The Cleveland Guardians aren’t playing baseball at the moment.
They aren’t making many roster moves these days, either, probably waiting until the Winter Meetings to strike some deals or perhaps luring a free agent or two.
There are always storylines to follow, though.
Guardians players participating in winter leagues are, of course,.one of them.
Shortstop/utilityman Gabriel Arias has been playing in the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional (LVBP) for quite a few days now.
While his defense has been suspect, for the lack of a better word, his offense has been outstanding.
He had another day to remember on Saturday, playing for Tiburones de La Guaira.
“Cleveland #Guardians (SS) Gabriel Arias reached base 3x tonight (2-4 3RBI BB) driving in 3 more runs for his club @Tiburonesbbc_ in the Venezuelan Winter League including this 2-run opposite field base hit in the 1st inning. Arias is hitting .380 with 11 XBH and 16 RBI’s over his first 13 games. 19-50 14R 5(2B) 6HR 16RBI 6BB 2SB .380 AVG 1.296 OPS,” Guardians Prospective wrote on X.
Cleveland #Guardians (SS) Gabriel Arias reached base 3x tonight (2-4 3RBI BB) driving in 3 more runs for his club @Tiburonesbbc_ in the Venezuelan Winter League including this 2-run opposite field base hit in the 1st inning.
Arias is hitting .380 with 11 XBH and 16 RBI's over… pic.twitter.com/EX5tSYKIOd
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) December 1, 2024
Those are MVP-caliber numbers.
He probably doesn’t have enough playing time to opt for the award and might be lacking in totals as a result, but the rate stats are in incredibly impressive.
He is flirting with a .400 batting average and apparently doesn’t have any intentions of stopping his torrid pace.
Arias had already started to showcase improved skills when he was sent down to Triple-A by the Guardians in July, and hasn’t stopped producing in months.
If he keeps this up until the spring, Cleveland will have some tough decisions to make.
There is also a chance he is used as trade bait.
We shall wait and see, but what he is doing in Venezuela warrants our attention.
NEXT: Can International League MVP Earn A Significant Role In The 2025 Guardians?
