3 Guardians Hitters That Will Benefit from Jose Ramirez's Return

The Cleveland Guardians are preparing for the return of one of their franchise's all-time great players.

With third baseman Jose Ramirez set to return on Wednesday night to face the Minnesota Twins, it’s safe to say the presence of Ramirez back in the lineup will be felt positively by the rest of Cleveland’s lineup.

Having Ramirez back in the lineup and ready to contribute is crucial for the Guardians in their second half pursuit of a second consecutive division title. Yes, his production is much needed to ensure that actually happens, but so is the production of a few other key players.

These three players have definitely seen better days on offense, but with a bat like Ramirez’s back in action, their hitting could see an improvement in the weeks to follow.

Steven Kwan

The biggest thing for Kwan is finding his rhythm once again, which he has shown recently with his success at the plate. In the last month since Ramirez has been on the injured list, Kwan has been batting a .352 average, with a .500 in the last seven days.

These numbers are fantastic. But what this means more than anything is that with Kwan producing in his best form, imagine what Ramirez’s return could do for him. With Ramirez’s consistency putting players on base and in scoring position; add Kwan’s hitting to that, you get more scoring.

This won’t be the case for every plate appearance of course, but Kwan has been batting at the top of the order once again. If Ramirez is batting third or fourth in the order, Kwan can help both himself and Ramirez by continuing his hot streak at the plate.

Kyle Manzardo

This is a much different scenario than Kwan’s, as Manzardo has been having a really tough year batting. He currently has a .209 batting average with ten home runs, far less than he’s used to at this point in the season and has a horrific .125 batting average since Ramirez’s injury.

Opposite of Kwan’s situation, Manzardo has the real opportunity to improve his hitting numbers with Ramirez back in the lineup. Manzardo always bats near the top of the lineup, so he can also benefit from Ramirez’s momentum and ability to get on base.

It won’t be a drastic or immediate change for Manzardo, but over the next month, his at-bats aren’t going to change, so he needs to capitalize on the presence of Jose Ramirez and his power hitting to find that fire within himself once again.

He has the ability to produce both on base and scoring but having their best player batting in front of him, he should be able to find his prior success at the plate.

Rhys Hoskins

Going alongside Manzardo’s need for success at the plate once again, Hoskins desperately needs to find his offensive firepower again. It hasn’t been seen very much during his short time in Cleveland, but it’s certainly still in his arsenal.

Hoskins is the other first baseman aside from Manzardo, and also sees time as their designated hitter. These are two prime positions for required hitting, so his .181 batting average isn’t going to cut it even in a lineup of multi .250+ batters.

The thing that’s interesting about Hoskins is that he’ll put together a hitting streak over two or three games in a row, and then not find a hit for five games. That streaky play is what often loses teams games in close matchups, and with the division closely run by both the Guardians and White Sox, Hoskins can’t be their one fault.

He’s going to need to follow Ramirez and his knack for hitting moving forward, especially batting lower in the order. Allow for Ramirez to put batters on base, and all Cleveland will need are those singles or doubles to continue to run up the score.

Every player in their lineup matters equally, and Hoskins needs to prove his affordable contract was worthwhile for the Guardians.

Add us as a preferred source on Google