Potential Trouble Spots For The Cleveland Guardians

Last year the deeper into the season the Cleveland Guardians went, the more things seemed to break their way. The starting pitchers pitched well, the relievers were stout, the hitters got timely hits, the defense was outstanding (four Guardians won Gold Gloves), and Manager Terry Francona pushed all the right buttons.

It was a dream season for the youngest team in the major leagues who came within one game of reaching the ALCS.

But that was then and this is now. The defending AL Central champs figure to be the hunted rather than the hunter in the division race this season.

Here are some potential trouble spots for the Guardians as they launch into the 2023 season:

Triston McKenzie’s injury. The 25-year-old right-hander failed to even reach the starting line this year. In his last start of spring training, McKenzie suffered a strain of his right teres major muscle. He will be shut down from throwing for two weeks, and then re-evaluated. Guardians officials say McKenzie, whose 2.96 ERA was second only to Shane Bieber in last year’s rotation, could miss as much as the first two months of the season.

Can the Guardians cover for the loss of McKenzie in the rotation?: That plotline began to reveal itself Friday night in Seattle, as right-hander Hunter Gaddis got the first crack at holding down the No. 2 spot in the rotation until McKenzie returns.

Can Mike Zunino be a durable and productive starting catcher? Zunino is replacing Austin Hedges, who signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent. Zunino has hit as many as 33 home runs in a season (for Tampa Bay in 2021), and the Guardians would gladly take half that total this year. Zunino, however, also has to acclimate himself to handling a Cleveland pitching staff he is catching for the first time.

Can Myles Straw hit well enough to keep his job in center field?: A Gold Glove-winning outfielder last season Straw’s hitting was as bleak as his fielding was sparkling. His slash line of .221/.291/.273 turned the former leadoff hitter into the No.9 hitter. Straw worked on being more aggressive at the plate during spring training. If Straw’s slump continues into the 2023 season, left-handed hitting Will Brennan is waiting in the wings.

Can pitcher Zach Plesac put his self-inflicted problems behind him and put produce a full season of good pitching? In each of the last three years Plesac has missed time due to self-inflicted injuries, or a lapse in judgement. In 2020 he missed time after violating COVID protocol. In 2021 he broke his thumb after slamming it into a chair while taking off a t-shirt following a game, and in 2022 he broke his hand by punching the ground after giving up a home run.

At his best Plesac is an above average pitcher, but poor judgement has cost him, and his team, several starts in the last three years.

Will reliver James Karinchak be able to adjust to baseball’s new rules designed to speed up the pace of play?: Karinchak is a notorious fidgeter on the mound, and in his first appearance of the season Thursday in Seattle, he had a costly meltdown late in the game.

Can Josh Naylor and Josh Bell produce enough runs in sharing the DH and first base jobs to boost the offense? Both are left-handed hitters, so a strict platoon is out of the question. Both also figure to be in the everyday lineup, one at DH the other at first base, while hitting in the middle of the order. The Guardians need significant run production from both.

What will be the future of shortstop Amed Rosario be in Cleveland?: He had an outstanding season in 2022, leading the American League in singles and triples, while playing solid defense. However, Rosario can become a free agent after the 2023 season, and the Guardians’ minor league system is loaded with middle infield prospects, some of whom are nearly major league-ready.

Can pitcher Aaron Civale have a bounce-back season?: After a career year in 2021 when he was 12-5, with a 3.84 ERA, Civale had a disastrous and injury-riddled 2022 season (5-6, 4.92), capped by his start in the fifth and deciding game of the Division Series with the Yankees, in which Civale failed to get out of the first inning.