Talented Youth Movement On Full Display For Cleveland Guardians

The rebranding of the Cleveland franchise in Major League Baseball from the Cleveland Indians to the Cleveland Guardians is well underway.

On July 23, 2021, the Cleveland Indians became the Cleveland Guardians.

Now, as the first month of the new MLB season is moving along, so is the corporate change of Cleveland’s franchise.

From the new name, to a new logo, to new uniforms, the team has also introduced a roster of new players.

After finishing 2nd to the Chicago White Sox (93-69) in the American League Central Division as the Cleveland Indians last season, the newly named Guardians want to improve upon their 80-82 record. Last year was their first losing season since 2012.

The Guardians hope to produce more offense and score more runs this year. They want to regain their standing in the American League Central Division.

In their quest for improvement, Cleveland’s front office has offered opportunities to young players lacking big league experience. The new faces are oozing with baseball tools, personal confidence and a desire to prove they belong on baseball’s biggest stage.

The Guardians are counting on young, motivated position players to bolster the offense, provide more run support, and take advantage of a highly regarded pitching staff that has proven efficient and effective.

Cleveland’s baseball operations staff led by Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff, in addition to manager Terry Francona, have trusted their team’s fortunes to relatively inexperienced graduates of the club’s player development program.

The team still relies upon more experienced veteran players like dynamic Myles Straw (CF) All Star Jose Ramirez (3B) slugger Franmil Reyes (DH) and good hitting Amed Rosario (SS) to provide the nucleus of the offense.

That group has been joined by a few intriguing, exciting, and promising younger position players. Some of those more unfamiliar names include:

Steven Kwan: LF (age 24)

Left-handed hitting Steven Kwan is listed at 5-9, 170 pounds. In reality, he may be a tad shorter.

Kwan became the talk of baseball when he went through spring training without striking out in 16 games, covering 34 plate appearances. In fact, he didn’t swing and miss. Not once. Kwan hit .469 in spring training, getting 15 hits, including two doubles.

A 5th round pick of the Cleveland Indians out of Oregon State University, Kwan used remarkable offensive mechanics at every one of the 10 games this scout saw him play this spring.

Kwan showed superb eye-hand coordination, which is probably the most important characteristic of a good hitter. His bat control, ability to recognize the pitch out of the pitcher’s hand, patience, ability to find the barrel of the bat, and his overall presence at the plate quickly became the talk of baseball.

Once likely an afterthought to make the opening day roster, Kwan played himself into the team’s plans. His energy, his game awareness, and his concentration on not being overly aggressive helped Kwan find his way to the No. 2 hitter in Terry Francona’s lineup.

To start the season, Kwan went 116 pitches before he swung and missed. He reached base 15 times in the first series of the season against Kansas City.

Kwan was scorching hot to start the season, but he has since cooled off a bit, especially against left-handed pitching.

While there will be hiccups along the way for a player as inexperienced as Kwan, he has earned the respect and admiration of the baseball community for his unselfish approach and ability to get on base and make things happen.

Owen Miller: 2B/1B (age 25)

Last season, right-handed hitting infielder Owen Miller tore up Triple-A.

Playing for Columbus in the Indians organization, Miller, a line-drive hitter with good hitting mechanics, finished with a .297 batting average in 206 plate appearances.

The Indians felt so highly about Miller, he was promoted to the parent club and made his major league debut May 23, 2019. But Miller never did get acclimated. He didn’t produce the loud bat he showed in Triple-A, hitting only .204/.243/.309/.552 in 202 Cleveland plate appearances.

Miller was a 3rd round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2018. He was traded to Cleveland in the blockbuster deal that sent Mike Clevinger and Greg Allen to the Padres for six young and promising players, including Miller.

This spring, Miller once again showed the Cleveland front office that his line-drive bat was loud and dangerous. He again began to hit ropes to the gaps, making his presence known as a superb contact hitter. He has a fine eye at the plate and enough patience to work the count in his favor.

Miller is versatile enough to play all four infield positions, depending upon where his manager needs him at the moment. His versatility is widely appreciated on a Cleveland team that will most likely use him at both first and second bases most often.

While Miller has had defensive lapses in early season games he played at both first base and second base, his bat remains potent, with line drives being peppered to all parts of the field.

Before being placed on the COVID related Injured List April 20, Miller had clobbered seven doubles and was hitting .500 in 33 plate appearances.

Andres Gimenez: (age 23)

Andres Gimenez came to the Cleveland Indians along with infielder Amed Rosario, outfielder Isaiah Greene and pitcher Josh Wolf in the January 7, 2021, trade with the New York Mets for shortstop Francisco Lindor and pitcher Carlos Carrasco.

Gimenez was signed as an international free-agent from Venezuela by the Mets for $1.5M in 2015.

At the age of 21, Gimenez was promoted to the parent Mets in 2020. He played in 49 games for New York, playing both third base and shortstop.

Gimenez hit fairly well as a young rookie with the Mets, hitting .263 with three homers and 12 RBIs in his 132 plate appearances.

At 5-11, 161 pounds, Gimenez is a good defender with a strong arm and a high baseball IQ. Due to his good range at both positions, the Guardians are using Gimenez at shortstop and second base, depending upon the pitching matchup.

There are times manager Francona has played Amed Rosario in left field as opposed to his normal shortstop position. Gimenez has played shortstop in those instances. Those Rosario appearances in left are less frequent at this point.

There are times Owen Miller has played first base, and Gimenez was asked to play second.

And there are times Miller plays second, and Gimenez is on the bench.

The Guardians appear to be using a mix-and-match lineup that includes some combination of Rosario, Miller and Gimenez in their middle-infield. But his role may be threatened by other middle-infielders in the future, like prospect Gabriel Arias.

A left-handed hitter, Gimenez is still trying to find his way against quality pitching. Still a bit inconsistent as a hitter, he has some pop in his bat, but has to recognize pitches quicker out of the hand.

Conclusions: Inconsistent Results

Several Cleveland Guardians young players are being given the opportunity to contribute to the major league club. They are still growing and learning their way on the club’s roster. It takes time and repetition to master the higher quality pitching rookies experience every game at the big league level.

Specifically, left fielder Steven Kwan, infielder Owen Miller and infielder Andres Gimenez are among the highest profile rookies in the Guardians starting lineup.

Infielder Gabriel Arias was promoted and played for the parent club as the 27th man in a doubleheader sweep of the Chicago White Sox April 20. It remains to be seen if the athletic Arias will remain with the club, as several players have been placed on the Injured List, creating roster space. Arias is another in a long line of exciting players waiting for their opportunity.

The Cleveland club has shown offensive inconsistency so far this season. They have had a few games of robust offensive outbursts, and others where their hitting was stymied by quality pitching.

To this writer, the team still lacks a powerful corner outfielder and more production from first base. A consistent power hitter would likely be welcome there as well. Weak hitting catchers have also been an issue.

Cleveland will rely on young, untested prospect players as they build their future in the American League Central.

At this early stage of the new season, there are a few Cleveland rookies getting playing time on a regular basis. That number could grow in the coming weeks and months, as more young prospects work their way to a major league promotion.