As baseball comes to a halt for a few days, the Cleveland Guardians have to feel good about their first half.
They are 46-44, just two games out of first place in the AL Central, and have enjoyed several breakout seasons.
Josh Naylor is breaking out, and Triston McKenzie is finding consistency in the rotation.
Yet Andres Gimenez may be having the most pleasant and surprising breakthrough campaign for the Guards.
It’s not that he wasn’t a promising hitter: he always was.
However, it’s great to see him developing some impact power to go with his obvious speed, defense, and feel for the game.
And he is just 23 years old, which means the Guardians have a second baseman for the next few years at the very least.
He struggled to the tune of a horrid .633 OPS last year.
The Road To Greatness
It was all part of a process, though.
“A year ago, Andrés Giménez was in Columbus trying to reinvent his swing after being sent down, a year later, he’s the starting 2nd baseman for the American League in the All Star Game,” Guardians reporter Joe Collins tweeted.
A year ago, Andrés Giménez was in Columbus trying to reinvent his swing after being sent down, a year later, he’s the starting 2nd baseman for the American League in the All Star Game#ForTheLand https://t.co/QCgBVQB67g
— Joe Collins (@joedcollins1) July 16, 2022
Granted, Jose Altuve was chosen by fans as the American League starting second baseman, but he can’t play and Gimenez will gladly take his place.
Gimenez has broken out with a .296/.357/.478 batting line, 10 home runs, 33 runs, 43 RBI, and seven stolen bases.
His OPS is now .835, comfortably above league average.
He is now a complete hitter, capable of inflicting damage with his contact, his power, his speed, and his glove.
Guardians fans are excited to see him in the Midsummer Classic and to see what he has in store for the second half.
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