The Cleveland Guardians’ offense looks much better than last year. That’s a fact, even before we run the numbers. Then, we look at the stats, and the difference between this unit and the 2025 one is remarkable.
Before Thursday’s game, the team had a 101 wRC+, ranking 13th among the 30 MLB squads, and they were 28th last year with a mediocre 87 mark. Cleveland is also on a roll, winning six straight and nine of their last 10.
The Guardians are being blessed with many breakout performers on offense, including Angel Martinez, Daniel Schneemann, Chase DeLauter, Travis Bazzana, and Brayan Rocchio. That’s why the team is performing at such a high level offensively.
Rocchio, in particular, has been a big reason behind the success of the 2026 Guardians. He evolved from a slick-fielding offensive liability to an all-around dynamo near the bottom of the lineup.
Rocchio is among the hottest hitters on the team. He has never experienced this kind of offensive success in his career before.
“Brayan Rocchio, who went 3 for 3 Thursday, is hitting .386 (17 for 44) in his last 14 games for the Guardians,” Guardians insider Paul Hoynes wrote.
Rocchio is seeing the ball very well and making some excellent swings. He was a huge reason behind Thursday’s win with his three hits. Two of them were doubles. On top of all that, he stole his ninth base of the year.
After his brilliant performance, the shortstop is hitting a very solid .290/.376/.420 with four homers, seven doubles, 24 runs, 27 stolen bases, almost as many walks (19) as strikeouts (20) and a 130 wRC+.
Before 2026, Rocchio’s career-best wRC+ was 79 in 2024. He has been one of the most improved players not just on the Guardians, but also in the league.
Before accounting for Thursday’s stats, Rocchio ranked seventh among MLB shortstops with 1.5 fWAR, and fourth in the American League. If you followed his career before 2026, that was borderline unthinkable: he was just not good enough with the bat.
Things change, though. Players evolve, and Rocchio happens to be one of the hardest-working guys in the Guardians’ clubhouse. That work is finally paying off.
NEXT: Guardians Just Made A Statement That Has The AL Central On Notice
