2024 Guardians Regular Season Thread

[Criznit]

Manzardo just hit another homerun.

 

[TxBuckeye]

Manzardo just hit another homerun.

Does it matter? We have to save that service time.

 

[Lee]

Jose is an outlier though.

Kwan is an outlier for not hitting the ball hard and being consistently good offensively.

I just can’t bring myself to bank on Rocchio being an outlier and it eats into the way I view him as a player, maybe a little too much admittedly.

But you say Kwan, and great point. WIthout power, Kwan showed he had an elite skill from day one of getting on base, something Rocchio has failed at. i just dont see it with Rocchio either. I am not sold on Arias either, but elite defense and power takes longer to develop.

I still see Arias as possiblly working out although not probable, with Rocchio I dont see a path to success.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

But you say Kwan, and great point. WIthout power, Kwan showed he had an elite skill from day one of getting on base, something Rocchio has failed at. i just dont see it with Rocchio either. I am not sold on Arias either, but elite defense and power takes longer to develop.

I still see Arias as possiblly working out although not probable, with Rocchio I dont see a path to success.

I guess is depends on how you define "success" for a shortstop.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I think pitching is better this year, personally. Even with all the injuries. But I still expect offensive numbers to creep up over the course of the season.

So if the pitching is better and the average offensive production is down across the league and Player A has better offensive numbers than last year - what does that tell us about Player A?

 

[33Y0]

Kwan left the game.....

 

[BimboColesHair]

So if the pitching is better and the average offensive production is down across the league and Player A has better offensive numbers than last year - what does that tell us about Player A?

Avg offensive production down where it is at isn't going to last.

Would be historically low. Last year the league had a sub .700 OPS was 1989. Let's talk about his wRC+ come July. Until then, a .028 add to his OPS (it's now .009 after his 3 PAs today) is still incremental.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

Avg offensive production down where it is at isn't going to last.

Would be historically low. Last year the league had a sub .700 OPS was 1989. Let's talk about his wRC+ come July. Until then, a .028 add to his OPS (it's now .009 after his 3 PAs today) is still incremental.

I was shocked that Vogt batted him 2nd with a lefty going for the Angels. Didn't he know that Rocchio is 3-for-24 batting right-handed? Make it 3-for-27 now. Detmers got him to pop up a bunt, struck him out, and then flied to right.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

The Athletic has a column where they give reasons to be optimistic and pessimistic for each team. Here is the Guardians' blurb.

Reason for optimism: They are in first place with the AL’s second-best run differential at plus-40. Josh Naylor is having a breakout-type season with a .347 OBP, seven home runs and 24 RBIs. Steven Kwan has been one of the game’s best leadoff hitters, batting .349 with 28 runs and José Ramírez continues to be one of the best all-around third basemen in the league. The bullpen is one of the best in the game with Emmanuel Clase logging an 0.55 ERA and converting nine of 11 save opportunities, Tim Herrin providing a 0.69 ERA, Hunter Gaddis with 17 strikeouts and three walks in 16 appearances and Nick Sandlin with a 2.35 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings.

Reason for pessimism: The starting rotation outside of Tanner Bibee has struggled; Logan Allen has posted a 5.11 ERA, Carlos Carrasco a 6.59 ERA and Triston McKenzie a 4.34 ERA. In addition, the bottom half of the Guardians’ lineup includes two hitters who are batting under .200, Tyler Freeman and Bo Naylor.

I would say that Freeman and Naylor hitting under .200 is a reason for optimism because they aren't going to stay there. Also, Allen and McKenzie started slow but each of them were outstanding in their last starts, so they may be turning it around. Also, Lively has a 2.06 ERA after four starts. That's a Shane Bieberesque number.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

From a Zack Meisel column on Vogt:

The Cleveland Guardians do lead the league in platoon advantage, and by a considerable margin. The league average is 54 percent, and the Guardians have sent an opposite-handed hitter to the plate for 72.4 percent of plate appearances. Having a couple of switch hitters in José Ramírez and Brayan Rocchio helps...

As a fan of the sport, Vogt “can’t stand” the rule that places an automatic runner on second base for extra innings. As a major-league manager, though? “I love it,” he said, noting how it promotes action, which prevents teams from burning through their entire bullpen, requiring roster moves. The Guardians played four consecutive extra-inning games this week, but three ended in 10 frames and one ended in 11. With an off day wedged in the middle of that stretch, the Guardians evaded the transaction wire. That probably wouldn’t have been possible with the old rules.

Steven Kwan had seven three-hit games in the Guardians’ first 30 games of the season, the first Cleveland hitter with such an achievement in 87 years.

 

[Real Deal]

 

[Mott the Hoople]

If Kwan goes on IL, we're going to need an OF.
I wonder if it's JRod.

 

[Gson]

If Kwan goes on IL, we're going to need an OF.
I wonder if it's JRod.

OF'ers we have.. four or five of them, in fact..

A lead off hitter.. now that's a completely different void... Several candidates on the current active roster have a chance to "tread water".. but, truth be told.. it's a MASSIVE hit to the Guardians ability to score...

edit: At C-Bus.. Schneeman and Jon-Rod have respectable "lead off" numbers (primarily OBP)...

Do the Guardians IMMEDIATELY place Kwan on the IL? It would signal.. zero chance of coming back a "couple days" risking a lingering recurrence of the injury..

This is a serious decision..

 

[CalBuckeyeRob]

OF'ers we have.. four or five of them, in fact..

A lead off hitter.. now that's a completely different void... Several candidates on the current active roster have a chance to "tread water".. but, truth be told.. it's a MASSIVE hit to the Guardians ability to score...

edit: At C-Bus.. Schneeman and Jon-Rod have respectable "lead off" numbers (primarily OBP)...

Do the Guardians IMMEDIATELY place Kwan on the IL? It would signal.. zero chance of coming back a "couple days" risking a lingering recurrence of the injury..

This is a serious decision..

He will be on the IL. Only 10 days now so every hamstring ouch is getting you an IL stay.

 

[MattyFos.]

Valera is out of options, correct? If not let's try him out. See if we salvage any trade value he has.
If he's out of options let's try JRod