Cleveland Guardians outfielder Stuart Fairchild has played three games since being called up to the majors this past weekend. In the first two, against the Boston Red Sox, he racked up five plate appearances and struck out in all of them.
Yes, you read that correctly: five trips to the plate, five strikeouts. In those two games, Fairchild looked uncompetitive, to put it lightly.
In his most recent game, however, he went 1-for-2 with a walk, a strikeout, and an RBI against the New York Yankees. That’s more like it: even if he fanned once, he was able to impact the game with his bat and his patience.
Fairchild revealed to Cleveland.com that nerves played a role in his early struggles in the weekend games. It’s hard to blame him: returning to the big leagues means everything for players.
“I got off to a rough start in my first couple of games. There were some nerves there, for sure, about being back in the big leagues. I’m not going to lie,” Fairchild said. “Today, I felt like I was back to being me.”
Even though the Guardians lost on Thursday, Fairchild showed that he can help if used correctly. He got the start with left-hander Carlos Rodon on the mound, and got some excellent results.
The 30-year-old journeyman had gotten off to a brilliant start in the Guardians’ Triple-A team, the Columbus Clippers. There, he slashed a cool .289/.417/.479 with a 141 wRC+, five home runs, and nine stolen bases in 40 games.
Manager Stephen Vogt is well aware of Fairchild’s platoon splits and wants to take advantage of the fact that he is quite solid against lefties over his MLB career, with a 105 wRC+. When facing righties, the number plummets to 69.
If used correctly, Fairchild has the skill set to help the Guardians in specific situations. He has some power and speed; he can play the three outfield positions, and being in the majors means the world to him.
Now that he appears to have left the nerves behind, he can be a useful piece for Vogt and Cleveland in upcoming games.
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