Sometimes, a manager has to look beyond the box score to make a fair assessment of a player.
You could say that Cleveland Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt was willing to give Franco Aleman a pass after the talented, yet still-developing reliever allowed two runs in 0.2 innings against the Texas Rangers on Wednesday.
He had a rough outing, struggling badly with his control by walking two while getting just two outs, and his manager still praised him.
“Franco [Aleman], for me, when I’ve seen him right, he’s really good. There’s some fastball command (issues); he has a hard time getting the ball at the top of the zone at times. But when Franco’s right, you see all the elements are there. The presence, the velo, and the breaking ball are really good; the changeup’s coming along. We’ve known Franco for a while now. He’s close. We feel like if he can put it together, he can help us win games,” Vogt said.
Aleman’s 2024 campaign in Triple-A Columbus was very promising, as he put up a 1.99 ERA in 22.2 innings there with 13.50 strikeouts per nine frames and 3.97 walks per nine.
Then, in 2025, his control regressed.
He finished with a 7.85 ERA in 36.2 innings at the same level, walking a whopping 5.89 hitters per nine.
The strikeouts were still there, as he fanned 13.99 batters per nine frames, but throwing strikes consistently became more of a challenge for him.
There were also injuries along the way, including surgery to repair a hernia in his left hip in the spring of 2025.
When he’s right, like Vogt says, Aleman can be a difference-maker: mound presence, big fastball, and swing-and-miss secondaries are part of the package.
Unfortunately, so are walks.
He is going to need to take a step forward in that department if he wants to make the majors and earn a bullpen spot there.
There is still plenty of time for him to ramp up and get into a groove at the mound, and it’s fair to point out that he had a nice first spring outing before Wednesday’s stinker.
If he can keep the walks under control, the Guardians could have a shutdown arm for the late innings, aiding their quest for playoff relevance.
It’s a big ‘if’, though.
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