All offseason long, fans and analysts alike were waiting for the Cleveland Guardians to do something – anything – to upgrade their offense. It is thought they can’t make the playoffs again if they perform as they did in 2025.
Yet, nothing materialized, and the Guardians entered spring training with that concern. Though late acquisition Rhys Hoskins may provide a much-needed power boost, Cleveland’s lineup is still projected to fall well short of what’s going to be necessary this season.
The Guardians have been given an unfortunate batting lineup report card by ESPN, ranking 26th in the majors, with several D grades or worse across the board, and five holes identified.
“Grades: Hit: D | Patience: C | Power: D+ | Baserunning: D- | Durability: D- | Depth: C | vsR: C- | vsL: F | Stars: 2 | Holes: 5,” Bradford Doolittle wrote. “It’s such a weird group. Roster Resource has the Guardians platooning at four positions. So despite the collective talent of lefty swingers [Kyle] Manzardo, [George] Valera, [Chase] DeLauter and [Bo] Naylor, they all have righty partners to face southpaws in this configuration. Yet the Guardians don’t profile to hit lefties at all. The takeaway: Cleveland needs that quartet of young hitters to step up so that the platooning isn’t necessary. Or it needs better righty hitters on the bench. The first option would bode better for the long term.”
Like many projections at this point, the everyday lineup remains unclear. Manager Stephen Vogt has several decisions to make, most notably regarding the makeup of the outfield and who will be the starting second baseman.
The only hitters who seem to be guaranteed a spot are Steven Kwan, Jose Ramirez, Kyle Manzardo, and Bo Naylor, which is a pretty good start, all things considered. Kwan and Ramirez are All-Stars, Manzardo is a high-upside power hitter, and Naylor improved at the end of last season.
But as far as the other spots, the range of outcomes is vast. DeLauter has the best chance to become a fixture after his MLB debut in the playoffs last season, but the heralded outfield prospect has a worrisome injury history, and it is unknown which position he will play. Kwan could move from left field to center field to ease DeLauter’s transition.
Second baseman Travis Bazzana would be an upgrade over Brayan Rocchio if he gets the opportunity. After some early hype that Bazzana would make his MLB debut as the Opening Day second baseman, that idea seems to have cooled a bit.
The Guardians do see potential in Valera, C.J. Kayfus, and Nolan Jones, and could have found a steal in their signing of Hoskins, but having everything click all at the same time might be asking too much.
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