Barring a surprise, the Cleveland Guardians are trending towards a George Valera-Steven Kwan-Chase DeLauter outfield alignment most nights in 2026.
Manager Stephen Vogt seems to favor those three players for what they can do on the field, but especially, what they can contribute at the plate.
Kwan will play every day unless he’s hurt, and DeLauter will likely play against all righties and even vs. some southpaws.
Valera seems to have the inside track for a spot on the corners, given his considerable offensive ceiling.
He put up a solid 113 wRC+ in a short 16-game cameo in MLB last year, and entered Wednesday with a 141 spring wRC+.
Analyst Bruce Drennan praised him, but made sure to warn not to write off a struggling outfielder just yet.
“They have hung onto him for a REASON,” Bruce Drennan said about Nolan Jones.
Bruce says George Valera will get the nod in Right Field to start the season, but don't count out Nolan Jones! #GuardsBall
"They have hung onto him for a REASON." pic.twitter.com/yZOsRI1PDl
— Bruce Drennan Show (@Bruce_Drennan) March 4, 2026
That reason Drennan mentions is none other than potential.
Unlike Valera, Jones has already had a well-above-average season as a major leaguer.
It happened in 2023 in Colorado, when he hit 20 home runs, stole 20 bases, and put up a 137 wRC+.
He then had a 69 wRC+ in 2024 amid injuries and contact issues, yet the Guardians re-acquired him before the 2025 campaign.
It was a disappointment overall, as the outfielder had a 72 wRC+ in 403 plate appearances.
Jones owns a disappointing 29.6 percent strikeout rate in the bigs, too high for a guy whose career-high in homers was the 20 he hit in 2023.
He also hit just five last year despite getting 400+ trips to the plate.
As Drennan says, however, Jones still has potential.
He is still in his physical prime at 27, and he has done it before.
The player believes he didn’t do enough to warrant a roster spot this year in Cleveland, yet here he is, trying to win a place and justify the team’s faith.
One thing is clear, though: 2026 will be his last chance to prove his worth in Cleveland.
Another season like 2024 or 2025, and he is, in all likelihood, gone.
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