The Cleveland Guardians entered the offseason needing a couple of impact hitters for their lineup, preferably outfielders.
While bringing in established major leaguers proved to be a challenge, they did score a young outfielder who has struggled in the majors to this point, but could use a fresh start at a new place.
They traded Cody Morris to the New York Yankees in exchange for center fielder Estevan Florial.
Florial has been a major leaguer since 2020, yet he hasn’t been able to establish himself in The Show.
He has a disappointing .209/.313/.296 line in 48 games and 134 plate appearances at the highest level.
However, there are many things to like in his profile and one of them is that he hits the ball hard.
Really hard.
“Stephen Vogt on newest Guardians outfielder Estevan Florial: ‘We’ve seen him hit some balls really hard in live BP over the last week,'” Cleveland Baseball Insider tweeted.
Stephen Vogt on newest Guardians outfielder Estevan Florial:
"We've seen him hit some balls really hard in live BP over the last week."#Guardians | #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/6nS7pZBkrD
— Cleveland Baseball Insider (@CBI_FanNation) February 21, 2024
Florial is already impressing Vogt and his coaches with his exit velocities.
The issue with Florial is making consistent contact, though.
In those 134 trips to the plate, he has struck out a whopping 30.6 percent of the time.
Even in Triple-A, where he hit 28 long balls and stole 25 bases last year, he struck out in 28.2 percent of his plate appearances.
The positives?
He is speedy and athletic, covers center field with ease, and has easy power.
He also draws some walks.
The downside, which is consistent contact, has prevented him from being an everyday player to this point.
Can he reach his potential in Cleveland?
The Guards would be wise to give him a chance to impress.
NEXT: Guardians Absent From Elite List Of Young MLB Stars
