The Biggest Guardians Surprise (And Disappointment) of the First Half for the Season

Here's the biggest surprise and the biggest disappointment from the first half of the Cleveland Guardians 2026 campaign.

May 1, 2026; West Sacramento, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Travis Bazzana (37 bats during the fourth inning against the Athletics at Sutter Health Park. Mandatory Credit: Scott Marshall-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The 2026 Cleveland Guardians season has already been full of twists and turns.

At the MLB All-Star break, the Guardians find themselves in first place of the American League Central Division, tied with the Chicago White Sox.

But overall, this season has been a success so far for the Guardians.

Biggest surprise for the Guardians: Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana’s success

Both DeLauter and Baazana were highly regarded prospects in Cleveland’s farm system coming into the season. But their ability to provide the Guardians with just enough offense to remain in first place despite losing DeLauter, Jose Ramirez and Angel Martinez for an extended period of time is tremendously impressive.

DeLauter made his debut last postseason during Cleveland’s Wild Card series against the Detroit Tigers. The Guardians needed offense, and called up one of their best hitting prospects.

To start this season, DeLauter was leading the MLB in home runs. He cooled down and suffered a rib injury, but regained some of that power ahead of the All-Star break. DeLauter is currently slashing .263/.337/.408 with 11 home runs and 46 RBI.

Bazzana debuted in late April and he’s already an All-Star. Over his first 65 games, Bazzana is currently slashing .238/.330/.389 with a .719 OPS, seven home runs, 28 RBIs, and 13 stolen bases. He helped carry the offensive workload almost singlehandedly while DeLauter was sidelined with bruised ribs.

DeLauter and Bazzana kept the boat afloat without Ramirez and Martinez. Once everyone gets healthy and heats up, this could be a much better batting lineup.

Biggest disappointment for the Guardians: Bo Naylor’s inability to hit major league pitching

The Guardians traded for Patrick Bailey, one of the best defensive catchers in baseball in a surprising trade with the San Francisco Giants back in May.

Naylor was struggling behind the dish, and his bat just never followed him through Cleveland’s farm system. Naylor was a power-hitting catcher with Double-A Akron RubberDucks and the Triple-A Columbus Clippers. 

When he was sent down, Naylor was slashing .143/.200/.238 across 28 games  and 90 plate appearances. He’s currently batting .232 with a .806 OPS in Columbus with five home runs. Naylor has hit for power including a few notable highlights like a walk-off inside-the-park home run and a grand slam.

It’s disappointing that Naylor wasn’t able to factor into Cleveland’s catching plan at the big league level. Bailey and Austin Hedges are good enough to anchor the position into the postseason, should the Guardians make it back.