Several Cleveland Guardians are fighting for the starting shortstop gig, which is entirely up for grabs.
Brayan Rocchio, Tyler Freeman, and Gabriel Arias are the main competitors.
Arias, in particular, could prove to be a good option if it weren’t for one small detail: he just can’t hit left-handed pitchers.
It’s odd, as right-handed hitters like him usually fare better against southpaws: they see the ball coming out of the pitcher’s hand a bit better from that angle.
However, Arias shows what the industry calls a “reverse split”: as a major leaguer, he has a .784 OPS against righty pitchers, but a horrible .356 OPS vs. lefties.
Things aren’t looking much better in spring training.
“#Guardians INF Gabriel Arias with the strikeout in the 2nd inning today vs a LHP is now (1-8) .125 AVG with 3 strikeouts against southpaws,” Guardians Prospective tweeted.
#Guardians INF Gabriel Arias with the strikeout in the 2nd inning today vs a LHP is now (1-8) .125 AVG with 3 strikeouts against southpaws.
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) March 7, 2024
If he can’t hit lefties, that’s a problem: even while performing adequately against righties, his overall OPS is dragged down by his inability to hit southpaws, to .630.
Arias can run, field, and even has some power: he hit 10 homers in 345 plate appearances last year.
However, teams have picked up on his weakness and often put a lefty on him if it can be done.
If he ever learns to hit left-handed pitching at least decently, he has a chance at being a regular at some point, or a high-caliber backup or part-timer.
As things currently stand, however, it’s too much of a drawback for him to be the favorite to be the Guardians’ shortstop.
NEXT: Guardians Make First Official Roster Moves Of Spring
