Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt is on the record saying that Chase DeLauter will play mostly right and center field, George Valera will spend most of his time in left and right, and Kwan will play left and center.
That was in late February, but things can always change. In fact, Guardians insider Terry Pluto is hearing that the Guardians might actually consider platooning Valera and Angel Martinez in left.
Martinez entered Saturday’s game hitting .438 in the Cactus League with two homers, and Valera was at .319. Why could a left field platoon work? Well, despite Martinez being a switch-hitter, he was a disaster hitting right-handers as a lefty, with a putrid 48 wRC+. Instead, he had a much better 123 wRC+ while facing southpaws and hitting as a righty.
Valera, a lefty hitter, only had five at-bats vs. southpaws and didn’t do anything with them. Facing righties was another story, as he posted a brilliant 139 wRC+. Per Pluto, he hit .188 against lefties but .319 with a .940 OPS vs. righties in Triple-A.
“I’ve not heard it publicly discussed, but I’m told the Guardians are looking at some type of Valera/Martinez platoon. Both are young outfielders. The Guardians stayed away from signing marginal veteran outfielders to give the kids a chance,” he said.
Pluto’s plan involves Kwan in center, DeLauter in right, and the Valera/Martinez platoon in left. “One spot platoons, the other two have everyday players in Kwan and DeLauter,” he says.
Pluto talks about ‘letting them combine to be one good outfielder,’ and it makes sense on paper. The Guardians would need to come up with another plan to keep DeLauter’s legs fresh, probably involving Martinez himself, Nolan Jones, CJ Kayfus, or Johnathan Rodriguez.
However, maximizing Martinez and Valera’s talents could actually make left field a highly productive position for the Guardians offensively. It would also provide a potential solution to Kwan sliding over to center field.
It all sounds very good in theory, but there are still many variables in play: for example, while Martinez should be able to make the roster, it’s not set in stone.
We can say with confidence that there’s light at the end of the tunnel for a franchise that has struggled to put together a competent outfield in recent years. This arrangement could, potentially, allow them to enjoy above-average production from all three outfield spots.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Provides Update On Outfield Plans With Steven Kwan
