When Juan Brito came into the scene with the Cleveland Guardians on April 7 after Gabriel Arias’ injury, he looked ready for stardom. He logged five hits in his first three games, including two doubles, plus two runs scored and an RBI.
Then the league adjusted to him, and he couldn’t adjust back. It happens, even to the best prospects in the game. He was optioned in late April and returned to Triple-A Columbus. Instead of losing time feeling sorry for himself, Brito is showing that he can hit and that he, later down the road, could earn another opportunity in The Show.
In 11 games in Columbus since being optioned, Brito is hitting .267/.377.600 with a .977 OPS and a 150 wRC+. He has four home runs, three doubles, and 14 RBI over that span, too. That’s incredible production that proves the talent is there.
In a chat with Guardians’ assistant general manager Matt Forman, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com highlighted that Brito has taken the demotion in the best possible way. Instead of letting emotions get the best of him, he is now playing with a chip on his shoulder.
“The key for any player who’s optioned is to take the lessons they learned from their big league experience and apply that into their developmental process,” Guardians’ assistant GM texted Pluto. “So they can be prepared for the next opportunity in the majors, whenever it comes. With Brito, his mindset has been exactly that.”
Brito knows that he has to be ready for whenever he gets his next chance, because, and believe us when we say this, it will come sooner than you might expect. And MLB organizations love it when they option a player to the minors, and he attacks his issues and tries to find solutions. That’s exactly what Brito is doing.
Despite Brito’s .176 batting average and 45 wRC+ in his short time as a major leaguer, he did show that he has the raw talent to be an above-average major league hitter if he can learn how to hit breaking and offspeed pitches at the highest level. The ceiling is there: he just has to be willing to work to tap into it.
Brito still looks like a future starter at second base, or perhaps a utility-type player who bounces between the infield and the outfield corners. Whether that happens in Cleveland remains to be seen.
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