The Guardians Have Arrived In Goodyear Which Means Spring Is Near
While we're months away from being underway at the corner of Carnegie and Ontario, baseball season has officially arrived for the Guardians in Goodyear, Arizona.
While players started to report to camp this week, those participating in the World Baseball Classic will not be present. For the Guardians, this includes:
- Richie Palacios, OF - Netherlands
- Andrés Giménez, SS - Venezuela
- Bo Naylor, C - Canada
- Cal Quantrill, RHP - Canada
- Cade Smith, RHP - Canada
- Dayan Froas, SS - Colombia
- Meibrys Viloria, C - Colombia
- Josh Wolf - RHP - Israel
- Enyel De Los Santos, RHP - Dominican Republic
Familiar Faces Alongside New Ones
After the Guardians season came to an end in the divisional series, the club added a few new faces to help bolster the roster -- including the signing of free agent first baseman Josh Bell.
Bell will help sure up the Guardians' lineup at first base. While Josh Naylor largely took over the role last season, he's expected to take a backseat to Bell at the position and slide more into the designated hitter slot. Naylor may possibly return to the outfield on occasion to help keep his bat in the lineup as well.
The Guardians also signed catcher Mike Zunino in free agency. As long as he is healthy and ready, the club expects him to be the starting catcher on Opening Day.
Zunino had been an All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021 with 33 home runs and and .860 OPS, but saw very limited in action in 2022 due to a season-ending shoulder surgery to his non-throwing arm.
With that being said, the backup role will be up for grabs as both Austin Hedges and Luke Maile hit free agency following the 2022 campaign. Familiar names that could be seen behind the dish at any point this season are Bryan Lavastida and Bo Naylor -- but four others will be in the running as well in David Fry, Cam Gallagher, Meibrys Viloria, and Zack Collins.
Fry spent all of last season in Columbus in the Guardians organization. Gallagher and Meibrys, and Collins are all familiar with the AL Central having once been a part of the Royals and White Sox organizations, respectively, during their careers.
Someone else that is returning to the diamond from surgery is All-Star third baseman José Ramírez, who underwent successful thumb surgery back in November to repair the ulnar collateral ligament injury from June.
Ramírez opted not to have surgery at the time of the injury and played through it instead -- helping the Guardians young squad reach the playoffs.
Speaking of All-Stars, as mentioned above, second baseman Andrés Giménez will be playing in the World Baseball Classic so we will not see him at camp. Giménez, who also battled a thumb injury last season with a non-displaced fracture in September, exploded on the scene during the 2022 campaign.
With the expectation to take over for Francisco Lindor at short stop after coming to Cleveland in that trade, Giménez struggled and found himself mostly in Columbus during the 2021 season. In 2022, he finished with a 7.4 WAR, which was sixth in all of baseball and has quickly become a key component to this teams winning formula.
The club will also have their All-Star fiery closer, Emmanuel Clase, return. Clase, who had signed an extension with the team prior Opening Day last season, had a standout year and finished atop the leader board with 42 saves and 0.73 WHIP.
The team heads to spring after setting a franchise-record with four Gold Glove winners with Giménez being one of them. Outfielder Steven Kwan -- who made a compelling case for Rookie of the Year in his debut season -- finished third in voting, led all left fielders in defensive runs saves at 21, and boasted a 5.5 WAR.
The other two Gold Glovers you will find on the roster are center fielder Myles Straw, who the Guardians also signed to an extension right after the 2022 season began, and starting pitcher and 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner, Shane Bieber.
What Headlines To Watch For
As comes with any ounce of fame, expect attention to be on the Guardians' right fielder, Oscar Gonzalez. Gonzalez (aka SpongeBob) had cemented his name in Cleveland baseball history with some postseason magic that will not be forgotten anytime soon.
While the Guardians will roll into the season with the starting infield and outfield solidified with Amed Rosario resuming his role at short stop, the team looks to break camp with the next-up mentality waiting in the wings to round out their depth. Last season, the club saw 17 players make their MLB debut.
As with last year's success, we can assume the bullpen will look to Clase, James Karinchak, and Trevor Stephan for the late innings of the game. Sam Hentges, Enyel De Los Santos, Nick Sandlin and Eli Morgan will likely grace the 26-man roster on Opening Day with another spot there for the taking.
The starting rotation should yield no real surprises for anyone. Bieber, Triston McKenzie, Cal Quantrill, Zach Plesac, and Aaron Civale will all be returning and ready to take the mound.
Looking Ahead
After the thrilling race to the top of the Central last season, the Guardians will look to claim that spot once again under skipper Terry Francona who will return at the helm. Francona, who has been seeing better health as of late, has been said to have the job for as long as he wants it.
Before you know it, the Guardians will play their first spring training game on Saturday, February 25 against the Reds and start the countdown until they head to Seattle for Opening Day on Thursday, March 30.
The start of the baseball season and spring is near, but we're still just a few more months away until its back in Cleveland at the corner once again.
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Read More:
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