More velo, more break, more results? How Bieber evolved in winter

February 16th, 2024

Mandy Bell

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Six months ago, Shane Bieber was sidelined with elbow trouble in the middle of another season of decreased velocity, lower chase rates and fewer strikeouts. Trade rumors had all been tabled until the offseason, as he landed on the 60-day IL after the All-Star break.

He fought his way back through in-season rehab to make two starts before Cleveland’s disappointing season came to an early end. It gave him enough confidence to head into the offseason ready to discover more. He was ready to embrace change.

So, he did.

Bieber decided to spend the offseason working out at Driveline in Scottsdale, Ariz. If you aren’t familiar with Driveline, think of a playground for data-driven players. In a pitcher’s case, batting cages are wired with cameras and screens to record and display real-time information about the action of a hurler’s stuff and the most minor parts of his mechanics. Bieber was interested in learning more about himself through the motion capture assessments that the organization boasts.

“I felt like I grew a lot,” Bieber said. “I was excited to dive into something new and did that and ended up gaining some knowledge, gaining some tools and just meeting some new, cool people. … I feel like I grew in that way and took steps forward that way. Even if I didn’t, I think there’s value in trying something new.”

Bieber’s fastball velocity has never ranked among the best on the flame-throwing leaderboards, but he was in the top half of hurlers in average fastball velocity in his Cy Young year in 2020 at 94.1 mph (65th percentile). Since then, he averaged 92.8 mph in an injury-riddled ‘21 (36th percentile), 91.3 mph in ’22 (15th percentile) and 91.3 mph in ’23 (13th percentile).




“I think the most basic thought process for me at the end of the year was, 'OK I feel strong, but there’s more in there and I’m losing power somewhere,'” Bieber said. “So I wanted to go to Driveline for their motion capture data to just refine my mechanics and found out they were still pretty ideal.”

Bieber worked closely with the Guardians as he explored this new routine, constantly reporting back to the organization with updates on his programs, his adjustments and his results. After his final session at Driveline, Chris Langin, Driveline’s director of pitching, took to social media to share Bieber’s results. During the session, Bieber threw 10 fastballs faster than 93 mph, which Langin noted was more than Bieber had in all of 2023 (8). Along with the fastball, Bieber's curveball velocity (83.7 mph) and vertical break (14 inches) was back to what it was in '20.



Shane Bieber wrapped up his off-season with a bang!


https://twitter.com/i/status/1756439533544173850


The dip in Bieber’s velocity has been the focal point of the last few seasons, but it’s not the only problem he’s been battling. His curveball was lethal in 2020, limiting hitters to a .095 batting average, the lowest mark in all of baseball (minimum 50 plate appearances). Bieber threw the pitch even more the next year (26.3% in '20, 31.2% in '21), but it didn't get the same results as opponent batting average on the pitch jumped to .233.

With worse results, Bieber threw it less and less (17.9% in 2022, 13.8% in '23), coinciding with the vertical movement on the offering plummeting. What he discovered over the winter was that he just needed to make a simple change.

“Learning over time that it had gotten a little more horizontal, a little less vertical,” Bieber said. “All it was, was a grip change. … That was really great news to hear and an easy adjustment so we were able to do that relatively quickly.”

Bieber was able to drown out the outside noise of trade rumors -- better than he has in the past -- and focused solely on bettering himself on the rubber. He enters camp with no physical restrictions after last year’s elbow inflammation, although he may be watched a little more closely than the rest of the hurlers as activities ramp up in camp. He has a new curveball grip and an extra tick or two behind the heater that should prompt better results.

Even when he’s been battling his stuff over the last few years, he’s remained consistent as Cleveland’s ace, finding new ways to get people out. But when all of his pitches are working at his disposal like they were in 2020, he’s proven just how lethal he can be.

“Refining my process and routine has, I wouldn’t say reinvigorated me, because I’ve always had that, I’ve always felt that fire,” Bieber said, “but it’s only enhanced it, along with some turnover with this team, the clubhouse and staff. I think everybody feels the opportunity to grow and get aggressive in our growth. That’s no different with myself.”

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One article says he trained at Driveline in Seattle. This one says he trained at Driveline in Scottsdale.

Where does Bieber live in the off-season?

Gavin Williams, who is expected to open the season in the Guardians' rotation, was their No. 1 pick in 2021.John Kuntz, cleveland.com

GUARDIANS

Did Guardians make right call by splurging on pitchers in 2021 draft? Hey, Hoynsie!

Updated: Feb. 17, 2024, 11:22 a.m.|Published: Feb. 17, 2024, 6:22 a.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Do you have a Guardians question that you’d like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? You can subscribe to Subtext here, text Hoynsie at 216-208-4346 for a two-week free trial or email him at phoynes@cleveland.com.

Hey, Hoynsie: In 2021 the Guardians selected 19 pitchers in a draft that lasted 20 rounds. How are they developing and was it a good strategy? Should they have drafted more position players? -- Art Greenbaum, Worthington.

Hey, Art: The Guardians selected 21 players in the 2021 draft that lasted 20 rounds. As you said, 19 were pitchers.

I’m not going to review each pitcher, but it’s enough to say that No. 1 pick Gavin Williams and No. 5 pick Tanner Bibee are expected to open the season in the Guardians’ rotation this year after making their big league debuts last year.

Jack Leftwich and Franco Aleman, drafted seventh and 10th, respectively, in the same class, are in camp as spring training invitees.

I think Bibee winning 10 games and finishing second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting last year already made it a successful strategy.

Hey, Hoynsie: I think Corey Kluber, who just retired, would make a great pitching coach or maybe even a manager. What do you think? -- Bud, Arizona.

Hey, Bud: Kluber, in announcing his retirement, said he wanted to stay involved in baseball. He has a young family and I would think he’s going to enjoy being at home for a while.

If he wanted to coach, I think he could certainly make an impact. Perhaps he’d like to get a taste of the front office as a special assistant. I think there would be opportunities in both fields.

Hey, Hoynsie: If Omar Vizquel had been a Gold Glove second baseman when he came to Cleveland, would you move him to shortstop? -- Zan, North Carolina.

Hey, Zan: Since we’re not operating in a vacuum, I’d say yes because when Vizquel came to Cleveland in 1994, Carlos Baerga was playing second base. Baerga was a big part of Cleveland’s offense. But you’d have to have an idea that Vizquel could play short before you made such a move.

If he was a Gold Glove second baseman, it means he wasn’t playing much short, right? That being said, Vizquel was the best shortstop I’ve ever seen. Somehow I think he’d make the adjustment.

Hey, Hoynsie: I really hope that David Fry and Tyler Freeman are given an opportunity to show what they can do this season. Both showed last season that they can make consistent contact. -- Baseballfan, Bronx, New York.

Hey, Base: To get a chance to show what they can do offensively, they have to get regular at-bats. Where are they going to get those regular at-bats on this team? They’re both trending toward utility roles. If they make the 26-man roster, they could get some at-bats at DH.

Hey, Hoynsie: I thought the Guardians would schedule more day games this year. They seemed to be successful last year in that the crowds were bigger. Is this because of the television contract? -- Don Shaughnessy, Ashtabula.

Hey, Don: It’s all about television. Night games draw more viewers.

Here’s something to think about. Night home games from April through May will start at 6:10 p.m. Night home games from June through September will start at 6:40 p.m. instead of 7:10 p.m.

With the new rules shaving about 30 minutes off the time of game last year, a lot of home games at Progressive Field could be over before it gets dark. So you have that going for you.

Hey, Hoynsie: Are there any free agents the Guardians could sign with spring training getting underway? -- Mike Hoffman, California.

Hey, Mike: There are a lot of free agents, pitchers and position players, still available, but it’s highly unlikely they’ll be coming to Cleveland. The Guardians want to find out how many of the young players they’ve been grooming can actually play in the big leagues.

Hey, Hoynsie: Years ago, I read an article by Bill James about how a player usually has his breakout season at age 27 to 28. With that said, I would love to see the Guardians sign extensions with Steven Kwan, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Josh and Bo Naylor through their age 31 seasons. -- Tim Johnson.

Hey, Tim: It’s been my experience that the younger the player, the easier it is to get him to sign an extension. The closer they get to free agency, the harder they are to sign long term, with the exception of Jose Ramirez.

I do think they’ll pursue extensions with some of the players you mentioned.

Hey Hoynsie: Who do we get in touch with about any road trips for fans to see the Guardians this year? Are their any local booster clubs? -- Patrick Grijak, Garfield Heights.

Hey, Patrick: The Wahoo Club, renamed the 455 Club, has been around for a long time. In the past, they’ve traveled to road games. Bob Rosen is the man to contact at wahooclub.org.

MLB.com The Player on Each Team Who .....
series continues with "the most to prove in Spring Training"

Lots of guys with much to prove in Goodyear: De Los Santos, is he ready? Bieber, is he the ace? McKenzie, is HE ready? Florial? Can he hit major league pitching? Arias, can he hit LH pitching? Rocchio, is there any reason not to hand him the job? Manzardo, does he become a Cleveland exception and earn his promotion on opening day?

MLB picks:

Myles Straw, saying " Espino Karinchak, Manzardo De Los Santos or any SS could've been the answer. But for Straw his situation seems a little more dire. ... After a stellar second half of 2021, so good that he was locked up on a 5 year contract, since then he's hit 229 with ONE homer and 61 RBI and 184 K in 299 G.

I guess I agree he has a hard task to disprove that the last 2 years were a fluke, but he doesnt have to do anything to pick up 3 more years of guaranteed paycheck

Superstar hitting coach of 2022 didn't produce much in 2023; Valaika's take on spring training

Valaika dishes on bounceback, breakout candidates for Guardians

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Guardians have become known for having a contact-first offensive approach. They don’t swing and miss. They don’t strike out. They put the ball in play. And yet, they struggle to score runs.

Now, it’s time to add impact.

“We have the bodies to be able to do more than we’ve shown,” Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “We have to break that mold because the hallmark of the organization has been drafting good decision makers, high-contact bats -- so we have to add to more of that impact potential that we have.”

To do that, they’ll need to rely on more than just one guy. Here’s what Valaika had to say about how a handful of hitters entered camp this week:


The player: Myles Straw
The skinny: Over the last two years, Straw hit .229 with a .580 OPS (67 OPS+) and one home run. To reclaim his job in center, he’s going to have to prove these struggles are behind him.
The quote: “He came in more physical -- he’s heavier, he’s stronger, he’s continued the adjustments that we made over the offseason. … He knows that he’s going to have to compete for his job, and come in and show us something and [be] the player we all know he can be. … I think he’s more confident because of that body composition that he has. He’s seeing the results, he’s seeing how the ball is coming off of his bat. I think that we’re going to see a better, more intentful version of Myles this year.”

The player: Gabriel Arias
The skinny: Arias is the favorite to win the shortstop job, but there’s concern about his bat, considering he went 9-for-108 (.083) against lefties last year.
The quote: “He just needed reps. I think for a lot of those young guys, they fall into a trap sometimes of chasing results, trying to force their way into playing the next day, not having a result. It’s the elephant in the room, the lack of success he had against left-handed pitching. I think that just compounds. ... Him going to winter ball and playing was good.” [but not hitting much better in the winter, unfortunately]

The player: Andrés Giménez
The skinny: Giménez was the MVP of Cleveland’s 2022 season and earned himself an offseason extension, but when 2023 rolled around, he couldn’t find his rhythm offensively until the final month of the season.
The quote: “As tough as it was on him, kudos to him that he fought through that year. I think there was a lot of pressure and a lot of expectations coming off the year he had previously, getting the contract. … We got the player we all know he could be later in the year, and he’s made some really good adjustments this winter, so hopefully [we’re going] to see that carry over from the last month into the season this year.”

The player: Deyvison De Los Santos
The skinny: The Rule 5 Draft pick is the perfect fit when it comes to Cleveland’s new impact-first approach. The problem is he’s only 20 years old and has never played above Double-A. In order to keep him in the organization without offering him back to Arizona, the Guardians need to keep him on the active roster for the entire season.
The quote: “I think there’s definitely some obstacles. ... But the way he’s carried himself here, [José Ramírez has] really embraced him and kind of put his arm around him. There’s not a better guy in the game to mentor you. I think how [manager Stephen Vogt] decides to deploy him if he is with us, I think it’s just gonna be a lot around the messaging that, ‘You’re here for a reason, you have a lot of impact potential that we can live with some of the swing and misses, and some of the growing pains that you might go through jumping Triple-A.’”

The player: Kyle Manzardo
The skinny: Manzardo has the potential to be a difference maker for the Guardians this year. But he’ll have to fight for a spot on the Opening Day roster, likely with De Los Santos. He’ll need a strong offensive showing this spring to prove he can make the transition on Day 1.
The quote: “He looks like Wade Boggs to me. He’s been awesome in the box. … Haven’t seen him a ton in camp with just all the moving pieces, so I’m gonna try to lock in on him a little bit more.” [Manzardo was generally rated as hit above power until his Arizona power surge; that's sometimes an easy place for homers, so perhaps we should not expect 20+ from Kyle, but I'll accept Wade Boggs-quality]

Guardians spring guide: 31 notes for 31 hitters, from Arias to Naylor(s) to Valera Jul 8, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) rounds third base en route to scoring during the eighth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel
7h ago



GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As you monitor the action this spring, here’s a handy guide with insight on every position player with a locker in the major-league clubhouse at the Cleveland Guardians’ complex. We’ll get to the pitchers on Tuesday.

Gabriel Arias, SS

On the surface, Arias’ 2023 results don’t present a compelling case for him to be the long-term solution at shortstop. But what a strange year it was for him. He had a strong showing against righties (.791 OPS) and was completely inept against lefties (9-for-108 with 54 strikeouts), a bizarrely stark contrast for a right-handed hitter. He played five different positions before finally taking over for Amed Rosario at short in late July. If he’s the favorite to win the starting job this spring, it’s in part because he’s closer to the end of his allotted audition time than the other contenders. It would behoove him to parlay a healthy spring into a fast start to the regular season, showcase his defensive prowess and power, and not look like a pitcher at the plate when facing a southpaw.

Michael Berglund, C

An eighth-round pick out of Cisco College by the Rays in 2018, Berglund spent five years in Tampa’s system before joining the Guardians last year. He recorded a .592 OPS in 52 games at Double-A Akron last season. Teams typically invite a few extra catchers to big-league camp so they have enough bodies both to divvy up early spring playing time and to catch the side sessions of all of the pitchers each day on the back fields.

Will Brennan, OF

Brennan displayed some big-league qualities in his first full season. He made a ton of contact, ranking in the 95th percentile in strikeout rate and 88th percentile in whiff rate, and he covered a ton of ground in right field. But the offensive results, aside from a surge in June, weren’t up to par. He said at the end of last season he learned “how to fail gracefully.” He logged the second-worst walk rate (3.5%) in the majors, ahead of only Salvador Pérez. He ranked near the bottom of the leaderboard in average exit velocity, hard hit rate and chase rate. So, most of that contact was weak contact and not threatening to pitchers or defenses. A repeat of his .266/.299/.356 slash line won’t help him seize opportunities in Cleveland’s wide-open outfield competition.

“I want to be great in this game,” he said, “and I felt like my performance didn’t exemplify that.”

He said he learned a lot from former teammate Kole Calhoun over the final two months of the season, especially on how to handle failure.

“That’s hard for humans to do, especially humans who want to be highly performing.”

Juan Brito, 2B

He records the sort of walk and strikeout rates that make Cleveland’s evaluators salivate, and he started to flex some muscle last season with 31 doubles and 14 homers in 127 games. He reached Triple-A Columbus, and that’s likely where he’ll begin the season, but if he keeps hitting — and he has never done otherwise as a professional — he could force the Guardians to make some defensive alignment decisions. He could force Andrés Giménez to shift to short or he could be forced to learn another spot on the diamond. If he hits big-league pitching, they’ll gladly figure it out.

Lorenzo Cedrola, OF

Cedrola has bounced from the Red Sox to the Cincinnati Reds to the New York Mets and now to the Guardians, and he only turned 26 in January. He doesn’t boast much power, but he’s been a solid hitter in the minors, peaking at Double A in 2021 with a .320/.356/.461 line. He didn’t fare as well in 2022, but he made better swing decisions last year with Triple-A Syracuse, tallying nearly as many walks as strikeouts, resulting in a .373 on-base percentage. That’s a skill that always draws attention from the Guardians. The Venezuelan native has played all three outfield spots but has spent the most time in center.

Raynel Delgado, IF

Who said there weren’t enough middle infielders vying for attention this spring? Delgado, a sixth-round pick in 2018, received an invitation to big-league camp after spending most of last season at Triple A. There, he posted a .254/.344/.370 slash line while playing the majority of his time at second base. The Guardians’ internal metrics had him rated as one of the top defensive second basemen in the minor leagues. The 23-year-old has also played first, third and shortstop as a pro. He has stopped switch-hitting and now bats left-handed.

Deyvison De Los Santos, IF

Can a 20-year-old whose prior experience is an up-and-down stint with the Amarillo Sod Poodles really crack the Opening Day roster? If the Guardians didn’t think he had at least a smidgen of a chance, they wouldn’t have grabbed him in the Rule 5 draft. He posted an 88 wRC+ at Double A, which does not scream that he’s ready for the majors. He did make some midseason swing tweaks and found better results in the second half despite an alarmingly low walk rate. If he doesn’t break camp with the club, the Guardians can offer him back to the Arizona Diamondbacks, so there’s not much risk involved in taking a closer inspection of his bat for the next six weeks. A third baseman by trade, De Los Santos will shift to first and the corner outfield since third is occupied by some guy named José Ramírez who, coincidentally, has mentored De Los Santos this spring.

Estevan Florial, OF

There’s nothing left for Florial to prove in the minors. In 101 Triple-A games last season, he slugged 28 homers, stole 25 bases and produced a .944 OPS (albeit with a 30 percent strikeout rate). Will his swing and approach translate to the majors? To this point — 134 plate appearances spread across four seasons — it hasn’t, as he has logged a .209/.313/.296 line. The former Top 50 prospect is 26, and this could be the last time a team grants him a long look. Pressure’s on. Consider his new manager intrigued.

“I love the swing. He passes the eye test,” Stephen Vogt said. “This guy is physical, he has a lot of power, he’s fast, he can play some outfield. For him, getting a fresh start with us, getting out of the situation in New York, where he was kind of blocked, he’s going to get a chance to play.”
Tyler Freeman made his major-league debut with the Guardians in August 2022. Will he get a chance at regular playing time in Cleveland? (Ken Blaze / USA Today)

Tyler Freeman, IF

Perhaps the forgotten middle infielder, the 24-year-old has only sporadically played in parts of two seasons with the Guardians. He always hit in the minors, which earned him widespread recognition as a Top 100 prospect, but it hasn’t yet clicked in the majors. He has made a ton of contact, but his low exit velocity and walk rate and endless supply of weak grounders explain his .641 OPS in 254 plate appearances. Will he ever get a chance at regular playing time with Cleveland, or will he be relegated to a utility infield role? The only way for him to achieve the former is to hit.
go-deeper

GO DEEPER

A stroke stole her words. But this Mother's Day, she'll cheer on her son at the ballpark

David Fry, C

Fry made appearances at catcher, first, third, left, right and even pitcher last season. He was least effective at pitcher, where he sported a 12.60 ERA in five innings (four coming in one outing in a seismic AL Central showdown with the Minnesota Twins in September, which should tell you how that one went). His versatility is valuable if the Guardians again want to feature a three-catcher setup. They could minimize Austin Hedges’ at-bats and give Bo Naylor a breather against some lefties.

Andrés Giménez, 2B

A “down” year for Giménez, at least offensively, resulted in 3.6 fWAR. His 2023 season can be boiled down to this: He was a tick below league average as a hitter and was the league’s best defender, claiming his second straight Gold Glove Award and his first Platinum Glove Award. He also stole 30 bases and hit 15 homers, so even as his wRC+ plunged to 97 from 142 the season prior, he finished as the Guardians’ second most valuable player, per FanGraphs, behind only José Ramírez.

How can he boost the offense and return to being one of the sport’s most well-rounded players? His on-base percentage dropped to .314 from .371 last year. His slugging percentage tumbled to .399 from .466. He trimmed his strikeout rate as he made more contact but he made a lot more contact on pitches he chased out of the zone, pitches that are more difficult to strike solidly. So, he fell from the 28th percentile in average exit velocity to the bottom of the leaderboard and from the 36th percentile in hard-hit rate to the fourth percentile. A lot of soft, junky contact, and because he was chasing so much — and connecting, to his detriment — his already low walk rate dipped even lower. If those are correctable trends, the 25-year-old could rebound and supply more offense to an otherwise elite all-around profile.

Petey Halpin, OF

Cleveland’s third-round pick in 2020, Halpin has moved up one level in each of his three years in the organization. He spent last season at Akron — the Guardians admit they’ve pushed him — and registered a .243/.312/.372 line, with great defense in center. The organization selected six players in the pandemic-shortened 2020 draft and at this point, Logan Allen is the only one who’s reached the majors. Halpin and Tanner Burns could be the next to at least reach Triple A.

Austin Hedges, C

Steven Kwan called him “a fool” and “a clown” but noted the clubhouse missed Hedges’ presence last season. Hedges went to Pittsburgh and then Texas and walked away with a World Series ring. He signed a $4 million deal with the Guardians and said, “It’s like coming home.” He added that, with the Rangers, “it became more clear to me what a real winning culture looks like.” He’ll be tasked with mentoring Bo Naylor and guiding Cleveland’s young pitchers to new heights, a role he said “gets me out of bed.” He also said he wants to help take Tanner Bibee “from a Rookie of the Year runner-up to a Cy Young candidate.” As for his on-field ability, Hedges’ best OPS in the last five years is the .563 mark he produced in 2019. He slugged .227 last year. He did, however, prove to be an elite framer and blocker last season. The Guardians covet him for that and for his leadership, not for his bat.

Steven Kwan, LF

Similar to Giménez, the question with Kwan is whether he can elevate his offense to take him from being a valuable contributor to an elite player. He has studied ways to optimize his bat angle and improve his bat speed so he can hit the ball harder. Almost no one makes as much contact as he does or resists tempting pitches out of the zone like he does. But almost everyone hits the ball with more authority. He plays stellar defense — two Gold Glove Awards in two years as a big-leaguer — and steals bases. He has a high floor because he converts soft contact into singles and he draws walks. If he didn’t have to rely on placing a bloop perfectly between defenders to notch a hit, he could be even more irritating for pitchers to face.

Ramón Laureano, OF

Laureano escaped a sad situation in Oakland last summer when the Guardians claimed him on waivers. Now, he’ll play for his former teammate Vogt. Laureano fared well against lefties last season. He still rates as an above-average defender in right field. How heavily will the Guardians lean on him? He’s probably best suited for a part-time role, but since Cleveland granted him a $5.15 million deal for 2024 and aside from Kwan, the rest of the outfield is a jumbled mess, Laureano figures to land plenty of opportunities.

Bryan Lavastida, C

Trivia question: Who was the Guardians’ backup catcher on Opening Day in 2022? Stop patting yourself on the back. Of course it was Lavastida. Why else would that question be posed in this section? Lavastida stepped in for an injured Luke Maile, spent a few weeks with the club and then returned to the minors for what proved to be a rough season at the plate. He lost his 40-man roster spot in April 2023 and split last season between Akron and Columbus. Over the last three years, Cleveland has used an average of five catchers per season. Behind Naylor, Hedges and Fry, Lavastida could be next in line. He’s one of four non-roster catchers to receive an invitation to big-league camp.

Kyle Manzardo, 1B

If Manzardo doesn’t break camp with the Guardians, he’s sure to join them at some point before summer. Widely considered a Top 100 prospect, the Guardians were giddy to acquire him for Aaron Civale ahead of last year’s trade deadline and, league sources said at the time, there was some reluctance from the Rays to part with him, knowing he was a safe bet to hit in the majors. He recovered from a shoulder injury last year and excelled at Columbus and then in the Arizona Fall League. The Guardians are hopeful they’ve found a first baseman who can supply 25 homers, 35 doubles and a bunch of walks each season.

“He looks like Wade Boggs to me,” hitting coach Chris Valaika said Sunday. “He’s been awesome in the box.”

Angel Martínez, IF

Martínez received a ton of internal attention a year ago following an eye-opening 2022 season in which he thrived at High A and held his own at Double A as a 20-year-old. The Guardians added him to the 40-man roster, and then he sputtered last season, as his walk and strikeout rates worsened and he didn’t exhibit more power. Still, he turned 22 on Jan. 27, so there’s time for him to rebuild the hype in a crowded infield picture. And just in case it’s too crowded, he got some work in the outfield this winter.
Bo Naylor’s catching support system in Cleveland is robust. How will he fair in his first full-season slate? (Jamie Squire / Getty Images)

Bo Naylor, C

He took over the reins as Cleveland’s starting catcher last summer, and now he’s surrounded by former catchers who can help him navigate through his first 162-game slate. There’s Vogt, Craig Albernaz, Sandy Alomar Jr. and Dan Puente on the coaching staff. And, of course, Hedges’ voice will echo throughout the clubhouse. Naylor was one of the league’s top hitters for the final six weeks of last season (1.113 OPS). Tanner Bibee can’t stop crediting him for his own success. He hits for power and flashes some speed on the bases. A full season with his bat in the lineup should be a sorely needed boost.

Josh Naylor, 1B

Naylor emerged in 2022 with 20 homers and 28 doubles in 122 games, as he cemented himself as a middle-of-the-order threat for the Guardians. Then, last season, he solved left-handed pitching, and as a result, he posted a .308/.354/.489 slash line. How would he sum up his breakout?

“I think I did OK the last two years,” he said in January at Guards Fest.

Sounds about right. Naylor has two seasons of team control remaining. He covets playing with his brother. They could be responsible for a lot of the muscle in Cleveland’s lineup in 2024.

Said Vogt: “He’s our power guy.”

Jhonkensy Noel, OF

The Guardians are seeking power, you say? This guy has it. But how consistently can he tap into it? Home runs are all the rage, but a more well-rounded profile is what allows a player to stick in the majors. Even with 27 homers for Columbus last year, Noel posted a 77 wRC+. He’s only 22 and he’s likely ticketed for another stint at Triple A, but this is a critical year for him to prove he’s worthy of a 40-man roster spot.

Dom Nuñez, C

Nuñez totaled 300 at-bats with the Rockies from 2019-22 and posted a .653 OPS. He spent last season at Triple A, mostly with the Cubs’ affiliate, before the Pirates picked him up in August. Colorado drafted him in the sixth round in 2013. He’s 29 now, signed to a minor-league deal and could offer protection at a position where the Guardians are pretty thin after Naylor, Hedges and Fry.

Micah Pries, 1B

Pries was the talk of camp last year, with a .951 OPS in his first tour of big-league camp. The Guardians grabbed him in the 13th round of the 2019 draft out of Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego, but because of an elbow injury and the pandemic, he didn’t debut until 2021. He’ll turn 26 next week. He posted a .752 OPS at Columbus last season. He can play first base and corner outfield. His grandfather, Don, played in Cleveland’s system in the 1940s and later scouted for the team. Don was inducted into the Orioles Hall of Fame in 2013 for his work in their front office during their heyday in the ’60s and ’70s.

José Ramírez, 3B

With a strong showing this spring, Ramírez could land some playing time in Cleveland’s crowded infield.

OK, let’s be serious. Ramírez turned 31 in September. How many All-Star seasons does he have left in the tank? He logged a .282/.356/.475 line last season, with his usual stellar walk and strikeout rates, elite baserunning and solid defense. He still does almost everything really, really well. If we nitpick, we can point to his annually declining chase rate. Because he’s so adept at making contact, when he leaves the zone, that’s when you’ll see him out in front, hitting an infield pop-up. His metrics suggest he won’t be slowing down anytime soon. He’s the Guardians’ heartbeat, their spark from spring training through September, and he’s signed for five more years.
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GO DEEPER

Who is José Ramírez? The stories that define the face of the Cleveland Guardians

Brayan Rocchio, SS

The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked Rocchio as the No. 13 prospect in baseball. In another organization without a shortstop logjam, he’d be ready for an extended look in the majors. Instead, he’s fighting for attention with a couple other graduated prospects in similar situations. He made dramatic improvements to his walk and strikeout rates last year. In a brief stint (86 plate appearances) with the Guardians, those rates didn’t carry over, and he didn’t hit the ball hard. Now, he’s out to assert himself in the crowded infield competition.

Eric Rodriguez, C

A 21st-round pick out of George C. Wallace State Community College, Rodriguez is in camp to bolster the catching depth for the next few weeks. He has a .522 OPS in five seasons in the system and has bounced around various levels the last few years to fill in wherever there was a need behind the plate.

Johnathan Rodriguez, OF

Rodriguez followed the Oscar Gonzalez path of hitting so much that it convinced the Guardians to protect him from the Rule 5 draft. The next step is to force his way onto the roster and become a Cleveland postseason legend. (And, well, the step after that, in Gonzalez’s case, was to lose his 40-man roster spot and wind up on the Yankees’ Triple-A roster.) Rodriguez made some swing adjustments in the summer of 2022 that have paid dividends. He boasts a lot of power and his walk rate soared last season. Overall, he produced a .286/.368/.529 line between Akron and Columbus.

Daniel Schneemann, IF

Think you’ve seen versatility? Well, Schneemann has played every position but right field as a minor leaguer. Last season in Columbus, his best season as a pro, he started games at second, short, third and center and he posted a .797 OPS while doing it. The 27-year-old was a 33rd-round pick — a round that no longer exists — out of BYU in 2018.

Myles Straw, CF

He owns a .580 OPS the last two years, with one home run in 1,114 plate appearances. In that timeframe, 84 players have at least 1,100 plate appearances. Here are the players in that group with the lowest OPS:

Myles Straw, .580
Javier Báez, .633
Whit Merrifield, .687
Amed Rosario, .701

Straw’s shortcomings at the plate would be easier for the Guardians to stomach if he ranked higher than 17th of those 84 in stolen bases or if their lineup was otherwise stacked with sluggers. Straw is owed $4.9 million this year, $6.4 million next year, $7.4 million in 2026 and then a $1.75 million buyout or $8 million in 2027.

“He’s no dummy,” Valaika said. “He knows that he’s going to have to compete for his job and come in and show us something.”

José Tena, SS

One day, he’ll tell his grandkids about how he made his major-league debut in the aftermath of Ramírez’s right hook to Tim Anderson as he replaced Ramírez at second base following the All-Star’s ejection. Like many of his fellow middle infielders, it’s difficult to solve how he can carve out significant playing time. Law ranked Tena as Cleveland’s fifth-best prospect. He posted a .778 OPS for Akron and Columbus.

George Valera, OF

Valera was baseball’s No. 27 prospect a year ago, according to Law. This year, Law ranked him as Cleveland’s No. 13 prospect. This year seems pivotal for him. He posted a .211/.343/.375 slash line last season at Columbus. He’s been known for power and patience (and bat flips), but until he proves he can handle lefties and make more consistent contact, there will be questions about his big-league ceiling.

seagull wrote: Sat Feb 17, 2024 5:30 pm One article says he trained at Driveline in Seattle. This one says he trained at Driveline in Scottsdale.

Where does Bieber live in the off-season?

Last I had heard/read he lived in Scottsdale.

of Brennan:

He logged the second-worst walk rate (3.5%) in the majors
That does not work for a guy without a lot of power. Sorry, I think he returns to Columbus.

Today's 10... something from MLB.com: Ten Teams that could Defy the Odds and Make the Playoffs includes:

Guardians: 35.0% chance according to?

Why the odds are against them: For the most part, the Guardians are running it back with the same team that went 76-86 a year ago, including an offense that ranked 27th in runs scored.

How they can defy the odds: The Guardians could potentially have one of baseball’s best rotations if Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie bounce back from injury-plagued seasons and youngsters Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen build on strong rookie campaigns. That might be enough to overcome their offensive deficiencies and win what is once again shaping up to be MLB’s weakest division. The Twins took the American League Central crown with an 87-75 record last year, the lowest win total of any division champ, then lost Sonny Gray (the second-place finisher in the AL Cy Young voting) in free agency without finding a comparable replacement.

Guardians spring guide: 31 thoughts for 31 pitchers, from Aleman to Bieber to Zuber CLEVELAND, OHIO - SEPTEMBER 27: Starting pitcher Shane Bieber #57 of the Cleveland Guardians pitches during the first inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on September 27, 2023 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel
7h ago



GOODYEAR, Ariz. — As you monitor the action this spring, here’s a handy guide with insight on every pitcher with a locker in the major-league clubhouse at the Guardians’ complex.




Franco Aleman, RP

What stands out about these numbers for the rapidly rising reliever?

2022, A-ball: 28.8 percent strikeout rate, 6.9 percent walk rate, .291 opponent average
2023 High A: 32.2 percent strikeout rate, 9.1 percent walk rate, .273 opponent average
2023 Double A: 42.2 percent strikeout rate, 5.6 percent walk rate, .108 opponent average

Before Double-A promotion: .280/.355/.432 opponent slash line
After Double-A promotion: .111/.182/.124 opponent slash line

Oh, and there’s this: He didn’t allow an earned run at Double A in 24 innings. That’ll garner you some attention, and it explains why he earned an invite to camp. Aleman’s fastball sits in the upper 90s and has touched 100 mph. He also throws a slider and an occasional changeup.

Logan Allen, SP

Tanner Bibee finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting and Gavin Williams transitioned from top prospect to capable big-leaguer with overpowering stuff, so Allen flew under the radar during his rookie campaign. A second-round pick in 2020, he cruised through the minors until he reached Triple A in 2022, when he had his first professional hiccup. He bounced back in 2023 and proved he could handle major-league hitters, with a 3.81 ERA and nearly a strikeout per inning. His ERA never crept higher than 3.95. Allen’s changeup gave hitters fits, and his sweeper showed potential, too. To take a step forward in 2024, can he find the proper sequencing that will let him pitch ahead, avoid a ton of foul balls and entice hitters to chase? He regularly needed 80- or 90-some pitches to labor through four or five innings last year.

Anthony Banda, LHP

He has a 5.69 ERA in 90 major-league appearances, as opponents have posted a .300/.373/.485 slash line against him. He’s fared a bit better against lefties, as you’d expect from a left-handed reliever. Banda has bounced around the league since the Brewers selected him in the 10th round in 2012 out of San Jacinto College. See if you can follow his path without your head spinning off your neck:

The Brewers traded him to the Diamondbacks in 2014. He landed with the Rays in a three-team deal in 2018. The Giants acquired him in 2020 and traded him to the Mets in 2021. The Pirates claimed him off waivers. The Blue Jays scooped him up in July 2022 and then released him. He caught on with the Mariners, who released him two weeks later. He caught on with the Yankees, his fourth team in eight weeks. He signed with the Nationals four months later. Now he’s on a minor-league deal with Cleveland, the next leg of his presumed tour of all 30 teams.

Jaime Barría, RHP

One of the Guardians’ first moves this winter was to ink Barría to a minor-league deal. The 27-year-old from Panama owns a 4.38 ERA across parts of six seasons with the Angels. His fastball, which averaged 93.0 mph last season, was shelled (.363 average, .713 slugging percentage), so it’s no surprise that he threw his slider 51 percent of the time. He limited hard contact pretty well last year, but he recorded a 5.68 ERA and a low strikeout rate (17.1 percent). He has experience both as a starter and long reliever.

Scott Barlow, RP

After Cleveland’s bullpen summoned Murphy’s Law last season, the front office decided it needed another reliable back-end option. Enter Barlow, who has prior closing experience with the Royals and worked with former Cleveland pitching whisperer Ruben Niebla in San Diego after a 2023 midseason trade to sharpen his stuff. They tweaked his slider grip to enhance its horizontal movement, leaned on his two-seam fastball more often and improved his occasionally slumping posture. His numbers, unsurprisingly, improved after those changes. Barlow, who can become a free agent after the season, has logged a 3.36 ERA across six big-league seasons.

Tyler Beede, RHP

Beede was the 21st overall pick out of high school and, later, the 14th overall pick out of Vanderbilt. He’s a former Top 100 prospect and Futures Game participant. Now, he’s 30 with 187 big-league innings (and a 5.34 ERA) to his name. He spent nine seasons in the San Francisco Giants’ organization and then spent last year with the Giants… the Yomiuri Giants of Japan. He signed a non-roster deal with the Guardians. He has experience as both a starter and reliever.

“I feel really confident with where I’m at,” he said, “but also have a ton of room to continue to improve and have my 30s be my best years of my career.”
What will Tanner Bibee do for an encore after his impressive 2023 showing? (Ron Schwane / Getty Images)

Tanner Bibee, SP

Bibee made just three starts at Triple A before rushing in to rescue the Guardians’ rotation last year. It went pretty well, you could say — a 2.98 ERA, a strikeout per inning, a runner-up finish in the Rookie of the Year race. He surrendered more than three earned runs in only two of his 25 starts. What can he do for an encore? He said he learned from other big-leaguers he trains with in the offseason who have suffered after trying to make too many changes from one year to the next.

“You can trust your stuff,” Bibee said. “You don’t need to go to the next level because it’ll eventually get there with experience and time. So I’m trying to hone in what I’m good at and try to make that stuff better.”

The stuff was plenty good in 2023: a 95-mph fastball and a slider and changeup that gave hitters fits.
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Shane Bieber, SP

He might not admit it, but even Bieber would have to be slightly surprised he’s in camp with the Guardians. It’s not often an accomplished starting pitcher reaches a contract year in Cleveland. The Guardians held discussions with other teams about him (just as they did over the summer, before he injured his elbow), but they opted to hang onto him. His value on the trade market isn’t what it once was, given his arm troubles and his limited team control. But perhaps this could be a mutualistic relationship that both sides understand is headed for an amenable separation this summer or fall. Bieber can prove he can still sling it like a frontline starter and attract more suitors in free agency — he’s driven to do that, as he visited Driveline’s facility in Scottsdale — and the Guardians can benefit from his performance, either by deploying one of the league’s top rotations or receiving more for him in a trade in July. Or, perhaps Bieber’s declining metrics last year were hinting that he’s no longer a top-of-the-rotation arm and he’ll spend a final season in Cleveland before forging ahead in the free-agency wilderness. Everything’s on the table for him in 2024, but Bieber said he feels stronger and more confident in his arsenal, especially his curveball.

Tanner Burns, RHP

The 36th overall pick out of Auburn in 2020, Burns shifted to the bullpen midway through last season to boost his fastball velocity. He’s always been steady, with a sub-4.00 ERA and at least a strikeout per inning each year, though his walk rate has been a bit concerning (that improved a touch as a reliever). He’s probably bound for Columbus after two years at Akron, but the 25-year-old is on the club’s radar, as evidenced by the invite to big-league camp.

Joey Cantillo, LHP

Cantillo added a couple ticks to his fastball to pair with his trusty changeup and now he stands one step away from the majors. The 24-year-old spent most of last season in Columbus, where for the first time in his professional career, he struggled to limit home runs.

HR allowed before reaching Triple A: nine in 266 innings

HR allowed in Triple A last season: 16 in 95 innings

If he can solve that issue and trim his walk rate, the Honolulu native could be a factor either in the rotation or if there’s a need for another lefty or multi-inning option in the bullpen. Cantillo would be the sixth and final member of the 2020 trade return for Mike Clevinger to reach the majors, along with Arias, Owen Miller, Cal Quantrill, Josh Naylor and Austin Hedges.

Carlos Carrasco, RHP

Carrasco always wanted to return to Cleveland one day, and now he has a chance. He endured a rough 2023 with the Mets — a 6.80 ERA in 90 innings, an opponent OPS of .912, a fastball that got whacked to Long Island — but he’s returning to an organization that knows him best. He’ll turn 37 a week before Opening Day, so if he gives the Guardians a lift, it’s as pitching depth, perhaps even as a long reliever, not as the guy who breezed to 200 innings and 200 strikeouts as a Cleveland rotation linchpin.

He ranks fourth in franchise history in strikeouts and stands as one of the shining examples of the organization’s pitching factory. He had seemingly run out of opportunities before blossoming into one of the most consistent, effective starters in the league from 2014-18. Maybe this is just a feel-good story, the brief return of a guy who meant a lot to the team and the community, a guy who experienced peaks and hardships during his decade in Cleveland. Or, maybe he has one last bit of juice to squeeze out of his right arm.
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Emmanuel Clase, RHP

What a strange 2023 season Clase had. He hushed initial concerns about his velocity, with his average cutter clocking in at 99.1 mph. He admitted he struggled to adjust to the pitch clock early in the year. In the end, he led the league in saves but also in blown saves. Hitters stopped chasing his slider; the whiff rate on the pitch plummeted, and Clase’s chase rate overall plunged. He led the league in chase rate in 2022, but it dropped about one-third last season. That explains, in part, how a guy with a 99 mph heater and a wipeout slider ranked in the 33rd percentage in strikeout rate. He surrendered more hard contact and fell victim to a barrage of choppers and bloops that found infield or outfield grass. He has the stuff to reclaim ownership of the most efficient ninth innings in the league. He just might need to find a way to convince hitters to offer at the pitches he wants them to offer at.

Xzavion Curry, RHP

Curry entered at least one game last season in the first, second, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, eighth, ninth, 10th and 14th innings. Every good staff needs a guy who is flexible enough to fill any role. There’s a reason Terry Francona repeatedly referred to him as a savior. Overall, he posted a 4.07 ERA, but for the first four months of the season, Curry was one of the team’s most valuable players (which, given his role, also says a lot about the lack of players last season who exceeded expectations). He’ll be stretched out as a starter, but just ask him, and he’ll say he’s thrilled to step into whichever role is available.

Nic Enright, RHP

Enright was a 20th-round selection in 2019 out of Virginia Tech, but the pandemic wiped out what would have been his first full professional season. So, he found himself pitching in A-ball as a 24-year-old. He thrived, though, and worked his way to Triple A in 2022, when he posted a 50-to-6 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The Marlins snagged him in the Rule 5 Draft that December, and that same month, he was diagnosed with Stage 2 Hodgkin lymphoma. He rehabbed with the Marlins, but they sent him back to the Guardians, and he spent much of last summer in Columbus. That wild journey has landed him back on the cusp of the majors, with the team that drafted him. He’s 27 now and could factor into the bullpen mix, if not on Opening Day, then whenever there’s a need — and there’s always a need.

Daniel Espino, RHP

In his second most recent start, Espino struck out 14 (with no walks) in five innings, a masterful showcase of his 100 mph heater and wipeout slider. The only issue? That start came on April 23, 2022. Knee and shoulder issues wiped out the majority of that season, and shoulder surgery eliminated his 2023 season. Now he’s working his way back to the mound to prove he can still develop into a frontline starter with an elite arsenal. He’s only 23, so there’s time, but so much is unknown. Can he still touch 102 mph? What sort of workload can his arm handle? A significant step forward would be surviving this year with his shoulder intact and with his pitch mix still making scouts’ jaws drop.

Hunter Gaddis, RHP

It’s difficult to take much away from Gaddis’ big-league results since his outings have been so sporadic, mostly spot starts or random bullpen-saving efforts. If we want to get weird with arbitrary endpoints, we could point to his 2.22 ERA over his last seven outings (24 1/3 innings) last season. Granted, those ranged from late April to late September … and that 2.22 ERA doesn’t exactly mirror his 6.17 FIP. His strikeout rate in the majors (13.1 percent) doesn’t signal big-league fixture. He hasn’t generated swings and misses and he’s been a fly-ball pitcher. A lot of contact and a lot of fly balls is not a desirable combination.

Anthony Gose, LHP

Gose completed an incredible conversion from center fielder to reliever, returning to the majors with Cleveland in 2021, and then spending the first half of the 2022 season in the club’s bullpen. He wielded an upper-90s fastball and in 28 appearances, no batter recorded a hit against his slider. (It registered a ridiculous 67 percent whiff rate in 2022.) Elbow surgery, however, wiped out the last year and a half of his career. He signed a two-year minor-league deal with the Guardians after the 2022 season, and that came with a ticket to big-league camp this spring. The 33-year-old faces an uphill climb to return yet again to the majors, but the Guardians are thrilled to have him in the clubhouse. The soft-spoken Gose is lauded as a teammate and leader.
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Sam Hentges, LHP

Hentges has, perhaps quietly, developed into a really good reliever the last two years. If he only had to pitch in August and September, maybe he’d be bound for Cooperstown one day.

August/September 2022: 25.0 IP, 1 ER, 5 BB, 32 K (0.36 ERA, .321 OPS)
August/September 2023: 24.1 IP, 1 ER, 6 BB, 31 K (0.37 ERA, .565 OPS)

It must be nice to be a 6-foot-8 lefty who can sling it 96 mph. But he actually threw his curveball as often as his fastball last season, probably because it carried a whiff rate of 33.1 percent and an opponent slugging percentage of .297, whereas hitters generated a 95.4 mph average exit velocity off his fastball. Hentges induces a ton of grounders and few fly balls, so a lot of that hard contact was pounded into the infield grass, and a lot of it came in June and July, when he was making up for time lost to injury earlier in the season.

Tim Herrin, LHP

Herrin was working a shift at Lululemon when he learned the Guardians were adding him to the 40-man roster last winter. That came with an invitation to big-league camp, where he could flaunt his 97-mph fastball. When Hentges suffered an injury in the spring, it opened the door for Herrin to make the Opening Day roster and leave behind the world of selling athletic apparel. Like Hentges, he’s a tall, powerful lefty, and he’ll again vie for an Opening Day bullpen spot. He’s 27 and has spent parts of the last two seasons at Triple A. A 29th-round pick out of Indiana in 2018, Herrin made 23 appearances for the Guardians last season. He did not work at Lululemon this winter.

Mason Hickman, RHP

The club’s fifth-round pick in 2020, Hickman shifted to a relief role during the 2022 season and last year posted a 3.95 ERA in 54 2/3 innings at Akron. The results were similar to what he had logged the prior two years: a healthy strikeout rate and some command issues. Oddly enough, and these samples can be noisy year to year, he fared far better against lefties than righties in 2023. He’s not a hard thrower and primarily leans on a fastball, changeup, and slider.

James Karinchak, RHP

Three issues plagued Karinchak in 2023: He walked 28 batters in 39 innings, he allowed six home runs and runners swiped 16 bases in 18 tries with him on the mound. Those six homers don’t seem like a lot, but they all came within the first two months of the season. Three broke open tied games and the final one, a Pete Alonso game-tying grand slam, landed in the Flushing Bay.

Before being optioned: six homers, six stolen bases allowed in 27 2/3 innings
After being optioned: zero homers, 10 stolen bases allowed in 11 1/3 innings

He’ll need to find a way to more consistently work ahead so hitters can’t sit on his fastball. His curveball remains devastating (40 percent whiff rate, .111 opponent average).

Jack Leftwich, RHP

A seventh-round pick in 2021, Leftwich had an impressive 2022 season in A-ball before taking a step back last year. In 2022, he posted a 2.72 ERA, with 2.0 walks, 6.3 hits and 11.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Those numbers slid to a 5.19 ERA, 2.9 walks, 8.2 hits and 8.1 strikeouts per nine at Akron last season. The 25-year-old’s home run rate also more than tripled. His fastball can reach 96 mph and he pairs it with a sweeping slider and a curveball from his three-quarters slot. The Guardians haven’t decided yet if he’ll wind up in a rotation or the pen.

Ben Lively, RHP

The Guardians granted Lively a major-league contract, but he could serve as rotation protection, cover multiple innings in a relief role or head to Columbus. He hasn’t had much major-league success, though he did things last year the Guardians tend to like: limiting walks and hard contact. Lively’s stuff isn’t overpowering, but there’s reason to like his slider. His fastball averaged 90.6 mph last year and it got crushed.
Triston McKenzie (and his elbow) is a compelling storyline to watch in camp this spring. (Bruce Kluckhohn / USA Today)

Triston McKenzie, SP

Is there a more critical wild card for Cleveland than McKenzie, who totaled 16 innings last season because of shoulder and elbow injuries? He blossomed in 2022 as a front-line starter, and if he can recapture that form in 2024, the Guardians could boast one of baseball’s most imposing rotations. The other end of that spectrum is, well, a bit frightening. McKenzie opted not to undergo Tommy John surgery and said he feels great entering the new year. Cleveland doesn’t have a ton of proven starting pitching depth, so the club needs his elbow to cooperate.
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Eli Morgan, RHP

Morgan had a tale of two seasons in 2023.

Before the All-Star break: 1.89 ERA, .230/.277/.372 opponent line
After the All-Star break: 6.75 ERA, .312/.386/.464 opponent line

Is there a theme brewing?

Before the 2022 All-Star break: 2.83 ERA, .148/.191/.324 opponent line
After the 2022 All-Star break: 4.26 ERA, .258/.308/.464 opponent line

In 2023, Morgan was elite at suppressing hard contact and convincing hitters to chase. He threw his slider more so hitters couldn’t simply guess if a fastball or changeup was coming their way. Can he maintain his effectiveness across all six months?

Adam Oller, RHP

He was David Fry’s teammate at Northwestern State for two years. He was Stephen Vogt’s teammate in Oakland for one year. Now, he joins both with the Guardians as he contends for a spot on Cleveland’s pitching staff. Oller recorded a 7.09 ERA in 94 innings with the A’s the last two years. Since Pittsburgh drafted him in the 20th round in 2016, he’s bounced from the Pirates to the Giants to the Mets to the Mariners to the A’s, with stints in independent ball and in Australia as well.

Nick Sandlin, RHP

Almost everything suggests Sandlin had a dominant 2023 season. He threw his slider 50 percent of the time because batters hit .154 against it, with loads of weak contact. They didn’t do much against his fastball, either. He improved his walk rate and his strikeout rate. Oh, but he allowed 12 home runs. Almost everything. That total ranks near the top of a leaderboard no reliever wants part of, as almost one-third of the hits he yielded left the park.

Cade Smith, RP

The right-hander with a mid-90s fastball earned an invite to big-league camp last year on the heels of a season in which he tallied 99 strikeouts in 61 innings. He totaled 95 strikeouts in 62 innings last season, which earned him a spot on the 40-man roster and should earn him his first call to the majors sometime in 2024. The Guardians recruited the Abbotsford, British Columbia, native over Zoom after he went unselected in the five-round 2020 draft. He pitched for Team Canada in the World Baseball Classic last year. One evaluator said the two relievers people aren’t talking about enough are Aleman and Smith.

Trevor Stephan, RP

Bryan Shaw taught Stephan his splitter grip and Stephan, a Rule 5 pick, developed into a reliable setup man in 2022. The splitter was just as lethal in 2023, but his slider suffered and hitters whacked his fastball, which dipped in velocity by 1.6 mph. He surrendered six home runs, all on his fastball, and four of them erased a Cleveland lead. For late-inning insurance, the Guardians traded for Barlow, but for the bullpen to thrive, the group needs Stephan to return to his 2022 form.

Gavin Williams, SP

Williams has the makeup of a hard-throwing workhorse, with a 96 mph fastball and a pair of secondary pitches that stifled opponents. He totaled 142 innings between Triple A and the majors. How will he fare over a full big-league schedule? Can he find the proper pitch usage to tempt hitters to chase and swing-and-miss more often? Can he pitch from ahead in the count more? It seemed like Williams had plenty of untapped potential last year, yet he posted a 3.29 ERA.

Tyler Zuber, RHP

The 28-year-old reliever, a sixth-round pick in 2017, made 54 appearances for the Royals in 2020 and ’21. He logged a 5.29 ERA, with 37 walks and 55 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings, but missed the 2022 season because of a shoulder injury. He caught on with the Diamondbacks last season and then signed a minor-league deal with Cleveland at the end of January.

(Top photo of Shane Bieber: Jason Miller / Getty Images)
Zack Meisel

Zack Meisel is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Cleveland Guardians. Zack was named the 2021 Ohio Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association and won first place for best sports coverage from the Society of Professional Journalists. He has been on the beat since 2011 and is the author of four books, including "Cleveland Rocked," the tale of the 1995 team. Follow Zack on Twitter @ZackMeisel

good detailed analysis of everyone of those pitchers. I will add one comment which i had posted previously in Minor Matters i believe

ack Leftwich, RHP his " numbers slid to a 5.19 ERA, 2.9 walks, 8.2 hits and 8.1 strikeouts per nine at Akron last season. The 25-year-old’s home run rate also more than tripled. "

Leftwich had one terrible stretch last summer and otherwise his numbers were very good:
in May: 329/380/658
The rest of the season: 215/267/338

Jason Lloyd
@ByJasonLloyd
·
6m
Terry Francona and Joe Maddon rewatched Game 7 of the 2016 World Series together for an MLB Network special that airs tomorrow at 8pm. I’m sure it will be fascinating and full of tremendous insight. But, uh, bring some aspirin. And alcohol.

Guardians spring thoughts: Steven Kwan back in left, candidates for center and more
Sep 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) catches a ball hit by Texas Rangers second baseman Marcus Semien (not pictured) during the first inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
By Jason Lloyd
Feb 21, 2024
93

Save Article
GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Final thoughts from Cleveland Guardians spring training this week …

1. The Guardians are down to two outfield spots to settle as spring training games open this weekend. Steven Kwan will man left field again, manager Stephen Vogt said Tuesday, just as he has while winning Gold Gloves in each of the past two seasons.

2. That might not be much of a surprise, but there seemed at least a chance Kwan could shift to center, a theory that wasn’t totally dismissed by anyone in the organization in the offseason. But Vogt settled the debate Tuesday before it ever really started.

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3. “Kwan is going to be our left fielder,” Vogt said. “We have a number of guys who can play center.”

4. Who lines up next to him remains to be seen, but I get the feeling they’d love Estevan Florial to claim the job in February and March. It might seem obvious, but Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika was the first to go on record this week and say Myles Straw is competing for his job this spring. Marking him in the lineup every day is no longer a given. Ramón Laureano has plenty of experience in center, but Florial is the one Vogt called “a specimen.”

5. The Guardians flipped oft-injured Cody Morris to the New York Yankees for Florial over the winter. It makes sense. The Yankees need arms, and Florial had no logical path to consistent at-bats in the Yankees’ stacked outfield/lineup. He’s 26 now and hit 28 home runs in Class AAA last year, but he has never had more than 71 plate appearances in a major-league season.

6. “He’s a specimen, I can tell you that,” Vogt said. “You just look at him in the box, there’s a presence there. He’s excited for this opportunity.”

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7. Right field is an uninspiring mix of Laureano, Will Brennan and Deyvison De Los Santos, whom Cleveland picked up from the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Rule 5 draft. De Los Santos has massive power, which the Guardians crave, but he’s only 20, has never logged an at-bat in Class AAA and there’s a lot of swing-and-miss in there. He’s a natural third baseman and can also play first, but the Guardians are working him out in both corner outfield spots this spring. He fits well in right if his bat is ready, but that’s quite a leap. Hiding him as a reserve who can play both corner outfield spots and both corner infield spots (the Guardians have to keep him on the major-league roster all season or offer him back to the Diamondbacks) while taking time to assess what they have seems more prudent.

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8. “The power is real,” Vogt said. “The best part about Deyvy is he understands the opportunity he has. There’s no pressure on you, man. This is an opportunity for you to make a club. You can’t feel like your back is against the wall. There’s no pressure. Go out and perform and it will take care of itself.”

9. I’m rooting for Carlos Carrasco to make the team. What an incredible story it would be to come home and finish his career here. Barring injuries, no vacancies are in the rotation, but there could be a spot in the bullpen if he has anything left.

10. The Guardians can stretch out Carrasco as a swing guy who can give them multiple innings in relief while also using him in spot starts when necessary. It would be a great story.


11. I learned something fascinating this week about Andrés Giménez: He’s a natural left-hander who taught himself to throw right-handed … because he wanted to catch.

12. “Who told you that?” Giménez said when I asked him about it. “That was a secret.”

13. Giménez loved the catcher position growing up, but there was no such thing as a left-handed catcher, so he taught himself to throw right-handed. He’s a left-footed soccer player and flips balls around with his left foot between innings. Giménez never really got the chance to play catcher, but life still worked out for him.

14. Jaret Wright made an appearance at Guardians fantasy camp this year. I was told he’s in phenomenal shape. Arms like a bodybuilder.

15. Speaking of jacked pitchers, Daniel Espino might be the most yoked pitcher I’ve ever seen. It’s like he’s smuggling cantaloupes in his biceps. It almost makes you wonder if he’s too ripped. He certainly doesn’t have the frame of most pitchers. Nobody is putting a timeline on him after a serious shoulder surgery last spring, but it would be mildly surprising if he made it to Cleveland before September, if at all.

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Another spring of auditions awaits: How did the Guardians get here?

16. I’ve spent the past few days researching a story on the decline of switch hitters around the game. It should be out in a couple of days, and I think you’ll enjoy it. Something that stood out to me came from Eric Davis, the incredible outfielder from the 1980s and ’90s who is now sort of a special assistant/roving instructor with the Cincinnati Reds.

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17. “This generation has lost the ability to hit,” Davis said.

18. I don’t want to give away the whole piece, but Davis is 61 now. I was curious to know what this generation of players thought about that, so I asked a few in the clubhouse.

19. The consensus: He’s not wrong. Even the current major leaguers acknowledge it. It’s about snapping your wrists and swinging up now. Barrel control and the ability to put the bat on the ball are going away. I’m not sure they will ever come back.

20. That’s what makes what the Guardians are doing so unique. Valaika also said what we’ve already figured out: These players value contact ability and believe they can eventually turn contact into power, much like they’ve had success turning control into velocity. We’ll know in a few years whether the plan worked.

21. Kyle Manzardo will probably open the year in Class AAA. Guardians officials reiterated in the offseason the difficulty of hitting in Cleveland in April and how a slow start can bury young hitters. (Of course, there’s also the whole service time thing.) One thing to note: Manzardo grew up in Northern Idaho. I’d say he’s pretty used to hitting in the cold of April.

Guardians Opening Day roster projection: It’s Gabriel Arias vs. Brayan Rocchio in infield
KANSAS CITY, MO - SEPTEMBER 18: Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) is congratulated by teammates after hitting a solo home run during a MLB game between the Cleveland Guardians and the Kansas City Royals on September 18, 2023, at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. (Photo by Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel
3h ago
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GOODYEAR, Ariz. — If all goes well for the Cleveland Guardians over the next month, Stephen Vogt will be losing sleep.

The club has a lot to sort through at shortstop, in the outfield and with at least one bullpen vacancy.

“The best thing we could have is a really, really hard decision at the end of spring,” Vogt said.

On the eve of the team’s Cactus League opener, let’s sift through the decisions.

Catchers (2): Bo Naylor, Austin Hedges

Others in camp: Michael Berglund, David Fry, Bryan Lavastida, Dom Nuñez, Eric Rodriguez

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Naylor and Hedges can be written in Sharpie. The wild card is Fry, whose versatility would be welcome on any roster. Not only can he catch, but he has history at both corner infield and both corner outfield spots. On this roster, his presence would allow the team to limit Hedges’ exposure to the batter’s box, which, considering his .173/.237/.279 slash line the last five years, might be beneficial, even with his defensive prowess.

The team has cycled through an average of five catchers per season the last three years, so Fry, Lavastida and perhaps even Nuñez (who has big-league experience) could factor into the equation at some point.

Infielders (6): José Ramírez, Andrés Giménez, Josh Naylor, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Deyvison De Los Santos

Others in camp: Juan Brito, Raynel Delgado, Kyle Manzardo, Angel Martínez, Micah Pries, Brayan Rocchio, Daniel Schneemann, José Tena

Arias vs. Rocchio is the heavyweight bout of the spring, with Freeman better positioned to claim a utility role, especially if he demonstrates he can handle center field, a new wrinkle in his repertoire.

The mystery with Arias is whether he can flush his 9-for-108 showing against lefties (with 54 strikeouts) from last year and instead fare as well against southpaws as he did against righties (.791 OPS).


“It’s hard to judge somebody off 100 at-bats,” Vogt said. “At the same time, it’s understanding why. Maybe there’s something there with the swing, with the mechanics. A lot of times, it’s timing and pitch selection. (The hitting coaches) are diving into a lot of those things. I do think there are variances year to year.”

Rocchio, meanwhile, thrived during a winter ball stint in Venezuela in which his team, Tiburones de La Guaira, won the championship.

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“You get a taste of a parade, a taste of that champagne, whatever it is,” Vogt said, “you want it every single year. That can really propel you. Brayan has come in with a lot of confidence coming off that winter ball experience.”

Elsewhere on the infield, De Los Santos is another question mark this spring, being a Rule 5 selection. He’s only 20 and hasn’t played above Double A, but Ramírez has been mentoring him this spring. And it’s not as though the Guardians didn’t anticipate this quandary when they acquired him in December. They thought it would be worth their time to evaluate his swing, his grasp of the strike zone, his pitch recognition ability and his mental makeup for a couple of months before determining whether to keep him or offer him back to the Diamondbacks. They also think enough of him to give him reps not only at the corner infield spots but the corner outfield spots, too, as a way to offer him more opportunities.

Manzardo is more major league-ready, but he doesn’t have the Rule 5 draft designation, so unless the Guardians are unbothered by service time ramifications, he could be ticketed to Triple A for at least a couple of weeks.

Outfielders (5): Steven Kwan, Myles Straw, Ramón Laureano, Estevan Florial, Will Brennan

Others in camp: Lorenzo Cedrola, Petey Halpin, Jhonkensy Noel, Johnathan Rodriguez, George Valera

Kwan is the left fielder. Vogt said there’s no discussion to be had about shifting him to center because the Guardians have enough candidates to play there. When Vogt and Chris Antonetti kneel beside their beds and pray to the baseball gods each night, they probably have a Florial breakout season top of mind. If one position player’s emergence could make the greatest difference in how this season unfolds, it might be Florial, given his power and athleticism and a lack of other high-ceiling options in center. That’s a big if, though.


A platoon of Brennan and Laureano in right field makes sense. If Florial were to blossom, that would allow the club to assign Straw a more fitting role as a defensive replacement, pinch runner and occasional starter.

Assuming either De Los Santos or Manzardo, but not both, makes the roster, that would leave one spot for either Brennan or Fry (or some other long shot).

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Starting pitchers (5): Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Logan Allen

Others in camp: Tyler Beede, Joey Cantillo, Daniel Espino, Ben Lively, Xzavion Curry, Hunter Gaddis

There’s not much mystery here, other than how everyone’s arms will hold up in a rotation consisting of two guys who missed significant chunks of last season and three sophomores who will embark on their first full big-league season.

So far, so good on that front.

“Bieber was absolutely nasty (in his first live bullpen),” Vogt said. “He was throwing all his pitches. His velo was really good.”

Relievers (8): Emmanuel Clase, Scott Barlow, Trevor Stephan, Sam Hentges, Nick Sandlin, Eli Morgan, James Karinchak, Carlos Carrasco

Others in camp: Franco Aleman, Anthony Banda, Jaime Barria, Tanner Burns, Nic Enright, Anthony Gose, Tim Herrin, Mason Hickman, Jack Leftwich, Adam Oller, Cade Smith, Tyler Zuber

If the Guardians want someone who can cover multiple innings to occupy the last bullpen spot, they could turn to Carrasco, Lively, Curry, Gaddis or Barria. If they simply want to take the top reliever, regardless of durability, there’s a deep cast of candidates, although Lively, Smith and Herrin are the lone candidates on the 40-man roster.

Karinchak is a bit behind the other relievers because of arm fatigue, but he has five weeks to catch up.

Carrasco said he feels great, so perhaps this will be more than a short-lived feel-good homecoming tale. He spent a few weeks at the Driveline facility in Scottsdale and feels healthier and stronger. He said his velocity has been sitting in the low 90s, up a couple of ticks from his usual February numbers.

The bullpen, of course, starts (er, ends) with Clase, the ninth-inning anchor who proved mortal last year after appearing unconquerable in 2022.

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“He wasn’t satisfied, I’ll say that,” Vogt said.

It’s certainly no enjoyable task to face Clase, who wields a 99 mph cutter and a 91 mph slider, during an early-spring live batting practice session. But Vogt approached the hitters assigned to stand in against the closer Wednesday and light-heartedly told them, “If you guys don’t make contact today, you need to come see me.”

Easy for him to say.

“It’s so fun to be (manager) now,” Vogt said, “because I don’t have to hit.”

I may agree with just about all the predictions from Meisel. Except I will be disappointed if the X man has to return to AAA after spending the entirety of 2023 with Cleveland. Yes, it would be great to have Carrasco on the team and perhaps he's got a lot more left than he showed in 2023. If so, I'd still far rather have Curry in the pen than Karinchak and perhaps some of the other guys who all have a mix of strengths and weaknesses which often involve surrendering homres.

Too bad David Fry may well not break camp with the G's but he'll be a couple hours away and the 26th man role is a perfect to put de los Santos,

who by the way Baseball America rates the 8th best 1b prospects in the minors; Manzardo is rated #4