The Cleveland Guardians are still looking for their shortstop of the future.
That’s right: Travis Bazzana is considered their long-term second baseman, but the one on his right remains a mystery.
We know that the starter in 2025 will be, barring a huge surprise, Brayan Rocchio.
Whether he stays in the role for the entire season or beyond this year will depend entirely on him.
He was solid defensively last year and earned a place among the finalists for the Gold Glove, but he was such a liability offensively that his future role and place on the Guardians is in question.
Rocchio does have impeccable work ethic, though, so he was busy working on his physique during the offseason.
This week, he posted a hype video with his workouts, hoping to increase his power and improve his overall offensive output.
“Cleveland #Guardians switch-hitting (SS) Brayan Rocchio off-season workout hype video. Rocchio spent this off-season training down in Miami at Symmetry Performance with coach Troy Jones and Ian McQuate. Video by Nico Romero,” Guardians Prospective posted on X.
Cleveland #Guardians switch-hitting (SS) Brayan Rocchio off-season workout hype video.
Rocchio spent this off-season training down in Miami at Symmetry Performance with coach Troy Jones and Ian McQuate.
Video by Nico Romero.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/rUhywH2tg3
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) February 18, 2025
You can see that much of the focus was on increasing his strength, which goes a long way toward improving bat control and augmenting his game power.
In 442 plate appearances last year with the Guardians, Rocchio only hit eight home runs and posted a 79 wRC+, 21 percent below the league average.
Rocchio has some hidden power there, evidenced by the 18 long balls he had in the minors in the 2022 campaign.
He finished that year with a much better 106 wRC+.
Despite his torrid postseason, the 2025 campaign will represent Rocchio’s biggest test.
He will likely be playing for a place in the team’s future plans.
NEXT: Guardians Manager Reveals 2 Things He Wants His Team To Accomplish
