Cleveland Sports Forum

Well, after 10 games we're 1/3 the way thru ST and although record means nothing, we're 2-8.

Minor league camps must be open. Time to thin the herd.

Just wondering...

Is Angel Martinez for real?

Is Florial the bust he's looking like?

Does anybody want the SS job?

Is the bullpen as empty as it looks?

What's Antonetti doing these days?

Is Straw's viral infection, Covid?



But, today is another beautiful day in Arizona and I'm still on the right side of the grass.

as usual a minorleague reliever loses the game in the9th, Mason Hickman today.

Fine start by Logan Allen not so by Bibee. Curry goes 3 innings, 1 run; if McKenzie never gets on the hill the Xman or Carrasco will be the 5th starter

Giminez 2 hits, Josh N too, and Laureano and Planez.
Florial working his way to a DFA with 3 K in 3 tries, hitting 077 with 8 strikeouts in 14 plate appearances.
Rocchio doing little to capture SS; 0-3 puts him at 083, i.e. 1-12
De los Santos with a 2 hit day, up to 200 no walks no xb hits
Brito with his first hit
A. Martinez with another double in 3 AB Avg slips to 5 71, OPS to 1706
Freeman, again in CF, with a single and a steal

1 prospect to watch from each team during Spring Training

Guardians: 1B Kyle Manzardo
When your hitting coach compares you to Wade Boggs, you must be doing something right. The Guardians are getting their first up-close look at Manzardo, who was acquired in the trade that sent Aaron Civale to Tampa Bay in July. After a successful showing in the Arizona Fall League, he arrived in camp ready to prove that a spot on the Opening Day roster should be his. In his first three Cactus League games, Manzardo, ranked No. 59 in MLB Pipeline’s Top 100, has gone 3-for-5 with a walk. “He looks like Wade Boggs to me,” Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika said. “He’s been awesome in the box.” --

[True enough, but the standout breakout player has been Angel Martinez]

Angel has been great and is just one more reason why I think the ranking of our prospects is not correct.

DeLauter is number one. Manzardo is number one A. Brito is number one B.

Rankings are just someone's opinion.

What they do when given an opportunity is the only thing that matters.

I'm disappointed with what Florial has done with his opportunity; not like DeLosSantos, Florial has had several opportunities in the past and in 5 1/2 years older.
He seems to have a Brad Zimmer career in the making. [btw Zimmer, age 31, is having a great spring, which does not portend a great summer in the majors

I'm willing to give DLS a roster spot even if he hits 100 in spring training; lots of people think he has a very high ceiling and one stat I like a lot this spring is only 3 strikeouts in his 15 at bats. I'm almost impressed too that his only hits are singles; he is apparently capable of not overswining.
Has anyone seem him in person or on screen and can comment on his swing?

Battle for the bottom of the Cactus League game tomorrow...... The 2-8 G's vs the 1-7 Mariners.

No game today.

What happened to the time clock? Last couple of games have been over 3 hrs.

i GUESS i HAD missed the story Thursday that Straw is out with a viral infection, expected back soon

Stephan bone bruise no throwing for 3 weeks from Feb 28
Karinchak shoulder fatigue; expected return "hopefully by the end of spring training"
Valera left hamstring; out for "a few weeks"

haven't seen any roster cuts yet; I guess they can still stand to have 3 deep at each position and a couple dozen pitchers, until starters begin to get stretched out; the only one to go 3 was Curry

no game today


anyone seen a word on when McKenzie may pitch in a game?

Hoynes says he's starting Wednesday vs the Brewers

Cleveland Guardians Spring Training Prospect Report - 3/3/2024 SS vs. Chicago NL/San Francisco

ARTHUR KINNEY AND JUSTIN LADA

MAR 4

Game 9 Chicago Cubs 5, Cleveland Guardians 3

STARTERS

Brayan Rocchio (SS): 0-3 -

Rocchio came up empty offensively but had a few nice plays at shortstop. The defensive portion of this battle looks close and Cleveland will have an upgrade defensively at short this year no matter who plays there this year.

Deyvison De Los Santos (1B): 2-4, RBI -

The 2-4 is defintely a welcomed result for De Los Santos, who has had a tough time so far this camp. However, these were two singles and they were pulled grounders. Even if they’re hard hit, it’s not what the Guardians would be looking for him from him. He had at least one play at first base where there was a lack of range showed.

Jhonkensy Noel (DH): 1-4, 3K -

Noel had a rough time with spin all day, whether it was Kyle Hendricks or Adbert Alzolay. He was out in front and coming up empty a lot.

Angel Martinez (2B): 1-3, 2B -

Martinez has been scorching hot this camp. The wind helped push his double a little on Sunday, but it was a well hit ball to left center off of Kyle Hendricks. He’s pulled plenty of hard contact the last few day, but seeing him at least drive one the opposite way off of a pitcher that lives on offspeed stuff is very welcomed with Martinez.

Johnathan Rodriguez (RF): 0-3 -

Rodriguez didn’t K, but he rolled over a ton on pitches. Lot of groundouts this spring on offspeed stuff.

Juan Brito (3B): 1-2, BB -

Brito had another nice day, drawing another 3-2 walk and had a single off Alzoly to RF. The box scores don’t show it, but he’s had a lot of solid at bats this spring.

RESERVES

Milan Tolentino (SS): 0-2 -

No hits, but made an incredible leaping catch at shortstop to rob a Cubs player of a sure hit.

Petey Halpin (CF): 0-2, K

Chase DeLauter (RF): 0-1

Joe Naranjo (1B): 0-0

Bryan Lavastida (C): 0-1

Raynel Delgado (2B): 1-1 - Delgado had a hit and was sharp in the field once again.

Christian Cairo (3B): 0-1

RELIEVERS

Tim Herrin: IP, H, ER, BB, 2K -

Allowed a homer but had two strikeouts on his slider, and was up to 96-97.

DRESSED BUT DID NOT PLAY

RHP Tanner Burns

C Cooper Ingle

RHP Lenny Torres Jr.

LHP John Dokaxis

LHP Randy Labaut

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Game 10 - San Francisco Giants 6, Cleveland Guardians 5

STARTER

Jose Tena (DH): 1-2, 1 R, 1 BB -

An impressive day at the plate for the lone prospect in the starting lineup for the home half of the split squad.

RESERVES WHO REACHED BASE

Alexfri Planez (RF): 2-2, 1 R, 1 2B -

That said, Planez - who rebounded from an 0-for-2 Friday to continue a stellar spring (1.334 OPS in nine plate appearances) - was the start among the Cleveland farmhands on Sunday in Goodyear.

Daniel Schneemann (SS): 1-2 -

Schneemann’s seventh-inning single made it three games in a row with a hit for Daniel.

Michael Berglund (PH): 0-0, 1 HBP -

Berglund was hit by a pitch while pinch hitting for Tena in the eighth. He was pinch run for by Angel Zarate, who played no further part in the contest after being forced out at second two batters later.

OTHER NOTABLE RESERVE

Joe Lampe (CF): 0-2, 1 RBI, 1 K -

One at-bat after Schneemann’s base hit, Lampe drove in Planez on a 5-2 groundout.

ALSO PLAYED

Connor Kokx (LF): 0-2, 1 K

Kahlil Watson (2B): 0-2, 1 K

Dayan Frias (3B): 0-2, 1 K

Kyle Manzardo (1B): 0-2, 2 K

RELIEVERS

Hunter Stanley: 0.1 IP, perfect -

Stanley needed only one pitch (and a spectacular assist to salvage the 3-1-3 groundout) to get the Guardians out of the second frame after starter Tanner Bibee reached his pitch limit in an uneven official Spring debut.

Trey Benton: 0.1 IP, perfect, 1 K -

Benton was similarly efficient in only needing to face one batter to end the top of the fifth.

Hunter Gaddis: H (1), 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R (earned), 1 BB, 2 HBP, 3 K -

Gaddis’ outing was one that you can only see in Spring Training, literally. After being pulled for Benton upon reaching his single-inning pitch limit, Gaddis re-entered the game to start the fifth and nearly ran into pitch count issues again thanks to a pair of two-out plunkings.

Franco Aleman: 1 IP, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 2 K -

Aleman’s second outing of the Spring had all of the control issues of Gaddis' effort, but none of the weirdness..

Mason Hickman: L (0-1), 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R (earned), 3 K, 1 HR allowed -

The good news: Hickman struck out the side in order on Sunday. The bad news: That was after a leadoff homer and subsequent double, the latter off the bat of former Cleveland farmhand Trenton Brooks.

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Mechanical tweak in tow, this prospect standing out early

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Angel Martínez made one small adjustment this offseason that is making a big difference in his pursuit of the Majors.

After a brief stop in the Dominican Republic to play winter ball with Estrellas Orientales, Martínez, the Guardians' No. 10 prospect per MLB Pipeline, returned to Goodyear to reinvent himself with the coaching staff. They decided to adjust his batting stance by opening it up and elevating his arms higher. The 22-year-old said the new approach allows him to recognize pitches quicker and maximize his power. So far, the change is paying off.

Martínez, the son of former Major League catcher and current Royals Minor League coach Sandy Martínez, is 8-for-14 with two doubles, two homers, and five RBIs in seven Cactus League games. In Sunday’s 5-3 split-squad loss to the Cubs in Mesa, he crushed a double to left-center field that was inches away from being a home run, raising his batting average to .571 and OPS to 1.706.




Angel Martínez's batting stance on March 3, 2024 (left) compared to Feb. 26, 2023 (right)

His play this spring has caught the attention of Guardians manager Stephen Vogt.

“Angel is having a good camp,” Vogt said. “His at-bats have been really good. He is playing some good defense and is running the bases well. I've been really impressed with Angel so far. It's been a lot of fun to watch him.”

Martínez needs as many of those performances as possible heading into Opening Day. Gabriel Arias and Bryan Rocchio, a Top 100 prospect per MLB Pipeline, are the frontrunners to fill the shortstop void left after Amed Rosario was traded to the Dodgers at the Trade Deadline last season.

In 2023, the switch-hitting infielder led the Guardians' system with 90 singles and batted .251 with 42 extra-base hits and 79 RBIs in 136 games for Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. He also hit 14 home runs, being named a Guardians 2023 Organization All-Star at third base.

Martínez isn’t the only youngster trying to get on the Major League radar.




Juan Brito, Cleveland’s No. 6 prospect who was acquired for Nolan Jones, had a .811 OPS across three levels in 2023. José Tena, Cleveland's No. 15 prospect, made his debut in '23 after posting a .777 OPS with eight homers and 16 steals across two levels.

Martínez hasn’t received his call to the Majors yet, but he isn’t letting that affect his performance.

“I compete for myself,” Martínez said in Spanish. “When I come out to the field, I want to be the best version of myself. Our staff manages the roster decisions, but I control what I can. I’m focusing on getting better so when the team needs me, I’ll be ready.”

Martínez, who signed with the Guardians in 2018, is familiar with what’s expected to play in Cleveland. He’s seen different international prospects graduate from the Guardians' farm system and contribute to the team. Martínez looks up to José Ramírez’s journey as a source of motivation.

“I’m always paying attention to what he is doing,” Martínez said. “To me, he is the best third baseman in the MLB. I love the way he plays baseball. He is never afraid to fail. Sometimes younger players like myself are afraid of failure, but the way he plays is amazing. It’s always great studying him and him being so receptive to giving us advice.”




The competition to reach the Majors is fierce, even among those who Martínez considers close friends. Still, he makes sure to remember the big picture.

“We always find a way to have fun,” Martínez said. “If we aren’t having fun, we can’t win a game. We’re doing that here in Spring Training. We have a tremendous group of players here and plenty of leaders to help us. We’re a really good team and we’re going to shock a lot of people this year, especially with Vogt as our manager.

“He’s like one of us,” Martínez continued. “He gives us the confidence that we need as players. We can walk into his office, talk to him, and feel good knowing that Vogt has our back. He played this sport for long and has such a high baseball IQ. I’m glad he is here. In the little time I’ve been around, he has helped me improve.”

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Last starting pitcher set for desert debut: Guardians spring training breakfast

Updated: Mar. 04, 2024, 12:04 p.m.|Published: Mar. 04, 2024, 9:58 a.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The rollout of the Guardians’ starting rotation should be complete by Wednesday.

It’s when Triston McKenzie is scheduled to face the Brewers at Maryvale Stadium in Phoenix in his first start of the spring.

When spring training started the Guardians said there would be no restrictions on the starters, especially Shane Bieber and McKenzie, who missed a big part of last season with injuries. Well, it turns out everyone has different definition of no restrictions.

Of course, there were restrictions on Bieber and McKenzie. The same restrictions that were on young starters Gavin Williams, Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee.

It’s why Carlos Carrasco, Tyler Beede, Ben Lively and Xzavion Curry started the first four games of the spring before Williams took the mound Thursday against the Angels.

This is the Guardians’ way of trying to keep their rotation healthy for the 162-game regular season that begins March 28 in Oakland. It’s hard to complain about that after watching injuries scuttle the rotation last year.

Here’s how the first four starters did in their desert debuts:

Williams vs. Angels on Thursday: Two scoreless innings, four strikeouts against the Angels
Bieber vs. Royals on Saturday: He threw 1 2/3 innings, one hit, two runs, three walks.
Bibee vs. Giants on Sunday: He threw 1 2/3 innings, three hits, two runs, one walk, three strikeouts.
Allen vs. Cubs on Sunday: Two scoreless innings, no hits, one walk, two strikeouts.

It’s going to be interesting to see how McKenzie does on Wednesday.

Early in spring training he threw free and easy. He’s been “slow-played” the longest of any of Cleveland’s starters. Then again he was the most seriously injured with a strained teres major muscle in his right shoulder last spring training and a strained UCL in his right elbow during the season.

Sunday’s games

The Guardians lost both ends of their split-squad day on Sunday. They lost to the Giants, 6-5, on a ninth-inning, leadoff homer by Ismael Munguia. Facing the Cubs in Mesa, the Guards fell, 5-3, with Chicago’s three homers accounting for all its runs.

Against the Giants, Cleveland held leads of 4-3, 6-3 and 7-5. They out-hit San Francisco, 13-10. Andres Gimenez, Josh Naylor, Ramon Laureano and Alexfri Planez had two hits each. Jose Ramirez added his first homer of the spring.

Bibee allowed two runs in 1 2/3 innings. The runs came on LaMonte Wade’s two-run homer in the first.

Former Guardians farmhand Trenton Brooks had two hits and an RBI against his old team.

Allen threw two scoreless innings against the Cubs. He struck out two and faced just six batters. He issued a leadoff walk in the second, but the runner was erased on a double play, the first of three turned by Cleveland.

The Guards led 3-1 after three innings thanks to RBI singles by Deyvision De Los Santos and Tyler Freeman. Austin Hedges scored the third run on a wild pitch after doubling in the third.

Anthony Gose took the loss, allowing a two-run homer to David Bote in the seventh.

The Guardians are 2-8 this spring and have lost seven straight.

Tuesday’s game

Williams will make his second start of the spring when he faces the Seattle on Tuesday at Goodyear Ballpark. Game time is 3:05 p.m. and cleguardians.com will carry the the game.

Williams threw two scoreless innings with four strikeouts against the Angels on Thursday in his Cactus League debut. Emmanuel Clase, Nick Sandlin, Joey Cantillo, Jaime Barria, Jack Leftwich and Nic Enright are scheduled to follow Williams to the mound.

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MLB Insider Believes Chase DeLauter Could Be On Guardians Opening Day Roster

Jeff Passan says Chase DeLauter could lockdown right field for the Cleveland Guardians as early as Opening Day.

TOMMY WILD Feb 4, 2024 4 HOURS AGO

The outfield has been a weak spot for the Cleveland Guardians for the last few seasons. None of the candidates have been overwhelmingly impressive through the first week of spring training.

Expect Chase DeLauter, Cleveland's fourth-ranked prospect per MLB Pipeline.

Now, DeLauter was the organization's first overall pick in the 2022 draft. Typically, Cleveland plays it safe with their highly-ranked prospects and lets them develop in the minor leagues for a few years at the minimum. However, that may not be the case for Chase.

In a recent article, ESPN's Jeff Passan said that DeLauter is in play to be the starting right fielder for the Guardians on Opening Day.

Cleveland's outfield has long been the weakest part of a strong organization, and 6-4, 235-pound DeLauter - whose follow-through-free left-handed swing still manages to generate immense power - could find himself locking down the Guardians' right-field job as soon as Opening Day." - ESPN' Jeff Passan.

No one will deny that it would be awesome to see DeLauter in the Opening Day lineup in Oakland. He's the future of this organization and he's played like it so far during spring training. DeLauter has 4-for-8 including a home run and a double in the five games he's played in.

However, there are still other factors we have to consider here.

Stephen Vogt said late last week that DeLuater "will impact the roster at some point." But he went on to say he's not sure when that would be. He's spent a lot more time talking about the opportunities Tyler Freeman, Enyel De Los Santos, Johnathan Rodriguez, and Jhonkeny Noel will get in the outfield.

There also shouldn't be any reason to rush DeLauter due to his injury history. As said previously, he's the future of the team but he has to be healthy for that to come to fruition.

Passan still seems to believe there's a chance DeLauter is at the major league level sooner than later.

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