Analyst Identifies Major Sleeper Slugger for Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians may have a sleeper power hitter waiting in the wings this MLB season.

May 29, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez (30) after the game against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians are entering 2025 in desperate need of some pop in their lineup, particularly after trading Josh Naylor back in December.

Yes, the Guardians did sign Carlos Santana, but he turns 39 in April, so he is definitely a major question mark going into the season.

Cleveland also probably isn't going to add any significant pieces now that spring training has already begun, so we can likely expect the Guardians to look awfully similar to the way they do now come opening day.

Stephen Vogt and Co. can always search for some internal options to solve their power problem, and on that note, James Mastrucci of Away Back Gone has identified a big potential sleeper for Cleveland this year: outfielder Johnathan Rodriguez.

Rodriguez saw some brief action with the Guardians last season, playing in 13 games and slashing .129/.325/.161 with five RBI over 40 plate appearances.

However, the 25-year-old was incredibly productive in Triple-A, slashing .301/.390/.540 with 29 home runs and 94 RBI across 508 trips to the dish.

Sure, minor-league baseball is not quite the same as the bigs, but Rodriguez has at least displayed that he has legitimate power and could represent an option in the outfield if Jhonkensy Noel struggles or if Chase DeLauter simply doesn't seem ready.

Rodriguez was originally selected by Cleveland in the third round of the 2017 MLB Draft and has been in the Guardians' system ever since, slashing .281/.356/.488 over the course of his minor-league career.

Perhaps the Puerto Rican native will ultimately get a legitimate shot on Cleveland's major-league club at some point this year.

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