Kyle Manzardo has arguably been the biggest disappointment of the season so far for the Cleveland Guardians, which is a lot to say considering the number of struggling hitters in their lineup. After hitting 27 home runs last season, the first baseman has just one, with three RBIs, in the first 24 games of 2026.
His batting average is still below .200, even with a recent seven-game hitting streak and a run of eight in nine games. He also has just one other extra-base hit, a double, putting his OPS at a woeful .503.
Despite all of that statistical evidence, Manzardo is sending a confident message about his season, which is based on his offseason preparation.
“I feel real confident. I worked really hard at it this offseason. I worked at home and in Arizona,” Manzardo said. “Defense and strength were my main things I was hoping to get out of the offseason. It’s cool to see those results this early. There’s a ton of season left, I just want to stay consistent with it.”
Manzardo did not respond to the added presence and possible competition from veteran power hitter Rhys Hoskins, who was signed at the start of training camp and was actually Cleveland’s Opening Day first baseman with Manzardo as the DH. The third-year player opened the campaign with two hits in his first 33 at-bats, and his batting average bottomed out at .061 on April 7.
He finally hit his first home run in his 13th game, which became part of a 10-for-33 hot stretch that has raised his batting average to .186 for the season. That is far from what anyone was hoping for after his breakout season of 2025, when he batted .234 with 70 RBIs and a .768 OPS.
Excluding Jose Ramirez, who has regained his MVP form after going through his own extended slump, and rookie Chase DeLauter, the Guardians’ best hitters this season arguably have been Daniel Schneemann, Brayan Rocchio, and Angel Martinez. None of them can provide the punch the middle of the lineup needs, which was expected to come from Manzardo.
Last year, at the end of April, Manzardo had already hit eight home runs and contributed 19 RBIs, with an OPS of .853, so he has a long way to go over the next week or so to get back to the level of production the Guardians desperately need.
NEXT: Guardians Veteran Is More Valuable Than His Stats Show
