In professional sports, and particularly in MLB, young players have to struggle first in order to spot the weaknesses in their game against top competition.
In baseball, a setback doesn’t necessarily mean failure.
Players like Cleveland Guardians young first baseman Kyle Manzardo often struggle for months when tested against the best pitchers in the game.
In his case, he needed a few weeks of poor play in the majors, a demotion to Triple-A, some adjustments and a return to MLB to prove he belongs with the big boys.
Now, the evidence says that Manzardo is ready for a more prominent role in Cleveland.
Manzardo was brilliant to open the year in Triple-A, which earned him the call up to MLB in May.
He stayed in the majors until mid-June, when the Guardians demoted him after he hit .207 with a horrible 59 wRC+.
He had to work on some aspects of his game, such as hitting against lefties.
He spent multiple weeks in Columbus and was brought back up on September 1.
From that point until the end of the regular season, the lefty-hitting slugger hit .270 but with much more power, which translated into a 147 wRC+.
He then had some huge moments in the playoffs, like his home run against the New York Yankees in the AL Championship Series.
Depending on what happens with Josh Naylor, Manzardo is projected for an everyday role, be it at first base or the designated hitter spot.
In any case, it’s clear he improved what he needed to improve and is ready to be tested with regular at-bats against MLB pitching.
Chances are he will be an asset.
NEXT: Guardians Top Prospect Is Showing That Leg Injuries Are A Thing Of The Past
