The Cleveland Guardians are finally relying on Kyle Manzardo.
The left-handed hitter wasn’t in the lineup often early in the season, and his opportunities were almost exclusively against right-handed pitchers.
Now, with Carlos Santana no longer on the team, Manzardo is finally getting the consistent playing time he needs.
With that in mind, Zack Meisel of The Athletic said the second-year player has to work on two specific areas.
“The next frontier for Manzardo is to improve against lefties and to better his defense at first base. Manzardo receiving daily at-bats the rest of the season, no matter the handedness of the opposing pitcher, should be beneficial, and that’s made possible by the release of Carlos Santana, who caught on with the Chicago Cubs,” Meisel wrote.
Of course, it’s not an anomaly to see that Manzardo does better against righties than against lefties. That’s pretty much the MLB standard.
Nevertheless, the way he’s added power without giving up contact makes him a potential star at the plate, and he needs to find more consistency regardless of the pitcher to take his game to that level.
As for his defense, that might be a bigger concern, especially considering that Santana was elite in that regard.
The decision to move on from the 39-year-old, however, seemed easy for both parties.
He wasn’t getting it done at the plate, and he may have an opportunity to finish his career with a legitimate World Series contender.
The Guardians needed to free space for Manzardo to get more playing time, and with C.J. Kayfus also getting some games at first base, it just made sense.
Manzardo has played a big role in keeping Cleveland’s postseason hopes alive, and hopefully, this is just the beginning of his rise to the top of the game.
NEXT: Insider Reveals A Big Concern About Guardians' Offense
