The Cleveland Guardians finally broke out offensively on Wednesday, earning an 11-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds in their series finale.
Before that, however, they hadn’t scored more than four runs in a game in all of June.
Despite their Wednesday outburst, their offensive limitations are starting to become obvious even to neutral observers.
Besides Jose Ramirez and Carlos Santana, most of their hitters aren’t contributing at the moment.
Perhaps it’s time to try something new, something bold.
They do have some talented prospects in the upper minors, such as Chase DeLauter and C.J. Kayfus, plus the recently promoted Johnathan Rodriguez.
The last two are the only members of an exclusive club in minor league baseball.
“Entering today (6/12/25), there are just two players in all of @MiLB who have a .300+ batting average and 120+ RBI dating back to the start of the 2024 season. They are Johnathan Rodríguez (.307, 126 RBI) and CJ Kayfus (.302, 120 RBI),” researcher Luke Potosky posted on X.
Entering today (6/12/25), there are just two players in all of @MiLB who have a .300+ batting average and 120+ RBI dating back to the start of the 2024 season. They are:
• Johnathan Rodríguez (.307, 126 RBI)
• CJ Kayfus (.302, 120 RBI)#GuardsBall | @CleGuardians pic.twitter.com/goH4CajCYn— Luke Potosky (@LukePotosky) June 12, 2025
Perhaps RBI is not the best stat to measure offensive performance, or how good and bad a hitter is.
However, that doesn’t mean it’s not useful.
In this case, the stat tells us that Rodriguez and Kayfus are particularly productive in the run-scoring department.
The batting average, on the other hand, is indicative of their ability to put the ball in play and make things happen.
The best thing about these two prospects in particular is that they both boast excellent power, too.
Rodriguez has accumulated 48 extra-base hits between Triple-A and MLB since the start of the 2024 campaign, and Kayfus has 74 in the same timeframe between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A.
If the Guardians have faith in their young sluggers, good things could happen.
NEXT: Guardians Make Big Announcement About Austin Hedges
