After the Cleveland Guardians’ first seven games, outfielder Chase DeLauter didn’t just look like an AL Rookie of the Year candidate: he looked like the AL MVP. He hit .346/.370/.923 with five home runs and a 254 wRC+ over that span.
That’s why seasons don’t last seven games, though. Otherwise, it would be too much ‘small sample noise’.
From April 5 until going down with a small rib fracture on June 13, he slashed a solid, if unspectacular .252/.333/.346 with a 95 wRC+, slightly below the league average, with just two homers in 243 plate appearances. He appeared to have settled into an average hitter, when in reality, he was just making adjustments after his hot stretch to open the season.
Baseball is a game of adjustments: pitchers learned how to pitch to him after his explosive early showing, and it was his turn to adjust back.
It’s safe to say that, now that he’s healthy and had some rest, he is back showing that incredible early-season form. On Thursday, he gave his team a lead they wouldn’t relinquish with his ninth homer of the year.
Over his last seven games, the sweet-swinging outfielder is slashing a cool .310/.355/.552. If we extend the scope to his last 15, he has been even better, hitting an incredible .367/.406/.550.
Ever since returning from the injured list on June 28, DeLauter is slashing a robust .372/.400/.535 with a 164 wRC+. That doesn’t even include his stats on Thursday, when he homered.
For the season, DeLauter is giving Cleveland exactly what they expected from him and more. He is hitting .279/.345/.436 with a 120 wRC+, nine homers, and 43 RBI.
The Guardians have enjoyed the full DeLauter experience in 2026: solid bat-to-ball skills and bat speed, gap and over-the-fence power, on-base skills, and a penchant for getting hurt. He has checked each one of those boxes.
If he can stay healthy for the rest of the season, a .280/.340/.450 campaign with 20 homers and 80 RBI is still a possibility for him. And he wouldn’t even begin to scratch his lofty ceiling if he put up those numbers.
We are witnessing one of the best hitters in the Guardians’ lineup, one who could be a staple in their offense for years to come.
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