Guardians Are Being Led By 3 Surprising Players On Offense

Before the start of the season, most fans probably thought that if the Cleveland Guardians were first in their division with a 24-21 record, it would be because of the contributions of the usual suspects: Jose Ramirez, Kyle Manzardo, and Steven Kwan.

Life, and baseball in particular, is full of surprises. The Guardians do boast that record and do lead the AL Central as of Thursday, but those three players aren’t among the leaders in most offensive stats on the team.

“The Guardians’ current Top 3 in WRC+ (qualified) through the first quarter of the season: Chase DeLauter – 145, Brayan Rocchio – 113, Angel Martinez – 111. What a fun group that you likely wouldn’t have expected before the season began,” analyst Cade Cracas posted on X.

The #Guardians’ current Top 3 in WRC+ (qualified) through the first quarter of the season:

Chase DeLauter – 145
Brayan Rocchio – 113
Angel Martinez – 111

What a fun group that you likely wouldn’t have expected before the season began. #GuardsBall

— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) May 14, 2026

That’s right: DeLauter, Rocchio, and Angel Martinez have led the Guardians offense to this point, with the unexpected help of guys like Daniel Schneemann, Austin Hedges, David Fry, and Travis Bazzana.

Ramirez has been slightly disappointing for his lofty standards. He is hitting .207 and has a 101 wRC+, compared to .277 and 129, respectively, for his career.

However, his elite baserunning (he leads baseball with 18 stolen bases), on-base skills, and defense have produced a team-leading 1.3 fWAR. He hasn’t been bad, but we all know he can be much better.

With Kwan and Manzardo struggling, DeLauter has taken a step forward as a rookie and is carrying the lineup with aplomb. He boasts a .294 batting average, a .503 slugging percentage, and a 147 wRC+ with six home runs in his first year in the majors. He also has more walks than strikeouts.

Rocchio has kept some of the gains he made in the second half of last year and is now a respectable offensive player in addition to being a top defender at a key position. He has three homers, seven steals, and a 109 wRC+. It took a while, but he finally developed into the player the Guardians thought he could be.

Martinez has also broken out and already has seven home runs and eight thefts, positioning himself to become a 20-20 player if he keeps up the pace. He is hitting a cool .260/.300/.473 with a 115 wRC+ and has been hot in recent games.

Those three players are keeping Cleveland’s offense afloat and deserve a lot of credit.