The 2025 Cleveland Guardians, despite some recent criticism and not being the projection systems’ favorites, are one of the top candidates to win the American League pennant next year.
Don’t let projections fool you: the Guardians are still very much contenders.
That doesn’t mean they don’t have question marks around the roster like every other organization, though.
Tommy Wild of SI.com reminded fans about the most important position battle that will take place once the spring officially opens in Cleveland.
“Cleveland’s biggest question heading into Spring Training easily has to be, “Who will be their Opening Day second baseman? (…) The candidates heading into Spring Training include Angel Martinez, Daniel Schneemann, Gabriel Arias, Juan Brito, and Tyler Freeman,” Wild wrote.
All five players have been training hard for this moment.
We have seen footage of them fielding grounders, taking batting practice, lifting weights, and working on their game.
All of them will be vying to see who starts at the keystone, but even the losers of the battle have a chance to contribute to the organization.
There could be an additional job opening for a utility infielder, and some of these players can defend the outfield, too.
Some of them will have to go to the minors, though.
As Wild notes, there are two favorites to win the second base gig.
“Given their offensive upside, Arias and Brito stand out as possible favorites to start the season second,” he said.
Arias has looked rejuvenated at the plate after being demoted to Triple-A last summer, and Brito hit 40 doubles and 21 homers for Columbus in 2024.
This is, in fact, a career-defining spring training position battle in which the winner can put himself in a position to earn a lot of money down the road.
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