Cleveland Guardians prospect Kyle Manzardo, who had his chance to impress in MLB earlier in the year and didn’t take advantage of it, is eager to get another shot.
Many top prospects struggle to adjust to MLB velocity and command, so what happened to Manzardo is not uncommon.
After spending the last few weeks (since mid-June) in Triple-A working on his swing, the young slugger wants to prove he belongs with the big boys.
If his Triple-A performance is any indication, Manzardo should be at the doorstep of another call-up.
On Tuesday night, he homered for Columbus, his 15th long ball of the season with them.
“Kyle Manzardo turns on an inside cutter for home run No. 15 with the Triple-A @CLBClippers!” MLB Pipeline tweeted.
Kyle Manzardo turns on an inside cutter for home run No. 15 with the Triple-A @CLBClippers!@CleGuardians | @GuardsInsider pic.twitter.com/rgk8o9BXFn
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) August 7, 2024
The most impressive part is that the 15 home runs have come in just 63 games in Triple-A.
His overall line is a rock-solid .269/.400/.557 with a 141 wRC+, meaning he has produced 41 percent more than the league-average hitter in his circuit.
To make things better, ball-strike recognition is definitely a strength: he has more walks (47) than strikeouts (45) in Triple-A.
The problem for Manzardo is that he looked overmatched in his first MLB stint, with a 3/23 BB/SO ratio and a mediocre .207/.241/.329 line and a .571 OPS.
Although he did hit 10 doubles, he didn’t homer.
His 59 wRC+ means he was 41 percent below the league average threshold for offensive production.
Still, there is a case to be made that Manzardo has nothing left to prove in the minor leagues and he should complete the rest of his development in the majors.
Opportunities in Cleveland’s big league club might be hard to come by with the team in the middle of a divisional race, though.
Whenever the Guardians suffer an injury or have a need for left-handed production, Manzardo will be there, hungry for glory.
NEXT: Guardians Struggling Star Is Showing Signs Of Turning His Season Around
