The last couple of days have been filled with news about the Cleveland Guardians’ outfield, mainly because the team is willing to try Steven Kwan as a center fielder to diversify their defensive alignment options.
In fact, Wednesday afternoon marked the first time this spring that Kwan played in the middle.
The Guardians’ outfield is actually quite promising, at least when reviewing the projected starters: Kwan, George Valera, and Chase DeLauter.
Angel Martinez and Johnathan Rodriguez have been mentioned as depth/bench guys, as well.
However, fans tend to forget about another potential outfield option in Petey Halpin.
Manager Stephen Vogt not only reminded everyone about the talented Halpin but warned that he will see plenty of action this spring.
“Petey is gonna get a lot of looks this spring,” Guardians Stephen Vogt on where Petey Halpin can fit in the outfield mix. Also said he wants to see his swing shorten up a bit. “He’s got some power, but just to be able to hit the ball over the field and be able to repeat the move,” News 5 Cleveland’s Mason Horodyski wrote on X.
“Petey is gonna get a lot of looks this spring”#Guardians Stephen Vogt on where Petey Halpin can fit in the outfield mix. Also said he wants to see his swing shorten up a bit
“He’s got some power, but just to be able to hit the ball over the field and be able to repeat the move” pic.twitter.com/NDYDVrPerO— Mason Horodyski (@MasonHorodyski) February 25, 2026
Halpin played on Wednesday, getting a walk and going 0-for-1.
He is still looking for his first hit of the Cactus League, though.
The 23-year-old Halpin played most of the 2025 campaign for Triple-A Columbus, where he had a .249/.321/.414 line with 14 home runs, 15 stolen bases, and a 95 wRC+.
He also had a brief six-game cameo in the majors, in which he left a 157 wRC+ and scored five times in eight plate appearances.
FanGraphs’ prospect expert Eric Longenhagen says that Halpin projects as a fifth outfielder type, and says he has three plus tools among the usual five: speed, defense, and throwing arm.
That gives him a nice floor as a ballplayer.
However, Halpin is not likely to hit enough to be a regular in the majors.
“Halpin’s swing is uphill in the extreme, and he averaged 23 degrees of launch in 2025 while also pulling the ball more often than he was before he started using his current cut. He doesn’t have the bat speed necessary to weaponize that in a meaningful way, and he’s still likely to have a sub-.400 SLG at the big league level,” Longenhagen wrote.
If Halpin manages to shorten his swing as his manager suggests, he could have a chance to make contact more consistently and elevate his ceiling.
He can still be a useful ballplayer for the Guardians, though.
The 2026 campaign will tell us a lot of things about how he fits in the organization.
We do know that he will get plenty of chances in the spring.
Can he do enough to justify making the roster?
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