The Cleveland Guardians have a potential superstar in their farm system.
Travis Bazzana should take the field at some point next season.
In the meantime, Brayan Rocchio and Gabriel Arias are taking care of business in the middle of the outfield.
The Guardians, however, could do a lot better at shortstop.
At least, that’s how Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report.
In his latest column, he ranked Arias as the second-worst starting shortstop in the league right now, ahead of only Trey Sweeney of the Detroit Tigers:
“Arias has been Cleveland’s primary shortstop since Brayan Rocchio was shifted to second base at the end of July, and he has provided steady defense at a premium position. The 25-year-old is a glove-first player who will occasionally run into a mistake, but his value is in his defense,” Reuter wrote.
Truth be told, it’s hard to agree with that assessment.
While he may not be the best defensive player out there, he’s a strong hitter with a knack for getting timely hits.
Arias was instrumental in taking one game away from the Boston Red Sox in the series finale.
He sparked a six-run second inning with a two-run blast, helping the team run away with a much-needed 8-1 win.
Arias is still young, and while he clearly needs to work on his defense, that’s something that can come over time.
The Guardians will obviously make sure to put their former No. 1 pick in the best position to succeed, meaning that Bazzana will most likely be the starting second baseman at one point, with Rocchio potentially sliding back to shortstop.
That will leave Arias as the odd man out in the equation, and they might consider moving on from him at some point if they can’t find a way to get him consistent at-bats.
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