"He's A Good Hitter:" Kyle Manzardo Shines In Guardians Spring Training Debut
Kyle Manzardo.
Get used to hearing that name if you're a Cleveland Guardians fan. Manzardo was the sole prospect the organization got in return from the Tampa Bay Rays for Aaron Civale.
He's not yet on the team's 40-man roster, but he is with the club in Goodyear, Arizona as a non-roster invite for spring training.
Manzardo made his spring training debut with the club on Sunday afternoon as the Guardians took on the Seattle Mariners and he absolutely looked like he's ready for the big leagues. Manzardo only played the first half of the exhibition game against the but certainly made an impact in the limited run time.
Kyle went 2-for-2 in his two at-bats. His first hit was a single on a hard-hit line drive to the right fielder and his second hit was another line-drive single to center field. You didn't need a stat cast to see how hard these balls were hit, anybody watching could tell these two hits were smoked.
That included Manzardo's head coach Stephen Vogt also noticed how much he's been working and is excited with his offensive potential.
"He's a good hitter, you can just tell," said Vogt. "He swings at the right pitches, he knows how to hit. It's fun seeing him get results and it's fun to watch him play."
Manzardo also made a couple of nice defensive plays too. Gabriel Arias made a high throw from shortstop and Manzardo reached up to catch the ball, bobbled it, and was still able to tag out the runner in front of first base.
At some point during the 2024 season, Manzardo will be a difference-maker at the big league level. However, based on reports from multiple people close to the organization, it seems likely that he'll start the year at Triple-A Columbus.
