Some Questions On Guards’ Roster Makeup

Major League Baseball expanded the rosters to 26 players a few years ago, presumably because teams were keeping so many relief pitchers on the team, many managers were stuck with a three man bench.

When the rosters were expanded, part of the rule said a maximum of 13 pitchers could be eligible, although up until June 1st of this season, teams can keep 14 pitchers because of the shortened spring training.

It is a challenge for managers of all big league clubs to keep his reserves fresh, so if and when they are needed, they will be somewhat ready. It’s a difficult task, and is one reason many teams do not want to keep a young player on the roster if they cannot get regular at bats or innings.

Terry Francona is reported to be excellent in communicating with every player on the roster as to how he is going to be used and when. And we use the word “reported” because we aren’t in the clubhouse. But when was the last time a Cleveland player came out in the media and complained as to how he is being used?

Since Yu Chang came off the COVID list on May 13th, he has appeared in just one game, Friday night against the Tigers, because a lefty was pitching for Detroit, and Josh Naylor was just coming off the same list, and Francona didn’t want his first game back to be against a tough southpaw in Tarik Skubal.

With the latest defensive configuration of using Naylor at first because of the leg he injured a year ago, and thus Owen Miller moving to second base, if seems like Chang has no real place on the roster.

And both Miller (861 OPS) and Naylor (1044 OPS) are among the best bats in the lineup, so the Guardians want those guys playing for sure.

Perhaps the front office is working on a deal for Chang, but right now, his spot on the roster could be better used by someone else.

Detroit’s closer is a lefty in Gregory Soto, and Francona allowed Andres Gimenez and Steven Kwan, both left-handed hitters to bat. Chang didn’t even get a chance there.

You could probably make an argument that Ernie Clement isn’t benefiting either. He’s had just four at bats since May 7th, although he’s appeared in four games as a pinch-runner, so at least he is contributing there.

And if the organization views Clement as a bench piece, utility guy, then there isn’t a problem using him this way.

We don’t like wasting roster spots. There are only 26 of them, so why not have guys who can contribute.

And on another matter…

From a pitching standpoint, it will be interesting to see how the club handles Eli Morgan. The young right-hander made the team because they wanted length from some relievers due to the shortened spring.

Remember, in addition to Morgan, they also kept Konnor Pilkington and Logan Allen. But now that the starters are stretched out, is Morgan needed as a long man?

If Francona uses him that way, for say, three or four innings if a starter gets knocked out early, then fine. However, we wonder if he wouldn’t be better served going back to Columbus and getting stretched out so he is available as a starter?

Especially with the doubleheaders coming up later in the season with all the rainouts and games that were canceled due to the lockout.

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 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.

We’d Like To Be Watching Baseball, But…

We should be watching or listening to a baseball game today. Mind you, not one that counts, but the thoughts of Opening Day would be dancing in the heads of any baseball fan.

Instead, the sport is still dealing with a lockout, not a strike, as many in the media have portrayed the absence of players in Florida and Arizona. The owners are causing this.

We do understand their reasoning, they lose leverage if the season started and the players decided to walk out let’s say, August 1st.

However, the lockout started in early December and the owners basically sat on their fat wallets and didn’t have any negotiations until the calendar turned to 2022.

So, fans of the grand ol’ game are left watching the snow fall or melt (hopefully) instead of seeing how the Cleveland Guardians will be answering the questions they have concerning the roster that starts the regular season, no matter when it starts.

By the way, we are sure there will be a flurry of trades and free agent signings (probably not by the Guardians) as soon as an agreement is reached. We are sure general managers have been talking to agents and other front office executives throughout the lockout.

What will Terry Francona do at the keystone positions? Amed Rosario hit well enough last season, but his defense was wanting. Does he move to second base, or is he traded? Does Andres Gimenez take over at short in ’22 with the battle taking place at second, between Owen Miller, Yu Chang, and Richie Palacios.

In the outfield, who plays the corner spots flanking Myles Straw? Veterans Bradley Zimmer and Oscar Mercado would seem to have an edge because of experience but to us, most of that experience has not been pleasant for the fans because it has been filled with outs, and lots of them.

Where does Josh Naylor fit in? First, the Guardians have to determine if and when he can play, and once he can, does he stay in the outfield or does he become part of the first base competition.

How does the rest of the bullpen shake out? We are sure some arms will sign minor league deals to come to camp and compete for spots to join Emmanuel Clase, James Karinchak, and likely Anthony Gose, Nick Sandlin, and Trevor Stephan among the relief corps.

And who becomes the backup catcher behind Austin Hedges. Sandy Leon will be in camp, but hopefully another backstop is brought in as a non-roster invitee to compete.

The biggest thing we are missing is watching the top prospects in the Cleveland farm system getting opportunities in exhibition.

We would be keeping a particular eye on Palacios, OF Steven Kwan, SS Brayan Rocchio, and SS/2B Tyler Freeman.

In our opinion, Kwan and Palacios should get a real shot of not only making the team out of camp but getting some regular playing time.

And yes, we know typically that’s not how Francona and his staff operate, but we can always hope, right?

Instead, we aren’t watching any baseball and may not for the foreseeable future. And that’s a shame. With all that is going on in the world, we could use some diversion.

Unfortunately, we are held hostage by a bunch of people who don’t appear to even like baseball.

And that’s the saddest situation we can think of.