What To Make Of The Guardians Outfield
The Cleveland Guardians came into the 2023 season seemingly having their roster on lock, and after the valiant effort of the 2022 campaign, the club was coming in ready to return with the same look.
But, legendary moments in the playoffs don’t always grant immunity when it comes to a young team, and for some of the four outfielders that were on the 2023 Opening Day roster, their future could be in flux.
Oscar Gonzalez
The 24-year-old made a splash on the scene last season when the SpongeBob theme song was blaring through the speakers at Progressive Field. Gonzalez, who affectionately took on the nickname of the cartoon sponge, became an intriguing piece for the team that needed some pop and had a spot to fill.
With the bat flip that ended the 15-inning game during the Wild Card round, he propelled the hometown team past the Rays. SpongeBob’s home run sent all of those in attendance of that bitterly cold game home satisfied and ready to take on the New York Yankees in the ALDS.
And, a few days later, he came back up in an even bigger moment. Gonzalez had the hit up the middle in Game 3 when the club found themselves down 5-4 in the bottom of the ninth. With two strikes and two outs, he brought in two runs for the walk-off winner that shook Clevelander’s and the stadium to its core.
But, once we got into the full swing of the season, the now 25-year-old struggled at the plate time and time again — and was ultimately optioned to Triple-A in early May, and didn’t make his way back to the bigs — outside of a few call-ups — until late July.
On the season, the outfielder had a -1.4 WAR and slashed .214/.239/.312 and .551 OPS with 37 hits and two home runs in 180 plate appearances. In comparison, Gonzalez logged 382 plate appearances in the season prior with a slash line of .296/.327/.461 and .789 OPS with 11 home runs.
Cleveland Guardians center fielder Myles Straw (7) celebrates with left fielder Steven Kwan (38) and right fielder Will Brennan (17) after defeating the San Diego Padres at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
© Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports
Will Brennan
The same age as Gonzalez, Will Brennan found himself with the club in late September of last season’s campaign. This year, he was the primary right fielder for the 2023 season, having played 110 games in the position (starting 88 of them).
Brennan’s versatility allowed him to play in both center and left field in 11 and seven games, respectfully. He did miss some brief time with a shoulder injury he sustained while making a diving catch against the Oakland Athletics in June, but made it to the game logs in 138 of the 162.
Brennan fared with a .266/.299/.357 slash line with a .655 OPS and 115 hits in 455 plate appearances. While not much of a boost, he did outperform his counterpart in Gonzalez on the season.
Steven Kwan
There’s not much to say about the left fielder who has completed his second season in the bigs. In the first year, Steven Kwan found his way into the headlines many times. Fans of the sport monitored how he went 116 pitches before having a swing-and-miss.
Kwan also was in the mix for rookie of the year, being beaten out by Seattle Mariners’ centerfielder Julio Rodríguez for the final nod. But, Kwan did win his Gold Glove during his rookie campaign and defensively, led all MLB left fielders with 21 DRS and 10 Outs Above Average.
While taking a slight offensive step backward during the 2023 season, Kwan still had a very productive year at the plate and has made himself the left fielder of this team with his career 9.1 WAR and defensive prowess.
Myles Straw
What the Guardians lack in offense, they tend to make up in defense. Joining his left fielder, Myles Straw was also a 2022 Gold Glove award winner (as well as pitcher Shane Bieber and second basemen Andrés Giménez).
But, without defense, Straw’s lack of punch at the plate in timely moments was felt by the team that hit the least amount of home runs during the season at a lowly 124 — trailing behind the 71-91 Washington Nationals with 151 deep balls.
Straw hit his first and only home run of the 2023 season in August, nearly two years after his last one came in July 2021. He had a .301 OBP and .297 SLG with a .597 OPS — having the lowest in those three categories among all qualifying centerfielders.
Having signed a five-year, $25 million extension prior to the start of the 2022 season, Straw is the only outfielder not in pre-arbitration of the above-mentioned.
Looking Ahead
It’s no secret that the outfield has had attention drawn to it for its lack of power. Combined, the outfield accounted for just 16 home runs, including three from Ramon Laureno whom the Guardians claimed off waivers in August.
With the infield being a near-lock coming into the 2024 campaign, the areas of improvement are going to have to come from beyond the cut of the grass, and with Kwan holding down the left field position, it would appear center and right field would be the two positions to note coming into Spring Training.
The Guardians will certainly need to do their due diligence in the offseason to look for ways to bolster the outfield. Whether that entails a trade, free agent signing, or looking to another young player who has had limited playing time out there sliding into the starting those positons — something will have to give for next year.
