The Cleveland Guardians entered the 2025 MLB season with some major questions about their outfield.
So far, those questions haven’t been answered yet.
The team hasn’t gotten much production from their outfielders yet.
That’s why Zach Buckley of Bleacher Report believes that it should be a position to address and emphasize ahead of the 2025 MLB Draft.
In his latest column, he made a case for Stephen Vogt’s team to get to business and find some outfield gems in July’s draft:
“Outfielder,” Buckley wrote. “Even with Lane Thomas on the mend from a wrist injury that has sidelined him since April 19, the Guardians could still use another bat in the outfield. Steven Kwan is a staple in left field, but Nolan Jones (108 PA, .152 BA, 59 OPS+) and Jhonkensy Noel (79 PA, .160 BA, 29 OPS+) have both struggled mightily at the plate, while Angel Martínez is an infielder miscast as a center fielder.”
Aside from Steven Kwan, who continues to impress as a rising star, this team has no guarantees in the outfield.
Will Brennan, Nolan Jones, Angel Martinez, Jhonkensy Noel, and Daniel Schneemann have all had plenty of chances to prove their worth there.
Lane Thomas, on the other hand, has only been able to make 13 appearances this season because of a wrist injury.
He’s currently in the midst of a rehab assignment, and while he’s not necessarily the most proficient hitter, he should still be out there and take Noel’s spot against left-handed pitchers.
Thomas has played at right field in two of his three rehab starts, and with Martinez also being able to play second base, perhaps Stephen Vogt will look to move him there.
At the end of the day, it seems like there are no guarantees, and other than Kwan, the positional battle should be a season-long narrative.
Hopefully, that won’t be the case, and the Guardians will also be able to land some answers for the future.
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