Oh Where, Oh Where will Guardians find some outfielders? – Terry Pluto

Steven Kwan is the one sure thing in Cleveland’s outfield.

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Talking to myself as the Guardians have opened training camp:

QUESTION: Cleveland’s outfield was awful last season and what did they do to make it better?

ANSWER: Here are the dismal numbers and where the Guardians’ outfield ranked among the 30 MLB teams: 16 homers (30th); 150 RBI (30th), .656 OPS (30th) and .253 batting average (12th).

Q: Yikes!

A: Here are the candidates for the outfield: Steven Kwan is set in left field. They probably will platoon Ramon Laureano and Will Brennan in right field. In center, there is Estevan Florial and Myles Straw.

Q: I’ve never seen Florial, but I vote for him.

A: My guess is the Guards are in the same camp. Florial is 26. He’s out of minor league options. In Class AAA for the Yankees, he batted .284 (.945 OPS) with 28 HR and 79 RBI. He stole 25 bases. He strikes out of a lot (144 times in 482 plate appearances). New manager Stephen Vogt said Florial “passes the eye test” when I asked about the prospect during Guards Fest.

Q: Why not bring in another veteran outfielder?

A: They did that with Laureano. Then Guardians president Chris Antonetti explained the thinking at a press conference this week.

Q: Care to tell us?

A: Here’s the key part: “If we sign someone and commit to giving that person 500-550 plate appearances, that’s 500-550 plate appearances we can’t give to other players. We feel like our major league team and development system is at a point where some of those guys, we need to provide opportunities for.”

Q: How can they come back with an outfield that hit only 16 homers?

A: They will look at younger players during the season. I’m intrigued by Jonathan Rodriguez. He’s 24. He batted .286 (.897 OPS) with 29 HR and 88 RBI last season between Class AA Akron and Class AAA Columbus.

Q: What about George Valera? He’s always on prospect lists.

A: Valera has had injuries in three of the last four seasons. In 256 Class AAA at-bats, Valera hit .211 (.718 OPS) with 10 HR and 35 RBI. He needs to stay healthy and play in the minors.

Q: Didn’t they trade two outfielders last year who would have helped?

A: It was a bad offseason for the front office. They spent $22 million signing Mike Zunino and Josh Bell. They flopped. Antonetti admitted: “Last year, we made choices to allocate some of those at-bats to veterans. In retrospect, maybe we would have been better served giving some of those at-bats to younger guys.”

Q: Will Benson and Nolan Jones?

A: That’s two. They traded Benson to Cincinnati for Justin Boyd, a Reds second-round pick in 2022. He’s dealt with injuries and had only 50 Class A at-bats last season. Benson hit .275 (.863 OPS) with 11 HR and 31 RBI for the Reds. He stole 19 bases. A lefty hitter, he was 6 of 41 vs. lefties. But hit .297 vs. righties.

Q: He would have helped, the same with Jones.

A: Jones was a .297 hitter (.930 OPS) with 20 HR and 62 RBI in 424 plate appearances for Colorado. He batted .306 (.920 OPS) at home, .288 (.935 OPS) on the road. So it was not being helped by the hitter friendly Denver park.

Q: Sigh.

A: The Guardians received Juan Brito for Jones, so I’m not writing that off. Brito is my favorite prospect for 2024, although I expect the second baseman to open at Class AAA.

Q: Will they find some outfielders?

A: Kwan is a Gold Glover in left field. He is an excellent leadoff hitter. If Florial can produce, that would be a major boost. As for Brennan and Laureano, they are place holders until they find a right fielder. The Guardians picked Deyvison De Los Santos in the Rule 5 draft. He’s only 20. He hit .254 (.728 OPS) with 20 HR and 61 RBI in Class AA. But he’s played mostly third and first base and not in the outfield. I believe Kyle Manzardo will hit, but he’s a first baseman.

Q: You’re the guy who raved about Oscar Gonzalez and Owen Miller.

A: You had to bring that up. Miller is with Milwaukee, where he batted .261 (.674 OPS) and played some outfield. But as he did in Cleveland, he fell apart in the second half of the season and ended up in the minors. He’s a .241 hitter (.638 OPS) in 988 MLB plate appearances. Doesn’t look good for Miller. As for Gonzalez, he’s with the Yankees and probably will open the season in Class AAA. Look, it’s spring training. The Guardians certainly have some young guys who can help. Last year showed they need pick the right ones to keep.

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