Gabriel Arias Needs To Show Guardians He Can Excel In One Important Area
Gabriel Arias has so much potential.
He's got as much power at the plate as the best hitters in baseball and is a tremendous defender too. This combination should make him the Cleveland Guardians starting shortstop next year, right?
There's still one thing holding him back from that designation.
Arias has been horrible against left-handed pitching. In fact, he's struggled to get any hits off them dating all the way back to 2022 when he made his debut.
The 23-year-old had a batting average of .083, an OBP of .168, and a strikeout rate of 45.5 percent against southpaws last season. Cleveland can't put a player in a lineup against lefthanders who is going to strike out almost half the time.
If the Guardians are going to give Arias the keys at short, he needs to show them that he can improve against left-handed pitching. There are plenty of other middle infielders such as Brayan Rocchio, Tyler Freeman, and company that may be better options if Arias isn't able to produce.
There is a silver lining in all of this and that's the success story of Josh Naylor. Like Arias, Naylor was horrendous against Southpaws and fans even begged for him to be taken out of the lineup when one was on the mound.
Sep 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) hits an RBI single during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
However, Naylor stuck with it and turned into one of Cleveland's best all-around hitters. Perhaps Josh can help Arias get over his hump too.
The debate on who should be the Guardians' shortstop moving forward will be a hot topic throughout the offseason. This flaw is sure to be brought up when analyzing where Arias fits with this team.
