The 2023 Cleveland Guardians were short a few quality offensive players.
They had the pitching, both in the rotation and in the bullpen, but they couldn’t consistently score runs.
Even though they didn’t make any notable offensive acquisitions in the offseason, the landscape could be much more promising this time around.
The Guardians have the prospect ammo to make trades for an impact hitter or two; and enough position player prospects close to the majors to think some of them can make an impact and contribute to the offense.
One of them is clearly Kyle Manzardo.
The Guardians proudly posted a couple of pictures of Manzardo on their official Twitter account to hype up fans.
Kyle.#GuardsSpring pic.twitter.com/sHwzhBXgPI
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) February 21, 2024
They got the desired effect: Manzardo is one of the game’s best first base prospects and fans are eager to watch him hit doubles and home runs in the bigs.
Whether he opens the season in the majors or not, he figures to be a huge factor at some point in May or June at the latest.
He is a disciplined hitter with some pop, and the Guardians can really use those traits in their lineup.
In 21 games with the Guardians’ Triple-A team, Manzardo hit a cool .256/.348/.590 with six home runs.
He was the return of the Aaron Civale trade with the Tampa Bay Rays.
Manzardo has All-Star potential if given a prolonged chance, and he is likely to get one with the Guardians this year.
He can help provide the power and thump this lineup has been lacking.
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