10 runs the next two games as well.

It would not be fair to put the blame on the first two games on Bradley and Chang, and if you visit this site often, you know how we feel about both players as hitters. We were never fans of them, or really, anyone with bad strikeout to walk ratios.

However, in moving contact master Steven Kwan up to the #2 spot in the batting order, the first three hitters in the Cleveland lineup all make the opposing pitcher get the ball in the strike zone.

Leadoff man Myles Straw had the second best on base percentage on the squad last season, and the guy he trailed, Jose Ramirez hits third. It sets the tone in the first inning with this trio grinding out at bats and taking walks.

When Franmil Reyes starts hitting, he will no doubt have a boatload of RBI opportunities.

Another young player, Owen Miller has started the 2022 season like he did in AAA last season, that is to say, raking. He has fanned just twice on the season while compiling seven extra base hits (5 doubles and two home runs).

Amed Rosario has dropped into the #5 hole, not a traditional spot for a guy with little power, but he’s also putting the ball in play, fanning just once on the season.

And Ernie Clement hasn’t played much, but he’s walked twice and been hit by two pitches. He’s another guy with a contact profile in the minor leagues, despite striking out three times yesterday.

Some fans have speculated that Bradley and Chang’s future with the team is coming to an end, but we think it’s just about Tito going with the hot bats. It isn’t the organizations style to end a player’s tenure (especially ones that came up through the system) after a couple of games.

On the other hand, if this team keeps hitting, it will be hard for those two to get bigger opportunities.

Look, the first two teams the Guardians have played aren’t known for their pitching, so is the offensive explosion sustainable? That remains to be seen, and the next two series are against the Giants and White Sox, a step up in competition.

But the shift from all or nothing at bats by most of the batting order to a patient, put the ball in place approach seems like it should help score more runs, and that was a problem last year for Cleveland.

The first two series have spurred some interest in Cleveland baseball fans. That’s the best result.

Guardians Still Making Decisions As Season Gets Underway.

Two things happened for the Cleveland Guardians on Thursday, one surprised and one not so much.

The Guards scored one run in the season opener, which is hardly a shock based on last season. We felt the offense would struggle and be the reason for a below .500 campaign.

The surprise was the trading of Bradley Zimmer after the game to Toronto for reliever Anthony Castro, clearing up the outfield situation a bit.

Castro, who will turn 27 in a few days, seems like a decent return. Yes, he has a career ERA of 5.26 in 26 big league appearances with Detroit (1 game) and the Blue Jays, but he has 33 strikeouts and just nine walks in 26-2/3 innings. He’s allowed five homers, which is a concern.

The trade would seem to open up at least a platoon spot for rookie Steven Kwan, who went 1 for 2 in his debut with two walks. And remember, the Guardians need guys who can get on base.

We hope this is the first move to clear up the roster as the 2022 season moves along.

We understand it is just two games into the season, but the middle infield, which are key defensive spots, are in a state of flux.

Andres Gimenez started at short in one game, and at second on Saturday. Amed Rosario played LF and then SS. Yu Chang started at 2B, moved to first during the game, and sat in game two.

In the radio broadcast of the opener, Tom Hamilton noted the Guardians must play a clean game defensively to win. We would say moving players in and out of key defensive positions is not a good way for that to occur.

It also seems odd to back what is the backbone of your team, your pitching staff, with poor defense at key positions.

First, let’s remind everyone that Rosario is not a good defensive shortstop. So, the infatuation with playing him there is odd. And although he had a good batting average in 2021 (.282), he’s not a real good offensive player, because he doesn’t walk (his career high is 31), and doesn’t have a lot of pop, with just a .409 slugging percentage last season and .404 lifetime.

We have not been a fan of Yu Chang, but the organization needs to make a decision on him once and for all, and the way to do it is to play him, let’s say 10-15 games in a row. They need to see if the surge at the end of 2021 was real or not.

In the meantime, give Owen Miller enough at bats so he is ready if Chang doesn’t hit.

Just put Rosario in left and leave him there or make a decision to move him. It’s not like he’s blocking someone right now, and he would have better offensive value not hitting at the top of the order.

Also, in the name of defense, we would make a commitment to play Josh Naylor at 1B when he is activated. An outfield of Myles Straw in center, Kwan/Oscar Mercado in right, and Rosario in LF would seem to have the gaps covered pretty well.

We know that Terry Francona likes to give everyone some at bats early to keep everyone on the roster involved. So, the lineup turmoil could be just that.

It’s also a delicate balance trying to get the most offense the current roster can provide with good defense to back the pitching.

However, it’s why not clearing up the roster duplicity over the winter is an issue. The inability of the front office to make decisions didn’t help the current situation.

Doing Something New Wouldn’t Be Bad For Guardians

It is pretty clear by now that the Cleveland Guardians aren’t making any major moves to improve the offense or the bullpen heading into the 2022 campaign.

There appeared to be some free agents to be had on affordable one year contracts, players like Tommy Pham (who signed with Cincinnati), Andrew McCutchen (Milwaukee), or even Anthony Rizzo (Yankees). The Guardians passed on all of them.

Since they made that decision, hopefully they understand that last season’s offense was not up to the levels a good major league should have, and they are willing to do something different.

For example, we hope beyond hope that Bradley Zimmer and/or Oscar Mercado are not going to be getting regular playing time. We really wonder if they should be on a major league roster at all.

Let’s hope Terry Francona and the decision makers are willing to try something different.

One huge question is who will flank Myles Straw in the outfield.

There has been talk about using Amed Rosario in left field as well as shortstop, but we hope this is just spring training discussions. Rosario is an average shortstop at best with the glove and we doubt moving him back and forth between two positions will make him better.

We aren’t enamored of Rosario’s hitting (no walks, little power) but if the front office wants him in the lineup every day, just put him in left field and be done with it.

Shortstop is the most important defensive position on the diamond, and we feel it would be better if the same person, hopefully a good defender played it day in and day out. Perhaps someone like Andres Gimenez or maybe even rookie Gabriel Arias.

We would like to see Steven Kwan get a chance right from game one in Kansas City on April 7th. A left-handed hitter, the 24-year-old has demonstrated an ability to get on base, a .380 on base percentage throughout his minor league career. And that’s the biggest need this team has offensively.

Why not find out about Oscar Gonzalez too? Also 24 years old, the right-handed hitter belted 31 home runs between Akron and Columbus last season. He doesn’t walk, and never really has in his minor league career, but he’s also batted .281 in the minors. He doesn’t appear to be an all or nothing swing for the fences guy.

And giving that duo time in the outfield would free Josh Naylor to move to first base, his natural position.

With the news that James Karinchak will miss the opener, the bullpen has to be considered a problem. Who will pitch the eighth inning in front of Emmanuel Clase?

We hope Francona doesn’t lean on his pitcher of comfort, newly signed Bryan Shaw. We don’t have a problem signing the veteran, but having him pitch the 8th, that seems a little ambitious.

Right now, we would guess it would be Trevor Stephan, who spent the entire season with Cleveland last year as a Rule 5 selection. Nick Sandlin would be in the mix, but he has not appeared in a game in Arizona just yet.

Flame throwing southpaw Anthony Gose likely has the team made, but there will be plenty of bullpen spots open, particularly with the extra roster spots granted to each team because of the shortened spring training.

There will be a lot of opportunity for young guys, unless the front office signs an available veteran.

There isn’t a benefit to trotting out the same players who couldn’t get it done last season with the hope they will improve greatly. Those guys have long enough track records to show improvement isn’t likely.

Embrace playing the young guys. Find out about them. And maybe, you’ll find some solid young players.

Guardians Inactivity Is Mind Boggling

When baseball locked out its players, fans were left to think about all the transactions that could be made to strengthen their favorite baseball team.

Now that spring training camps are open, and have been that way for a couple of weeks, supporters of the Cleveland Guardians are still feeling the same way.

Since the labor agreement was reached, the Guardians’ front office has added one player, catcher Luke Maile, another defensive oriented catcher with a lifetime OPS of 568.

It is evident to us that one of two things are in play here: Either Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff are completely satisfied by the current roster or ownership isn’t giving them any money to spend.

And if the latter is true, that still doesn’t preclude the brass from making trades.

In case you missed it, the Guardians didn’t win the World Series last season. In fact, they finished under .500 for the season at 80-82.

Their current offense features one hitter with a slugging percentage of over .450 and also an on base percentage of .350 (Jose Ramirez) and two hitters who above those figures in just one of the categories (Myles Straw in OBP and Franmil Reyes in slugging).

Cleveland ranked in the middle of the pack in the AL in slugging a year ago, but were third from the bottom in getting on base. We have written about this ad nauseum all off-season, and suggested several available candidates, such as Andrew McCutchen, Anthony Rizzo, and Tommy Pham.

Only Pham is still available, as is Michael Conforto, who has a career .356 OBP. To date, the Guardians have not been linked with any of them.

Yes, there is still time to make a move, but the season opens two weeks from Thursday.

The Guards’ roster make up is very strange. They have 13 players on the current 40 man roster without any big league experience. They have a glut of middle infielders, including four of their top ten prospects.

The assumption was the front office would deal from strength to bolster the team’s holes, which would be the outfield and the bullpen.

Now, if the Guardians are going to make a commitment to play their young outfielders, such as Steven Kwan (.380 OBP in the minors), Richie Palacios (.409), or even Oscar Gonzalez (871 OPS at AAA/AA last season), then we can get on board with that.

However, our fear is they will trot Bradley Zimmer and Oscar Mercado out there for the first six weeks of the season, and wonder why they got off to a poor start.

Terry Francona has also said they are planning to use Amed Rosario at both LF and SS. This is another head scratcher. Shortstop is the key defensive position on the diamond, and Rosario is not very good at the position.

And it’s not as though Cleveland doesn’t need a left fielder. Just put Rosario out there and open up short for Andres Gimenez and/or Gabriel Arias.

Oh, and is Josh Naylor is ready for the opener, move him to first base and leave him there.

This organization seems to be terrified of making a mistake, and we believe that is why we continue to see Zimmer, Mercado, and even Bobby Bradley get chance after chance.

There is enough of a history with each of those players that most people can figure out what they will bring to a team. Unfortunately, the people in charge obviously cannot.

For years, people around the sport have praised the Guardians’ front office. Is it time to start judging them more harshly.

Baseball Is Back, Let’s Talk Some Guardians

Baseball is back, and the problems for individual franchises now shift from the meeting room to the playing field. The Cleveland Guardians are no exception.

The Guards have finished last season 13 games out of first place in the AL Central, and a dozen games out of the wild card spot. And the sixth best record in the league, and that will make the post-season this season, was Seattle and they won ten more contests than Terry Francona’s squad.

Cleveland finished ninth in the Junior Circuit in runs scored, and despite the strength of the organization being pitching, they were 10th in ERA, most due to a rash of injuries to the starting pitchers, mainly ace Shane Bieber, who made just 16 starts.

Still, with good health the rotation should be the backbone of the team. Cal Quantrill emerged to post a 2.89 ERA over 149-2/3 innings, and Triston McKenzie showed flashes, including a seven start stretch in the second half where he threw 46 innings and allowed just 9 runs, a 1.74 ERA.

And don’t forget that Aaron Civale was leading the league in wins when he went down with a finger injury, and although Zach Plesac, who also missed time, was spotty, he still allowed less hits than innings pitched.

Eli Morgan and Logan Allen will be available in Columbus to start the season if need by to provide depth.

The bullpen is another matter. Emmanuel Clase was tremendous and should have had more support for rookie of the year, posting a 1.29 ERA and 24 saves. Behind him are question marks.

James Karinchak struggled coming down the stretch and Nick Sandlin was injured at the end of last season. The hope is that Trevor Stephan and Anthony Gose can contribute, but if we know Francona, he will want some veteran experience in relief.

Offensively, this team needs a lot of help. There is really just one great offensive player, Jose Ramirez, and not much else.

If an excellent hitter is a guy with an on base percentage over .350 and a slugging percentage over .450, then Ramirez is it.

What’s worse is Myles Straw is the only other player with an OBP over .350 on the roster. And next best figure is Bradley Zimmer, who has huge holes in his swing, at .325 (he was hit by 15 pitches). Amed Rosario got on base at a .321 clip.

The number of players beside Ramirez who slugged better than .450 also numbers one–Franmil Reyes (.522). That leaves the Guardians one excellent bat, and two solid bats. That’s it. To be able to score enough runs, conventional wisdom says you need six good hitters.

That leaves the Guards about three short right now. So, the front office has some work to do before the regular season begins. The have to find some guys who can get on base and/or players who can accumulate some extra base hits.

And as of today, we would say there are only four positions written in stone: Ramirez at 3B, Straw in CF, Reyes at DH, and Austin Hedges behind the plate.

That’s an awful lot of uncertainty, particularly with a shortened spring training.

It is good to talk about the actual game and not labor issues. However, now we have to look at the holes on the Guardians’ roster. How quickly can these be resolved without some moves by president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff.

If the Guards want to get in the playoff chase, they need to score a lot more runs.

Looking At Free Agents Who Can Get On Base For Guardians

With the hot stove league season firmly in place, we have discussed the Cleveland Guardians’ need to help their offense, which has dropped to ninth in the American League in runs scored.

We also feel the biggest need for the team is getting hitters with the ability to avoid making outs. We understand that may sound trite, but Cleveland ranked third from the bottom in on base percentage at .303. In a nutshell, they need batters who can reach base in other ways besides getting hits.

Guardians’ hitters ranked fourth last in the AL in drawing walks a year ago, and only Jose Ramirez walked more than 50 times last season. Myles Straw drew 67 walks, but only 29 were in a Cleveland uniform.

Are there any free agents available that could help in this area. Yes, the front office could (and should) target players on the trade front who get on base as well, but we wanted to look at the players already available.

We also aren’t going to look at players who will be well outside of the price range the Guardians operate in. So, even though Kris Bryant has a .376 on base mark, we know the Cleveland front office isn’t living in an area where they could give the former Cub and Giant what he is looking for.

We would be interested in a one or two year deal for former National League MVP Andrew McCutchen, who not only gets on base, but also would solve one of the corner outfield spots.

McCutchen is 35 years old and had a 778 OPS in 2021, hitting .222 with 27 HR and 80 RBI. He did walk 81 times however, so his on base percentage was a respectable .334. If his batting average got back into the .250 range it has been over the past few years, he would be a solid addition.

Another intriguing option, although he might want big money, is Anthony Rizzo. In our opinion, the Guardians need a first baseman, and Rizzo had a .344 OBP last year and a 783 OPS, hitting 22 dingers, knocking in 61 and drawing 52 walks in his time with both the Cubs and Yankees. He has a lifetime .369 on base average.

There is also soon to be 34-year-old Tommy Pham, coming off a poor season with San Diego, in which he hit .229, but still had a .340 OBP. He also had 15 homers. The right-handed hitting Pham has a career .364 on base mark, and also has a career 810 OPS. He might be worth a one or two year deal as well.

And last is the player the Guardians have been linked to by many sources, former Oakland A’s outfield Mark Canha. He will be 33 next year, and over the last three seasons, has on gotten on base at 39.6%, 38.7%, and last year’s 35.8%, drawing a career high 77 walks.

He also has some pop, hitting 60 home runs over the past three full major league seasons.

All of these players strikeout a little more than we would like, but as long as they are drawing a good share of walks, we can live with the whiffs.

Adding one of these players would be a big help to the offense for Terry Francona’s squad, and the fact they are veterans wouldn’t hurt. The game is measured by the number of outs, and these guys do a better job of avoiding them than what the Guardians currently have.

Cleveland Baseball Has Big Chore In Improving Offense This Winter

The Cleveland baseball team ended it’s season on Sunday, just missing a non-losing season at 80-82, their first non-winning season since 2012, when they finished 68-94 and Manny Acta lost his job.

They finished 13 games out of first in the AL Central, and 12 games out of a wild card spot, but despite almost breaking even this year, hopefully the ownership and front office realize there is a lot to fix if they want to be in the hunt for a playoff spot in 2022.

There are a lot of weaknesses on this ballclub that need to be addressed. According to Baseballreference.com, the Guardians have the worst catching in the American League, the second worst play out of their first basemen, and the fourth worst second base play.

Looking at the division winning White Sox, they have no positions ranking last or second to last in terms of value. NOTE: This is using WAR.

No doubt this organization values defense and handling a pitching staff at the catching position, but Austin Hedges and Roberto Perez were pretty much useless with a bat in their hands this season.

Hedges hit 30 points higher than Perez (.178 vs. .149) but still had a lower OPS (527 vs. 564) because he simply refuses to walk. It is doubtful (to us) that both will return in ’22, and our guess is that Hedges will be the regular. He is younger and makes less money.

Cleveland simply needs to get more offense out of the position going forward.

At first base, while Bobby Bradley looks like Ted Williams compared to Jake Bauers, especially in the power department, the fact remains, the Guardians need more offense out of the position. Bradley did slug 16 home runs, but by and large is an out maker, with an on base percentage of just .294.

He also still has severe contact issues, fanning 99 times in 279 plate appearances.

We are a little bit more optimistic at second, because we think Owen Miller’s minor league hitting prowess will translate. That said, it didn’t in the second half, but he did hit .236 (638 OPS) in the second half.

If we were in charge, he would get the first shot at the everyday job in spring training.

This team also needs guys who can get on base, and by this we mean not “out makers”. The only measurement of baseball is the number of outs, and Cleveland has a lot of players who make a lot of outs.

It is not a surprise that the top five teams in runs scored in the AL all rank in the top six in the league in on base percentage. We understand you need extra base hits too, to get those runners home, but the Indians/Guardians/Tribe has one player that gets on base more than 35% of the time: Jose Ramirez. Myles Straw fell just short at .349.

And there are not many who avoid making outs in more than 70% of the plate appearances either. The next closest player to Straw is the strikeout prone, hit by pitch king Bradley Zimmer at .325, followed by Franmil Reyes at .324, and then Amed Rosario, who finished at .321, despite a .282 batting average.

By the way, that’s tough to do.

We talked about catcher, 1B, and 2B, but in reality, Cleveland should be satisfied only with Ramirez, Reyes, and Straw. They should be looking for an upgrade at every other spot.

That’s a tall task for the front office.

You win with pitching, but you have to score runs to get to the post-season. Four of the playoff teams in the American League rank in the top five in the league in runs scored.

Cleveland has to improve their offense next season. Hopefully, the front office isn’t fooled by some brief glimpses of hope by certain players in the last two months of the 2021 season.