Kyle Manzardo’s rise was one of the best stories of the 2025 campaign for the Cleveland Guardians. The guy hit 27 home runs for a power-starved team and added a steady 113 wRC+, solidly above-average.
No, he isn’t particularly good with the glove, and he is slow and unathletic. So what? The guy can rake, and for an organization that has had a hard time finding good, consistent young hitters over the years, that should be the priority.
Manzardo, however, has been a bit cold this spring. Well, not just a bit, if we are being honest.
After going 0-for-3 on Tuesday, the lefty-swinging slugger is hitting .122 in Cactus League play this year, with a .182 OBP and a .195 slugging percentage in 44 plate appearances. His -6 wRC+ tells you everything you need to know about his offensive performance to this point.
Manzardo has just one hit over his last five games, with no walks and nine strikeouts. His .377 spring OPS is abysmal, and his three walks and 16 punchouts speak for themselves.
The data is ugly, sure. It’s hard to deny it. But that doesn’t mean the team needs to be worried about their slugger at this juncture.
If there isn’t an injury, Manzardo should be just fine for the regular season. If anything, he could potentially improve his statistical output a bit with a full MLB season of experience under his belt.
A sophomore slump is also within the realm of possibilities, sure, but if it happens, it won’t be to this extent. Unless there is an unreported physical ailment, and there’s nothing to suggest that’s the case, Manzardo’s talent should eventually prevail.
There’s one thing worth paying attention to, though: he seems to be hitting a lot of ground balls. Last year, he hit 0.60 ground balls for every fly ball, but this spring, the number is at 1.33.
That’s probably a timing issue that he will resolve eventually. You can argue that’s what spring training is for. Or maybe he is still adjusting to his new physique, something he worked on during the offseason. In any case, there’s too much talent here to be overly concerned about spring training stats.
He will be streaky, and the batting average won’t be great, but Manzardo should be fine going forward and is one of the Guardians’ top up-and-coming hitters.
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