MLB Analyst Believes Guardians Prospect Could Have Surprise Season

Who rounds out the Cleveland Guardians' outfield will be one of the most interesting storylines heading into Opening Day.

Cleveland has several options to play in the right field, and while they have serious question marks, this group also has some strong potential.

One player who R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports believes could have a surprise season and breakout for the Guardians is Johnathan Rodriguez.

"Rodríguez has immense bat speed, granting him not just pole-to-pole power and the ability to post a maximum exit velocity (116.8 mph) that would've ranked in the top 12 in the majors. He's also a demolisher of left-handed pitching, scorching southpaws to the tune of a 1.143 OPS in 2024." wrote Anderson.

"It's possible Rodríguez gets blocked out from a real opportunity in Cleveland by more well-rounded and established outfielders. I'm giving him the nod anyway because there's a non-zero chance that he gets a look and emerges as this year's Big Christmas."

Walk-off winner!#Guardians 24yr old OF prospect Johnathan Rodriguez down to his final strike with two outs in the bottom of the 9th hits a 403 foot walk-off bomb 104.5 mph off the bat to give Columbus a 7-to-6 win over St. Paul!

The HR was Rodriguez farm leading 25th of the… pic.twitter.com/McYqgKyiNa
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) September 12, 2024

Rodriguez made his debut with the Guardians at the beginning of last season, but it didn't quite go as planned. He struggled to make contact, so he was optioned back down to Triple-A and maintained his prospect status.

As Anderson noted, a path for plate appearances for Rodriguez won't be easy. Jhonkensy Noel and Will Brennan are likely to platoon in right field to start the season, and hopefully, Chase DeLauter isn't too far behind him.

However, J-Rod's impressive minor league numbers make him a perfect candidate to bring up if Noel starts struggling, the Guardians need some extra hitters against the left-handed pitchers, or there's an injury during the season.

The path to playing time may be limited, but all it takes is one or two weeks of strong at-bats to show a team your true value. With how quickly Rodriguez's bat can get hot, that could happen with the Guardians in 2025.

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