The Cleveland Guardians had to make a tough decision in mid-May.
Due to his offensive struggles, they were forced to send down defensive stalwart Brayan Rocchio to Triple-A Columbus, hoping that the decision would help spark an offensive rebound.
The stats were so awful that many fans actually wondered why they didn’t send him down sooner.
He had a pathetic 27 wRC+ at the time of losing his roster spot.
Rocchio might not be Cal Ripken Jr. or Alex Rodriguez, but he does have an extraordinary work ethic.
The kid works hard to improve and be the best version of himself he can be.
He went down with that mindset and had to spend more than a month playing with the Clippers.
He was recalled to kick off July due to Gabriel Arias’ injury.
Expectations weren’t so high: Rocchio had been playing much better in Triple-A, but then again, performing in the minors was never the problem.
Still, since rejoining the Guardians, Rocchio has looked like a different player: more confident at the plate, more powerful, and better overall.
He has slashed a cool .286/.348/.571 in 25 plate appearances since being called up, with six hits.
Of those six knocks, three have been doubles and one left the yard for a home run.
The sample size is ridiculously tiny, yes, but these are encouraging signs for such an underachieving offensive player.
If Rocchio can be a league-average hitter, his defense would make him a solid starter for the Guardians.
He has a long way to go to show he is at that level, but so far, so good.
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