Gabriel Arias To Play More At This Position For The Guardians During Spring Training
Gabriel Arias will have to fight for whatever playing time he gets with the Cleveland Guardians in 2023 and most of this is completely out of his control. The options on where he could play in the field next season aren't wide open as they once were.
Arias came up through the Padres and Guardians system as a third-baseman and middle infielder, but those two spots are locked up by Amed Rosario, Andres Gimenez, and Jose Ramirez. Tyler Freeman also seems to be the prime candidate to back those players up when they need a day off.
Terry Francona did have Arias play some first base during the playoffs last season and I'll admit that I was impressed with how he looked there. Arias commanded that position and looked comfortable being there which is half the battle.
Oct 3, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias (8) throws to first base in the third inning against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
However, with the signing of Josh Bell who will split time at first base, and DH with Josh Naylor, that position all seem to be out of the question for Arias too.
We're quickly running out of spots where Arias could get significant playing time. There's one spot left though, and that's in the outfield. Zack Meisel of the Athletic even reported that Arias will get time there this Spring Training in order to increase his flexibility in the field.
This isn't a completely new position for Arias because he did play seven games in left field when he was down with the Clippers last season.
It's a difficult situation because Arias has a ton of potential and has demonstrated this in the Minors. He's struggled to translate this to the Big League level mainly due to not receiving consistent playing time.
When he was getting consecutive starts in the playoffs we saw what Arias can do on offense. This consistent playing time doesn't appear available for Arias as of now, but the Guardians are clearly trying to find a way for him to play no matter where it is.
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