Guardians Star Providing Lineup With Much-Needed Offense

Andres Gimenez has now hit three home runs in the last eight games for the Cleveland Guardians.

Jun 14, 2024; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) hits an RBI single against the Toronto Blue Jays in the fifth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images / Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians are emerging from their offensive slump, thanks to production from a few unlikely heroes in their lineup.

One of those being second baseman Andres Gimenez.

Gimenez will always be known for his elite defense, but the offense has been a different story. Ever since his breakout 2022 season, the 26-year-old has had trouble finding consistency at the plate. When he's locked in, Gimenez can be one of the best contact hitters in the game and help spread out the threats in Cleveland's lineup.

Gimenez is going through another of those stretches right now. Over the last 15 games, he's hitting .241/.297/.431 with an OPS of .725 and a wRC+ of 104.

The main takeaway from this hot streak is the power he's displaying at the plate. Gimenez went over two months without a home run but put that slump to rest on August 30 against the Pittsburgh Pirates and has now hit three homers in the last eight games.

It also helps that these home runs came at crucial moments for the Guardians. His first homer against the Pirates series gave the Guardians a critical two-run lead at the time, and the second one put the team up early in the series finale. Gimenez's latest moon shot broke the Cleveland and Los Angeles Dodgers tie in the sixth inning of their series opener.

Sep 6, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andres Gimenez (0) is congratulated by shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) after hitting a two-run home run in the sixth inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Stephen Vogt says he is seeing a difference in not only Gimenez swing, but his approach at the plate.

"He's looking to impact it, so he's playing around out front, and that's where they say the part happens. [Gimenez] has had a lot of loudouts. He had one in the first inning tonight and two or three the other day in Kansas City. So, he's been hitting the ball hard, just hasn't seen a lot of them fall. So, for him to clip a fastball, it was really good to see."

The Guardians will need Gimenez to continue this hot streak down the stretch if they want to return to the playoffs and make some noise in October. If his plate approach really has changed, as Vogt alluded to, then there's reason to believe this can be sustained.