Guardians Infielder Keeps Impressing With The Bat In Winter Ball

When fans and media discuss the Cleveland Guardians internal candidates to take over at second base and fill in for the recently traded Andres Giménez, the most frequently mentioned names are Juan Brito, Angel Martinez and Daniel Schneemann.

No one seems to remember Gabriel Arias and wrote him off after his disappointing MLB stint that ended in July.

Arias, of course, is not a natural second baseman.

However, he has experience in every position on the field (except for catcher) as a professional and, if he hits well enough in the winter and then in the spring, he could become an option for the keystone.

It’s fair to say that so far, the ‘winter’ part is covered: he had an amazing regular season of the Liga Venezolana de Beisbol Profesional (LVBP) with Tiburones de La Guaira, and is currently playing the semifinal round for Navegantes del Magallanes as an addition.

On Thursday, Arias had another amazing day at the plate.

“Cleveland #Guardians (INF/OF) Gabriel Arias with a pair of extra base hits last night (2-5 R 2B HR 3RBI) @Magallanes_bbc including this 3-run HR in the 1st inning in Venezuelan Winter League action,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.

Cleveland #Guardians (INF/OF) Gabriel Arias with a pair of extra base hits last night (2-5 R 2B HR 3RBI) @Magallanes_bbc including this 3-run HR in the 1st inning in Venezuelan Winter League action.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/lbBTdOU0Ls

— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) January 3, 2025

He hit .292/.364/.547 in the regular season, with a .911 OPS, nine doubles, six home runs and 23 RBI in 27 games for Tiburones.

He currently has a .353 batting average and a 1.000 OPS in six semifinal games, with two doubles and a homer in four contests.

After posting a disappointing .608 OPS in Cleveland this year, he was demoted and bounced back nicely with a .904 mark in Columbus.

The offensive revival is very much real, and he hasn’t stopped hitting since that demotion.

If Arias can keep up the good form in the spring, look out: he might be able to win an everyday role.