Cleveland Sports Forum

Will Brennan Has Been on a Tear
by David Laurila
June 8, 2023


Will Brennan is a hot hitter on a Cleveland Guardians team that has struggled to produce at the plate. Over his last eight games, the 25-year-old rookie outfielder is 14-for-29 with four doubles and a home run. Rebounding from a slow start, he is now slashing .261/.298/.380 with an 88 wRC+ on the season.

How good of a hitter Brennan will be at the big league level remains to be seen. An eighth-round pick in 2019 out of Kansas State University, he debuted last September and slashed .357/.400/.500 in 45 plate appearances, this after posting a .314/.371/.479 line between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus. Currently no. 7 on our Guardians top prospects list, he was described by our lead prospect analyst Eric Longenhagen as a hitter who generates “doubles power with a compact swing and all-fields approach to contact.”





Brennan sat down to talk hitting when the Guardians visited Fenway Park at the end of April.

———

David Laurila: How would you describe yourself as a hitter? What is your approach at the plate?

Will Brennan: “I kind of developed that throughout my years in college and early on in pro ball. I’m pretty much going up there looking fastball — being on fastball timing — and then being able to adjust off anything else. I’m swinging at strikes. Picking a lane that the pitcher is throwing in is really important. Obviously, being able to battle with two strikes is important. I’ll continue to do that.”


Laurila: Elaborate on picking a lane.

Brennan: “Guys in the big leagues are really good, so it’s hard to protect both sides of the plate. If a mistake shows up on the outer half, which is where I’ll be looking, then that’s the time to pull the trigger and put the barrel on the ball. I might change based on what the pitcher has — whatever his weapons are — but for the most part, I’m definitely looking out and reacting in.”

Laurila: How much of a hitting nerd are you? Do you look at a lot of data?

Brennan: “Yeah. I would say I do. But I look more at what pitchers have and prepare myself for that — whatever their data is. I think that to be a complete hitter, and to be a smart hitter, you have to understand what the pitchers do and what their metrics are.”

Laurila: Is it possible to focus too much on that, and get away from what works for you?

Brennan: “Absolutely. Sometimes the best thing is to just simplify and dumb it down. But again, you have to… like right now, I’ve never faced the Red Sox before — I’ve never faced these pitchers — so I’ll have to go out there and have a few at-bats to understand how they’re going to attack me. Then I’ll kind of adjust from there. That’s the name of the game.”


Laurila: Nick Pivetta is pitching tonight, so what he throws and how he attacks different hitters in different counts will be covered in the hitters’ meeting you have coming up in 15 minutes or so. At the same time, until you’re actually standing in the box, that information only means so much. Is that accurate?

Brennan: “Correct. That is pretty accurate. There’s the old saying, ‘The whole plan goes out the door once you get punched in the face.’ You’re kind of going off of preparation and routine, and whatever your approach is at the plate that day, but from there it’s what you see in the game.”

Laurila: That said, most pitchers with similar profiles aren’t going to be markedly different, right?

Brennan: “I mean, the ability to bucket pitchers based upon their metrics is huge. You want to have an understanding of, say, what a ride guy does. You can bucket all those guys. Same with sinker-slider guys and triangle-attack guys. That’s especially the case when you’re a rookie and haven’t really faced anybody. You can go off of that prior information and hopefully have success.”

Laurila: What about your stance and swing? Do individual pitchers impact either of those?

Brennan: “I would say it’s pretty much all the same. The timing changes based upon who is on the mound, though.”


Laurila: What is your timing mechanism?

Brennan: “So, I have like a crunch, kind of a Christian Yelich type of core crunch into a leg lift. Then I fire from there. I’ve had that for about a year and a half, two years. It’s completely different from when I was in college and my first year in pro ball.”

Laurila: What was behind the change?

Brennan: “It was Cleveland driven, but it was also myself. It was to impact the ball more, have more impact quality. As an organization, we try to take guys from contact-first and transition them into having more power.”

Laurila: Do you look at yourself as contact-first?

Brennan: “Absolutely.”


Laurila: You’ve mentioned making adjustments since college. What kind of hitter were you at Kansas State?

Brennan: “I was pretty much a slap hitter. I hit the ball in the six-hole and put the ball in the middle. That’s about it.”

Laurila: Why was that? It sounds a little like you were limiting yourself.

Brennan: “I would just say that maybe I didn’t have the direction? But they also probably didn’t want to change me because I was successful. You have to evolve as a hitter, and a player, and I got to this point where [the Guardians] taught me some things to evolve.”

Laurila: Do you watch other hitters very much? If so, which ones?

Brennan: “Absolutely. Some of the best learning comes from watching other guys. I look at contact-oriented guys who are going to hit for a high average but are also able to impact the ball. [Andrew] Benintendi. [Steven] Kwan. I’ll look at how they’re approaching pitchers, and how the pitchers are attacking them. I’ll look at how their bodies work.”


Laurila: Which of your numbers do you care about when assessing your performance?

Brennan: “I care about exit velo. The amount of pitches I’m seeing. I care about in-zone swing percentage and out-of-zone percentage. Basically, things I can control.”

Laurila: What about numbers you don’t look at or care about?

Brennan: “There are plenty of metrics I don’t look at. For example, Blast comes out with a lot of data that can help guys. There are 50 different metrics, and you might only need to look at two or three of them to change what you need to change.”

Laurila: Any final thoughts?

Brennan: “I would say that which metrics you value is very important. It’s a cool question to ask. I’d love to see what other guys would say to that question.”

Puff pieces like this will put the KOD on these guys.

Jose Ramirez’s three home runs spark a Guardians offense finding its way: Lloyd CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 08: Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) rounds the bases after hitting his 200th career home run during the third inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Guardians on June 8, 2023, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
By Jason Lloyd
5h ago

CLEVELAND — The past and present collided for 390 feet of pure joy on a night the Guardians needed it during a season in which they’ve craved it.

José Ramirez certainly hasn’t been what’s wrong with the Guardians this year, but he hasn’t quite been the MVP candidate from seasons past, either. Until Thursday, that is, when all 5 feet, 9 inches of Cleveland Swag hammered three home runs in his first three at-bats and made an incredible defensive play in Cleveland’s 10-3 win over Boston.

The fact Ramirez’s third homer came off old pal Corey Kluber in the sixth inning, a 390-foot line drive into the seats in right field, made it just a touch bittersweet. Kluber was fabulous for Cleveland for so long, and his performance in the 2016 postseason should forever be applauded. Now he’s a broken-down veteran with an 86 mph cutter, a flat curve and an ERA hovering around 7.00.

Cleveland’s lineup, so feeble all season, may have ended two careers in one night. The Red Sox designated for assignment their starter, Matt Dermody, right after the game for reasons that perhaps extend beyond his lousy performance in a spot start. It wouldn’t be terribly surprising if Kluber was soon released too.

After what the Guardians have endured for the first two months offensively, a couple of Triple-A caliber pitchers looked awfully delicious to a lineup starving for power.

Ramirez is up to 36 RBIs and an .807 OPS. Not awful, but on this date last year he had 54 RBIs and a .999 OPS. Ramirez is learning it’s hard to drive in runs when nobody is on base.

His big night is further proof of an offense that maybe, just maybe, is starting to figure some things out. Guardians manager Terry Francona didn’t really want to go there before the game — “I don’t want to get too carried away,” he said, “because right when you think you’ve got it figured out, that’s right when it will jump up and bite you” — but Ramirez is forcing us to talk about it after the game.

The Guardians hit four home runs Thursday, including one from Will Brennan, and batted for the cycle as a team in the sixth inning. They haven’t done that in an inning since 2019.

This team will never lead the league in home runs, even league average is a fallacy at this point. But Josh Naylor has an eight-game hitting streak and Josh Bell’s is at seven. Bell has a homer and eight RBIs during that stretch, and while his contract still looks like an anchor at this point, there is at least a gleam emerging as summer nears.

Brennan has hit safely in eight of his past nine games and is hitting .448 with a couple of home runs since May 30. Andrés Giménez is suddenly remembering how to hit again, too.

After taking two of three from the Red Sox, Cleveland has won or split its last four series as Houston heads to town this weekend.

The Guardians are 13th in baseball in runs scored since May 26, the start of the series against the Cardinals. They’re still dead last in home runs, of course. But they’re at least putting the ball in play (.273 batting average, sixth in baseball) and scoring runs over the last two weeks.

Prior to the Cardinals series, the Guardians were batting .225 as a team, ahead of only Oakland and San Diego.

All of this could wind up back in the ditch again as soon as this weekend. The Astros lead the league in ERA and are second in strikeouts (one behind Minnesota).

If Francona isn’t ready to take victory laps, nobody else should be. This is a lineup that will always be challenged to score runs with its lack of power, and not many other teams typically trot out consecutive pitchers who could be out of the big leagues within a few days.

But despite their lineup atrocities and a bullpen that remains a bit unsettled, the Guardians are only 1 1/2 games behind the Twins in the worst division in baseball. They aren’t out of it. They’re just warming up.

Zunino's struggles amplified as Astros steal 5 bases on catcher

CLEVELAND -- The crowd of 35,087 people -- the most fans in attendance at Progressive Field this season -- couldn’t help but express its collective frustration.

For the second time in the fourth inning, backstop Mike Zunino airmailed his attempt to catch a runner stealing well into center field. Boos echoed through Progressive Field, and they only grew louder as Zunino’s bat failed to make up for his defense in Cleveland’s 6-4 loss to Houston on Saturday night.

Zunino has endured his fair share of criticism this season. The Guardians have had trouble getting offensive production out of their catchers for the last few years. It was an obvious need heading into the offseason, and the front office was hopeful that signing Zunino, who missed most of last year due to thoracic outlet syndrome, would bring some pop to the lineup.
he Guardians were hopeful that the catcher who was selected to the 2021 All-Star Game would show up in Cleveland. Instead, he’s gotten off to as rocky of a start as one could imagine. Of the 36 catchers in the Majors who had at least 100 plate appearances entering Saturday’s game, Zunino ranked 36th in strikeout rate (43.3%), 32nd in average (.186, which dropped to .182 after an 0-for-3 night), 31st in RBIs (11), 28th in slugging percentage (.322), 28th in homers (3) and 27th in wRC+ (72).

Even though the club’s goal was to improve offensively at the position, this team has proven that it can overcome this hurdle. Cleveland’s catchers had the worst average (.178) and slugging percentage (.265) in the Majors last season, and the team still had a magical year that ended in the American League Division Series. As long as the catching is elite defensively, the Guardians have always been able to overlook offensive woes.

Here’s where this year’s squad runs into some trouble.
s recently as ‘21, some of Zunino’s defensive metrics were among the best in the game, ranking in the 94th percentile in framing, according to Statcast, and tying for the eighth-most defensive runs saved (seven). But this year, it’s been the opposite.

Zunino’s framing is down to the 48th percentile, and his pop time to second base ranks in just the seventh percentile, according to Statcast. Stolen bases are up around the league after the bigger bases were implemented, so catchers were expected to see a dip in their numbers. But Zunino has struggled more than anticipated.

Saturday was the epitome of his season thus far. In the top of the second inning, Corey Julks got a good jump on Triston McKenzie. Zunino, trying to rush, was unable to get a grip on the ball and did not make a throw. In the top of the third inning, McKenzie’s 77 mph pitch did not help Zunino have enough time to get Jose Altuve out at second. But in the fourth, Zunino didn’t help himself.

It was Julks again who broke for second base. This time, Zunino made the throw, but it soared too far to the second base side of the bag and into center field. Julks was able to advance to third. A few batters later, Mauricio Dubón took his turn at stealing second. Zunino let it fly, and the ball soared even higher above second into center field than the first time. That’s when the crowd voiced its frustration.

“I think the fact that they were having such good jumps, he was trying to rush,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said. “And then trying to be too quick.”
In the sixth, Zunino was charged with a passed ball. In the eighth, another runner stole second. It marked just the fifth time since 2010 that a Cleveland catcher allowed at least five steals in a nine-inning game, joining Kevin Plawecki (five, Sept. 29, 2019), Lou Marson (five, July 29, 2012 and April 19, 2011) and Carlos Santana (five, June 10, 2011).

Zunino wasn’t in the Guardians’ clubhouse postgame to comment on his performance, but it’s safe to assume this isn’t the way he imagined starting his Cleveland career. And with Cleveland’s No. 3 prospect Bo Naylor (as ranked by MLB Pipeline) waiting in Triple-A Columbus with an .897 OPS and an active eight-game hitting streak, it’s growing harder for the organization to justify why he hasn’t received a promotion just yet.

But as long as the Guardians are sticking with Zunino, he’ll need to find a way to settle in both in the box and behind the dish in order to get the crowd back on his side.

Guardians Designate Richie Palacios For Assignment
By Nick Deeds | June 11, 2023 at 9:39am CDT

The Guardians made a series of roster moves this morning, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Infielder Richie Palacios has been designated for assignment and left-hander Tim Herrin has been optioned to Triple-A in order to make room for right-hander Cody Morris, who was activated from the 60-day IL this morning.

A third round pick by Cleveland in the 2018 draft, Palacios made his MLB debut for the club last year, though he struggled to a .232/.293/.286 slash line (good for a wRC+ of just 65) in 54 games with the club. Those struggles came in spite of fantastic minor league numbers, as Palacios hit at an above average level at every stop on his minor league journey until his major league debut. That includes a 2021 campaign where he slashed an impressive .297/.404/.471 in 103 games split between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse for Palacios in 2023, as the young infielder has failed to hit even at the Triple-A level, with a meager .217/.351/.318 slash line that’s good for a wRC+ of just 78 in 56 games with Columbus this season. Those struggles have seemingly caused the Guardians to pull the plug on Palacios, who they will now have seven days to trade or attempt to pass through waivers.

As a 26-year-old infielder with positional versatility, past success in the minors, and options remaining, Palacios seems likely to be an attractive option for infield-needy clubs on the waiver wire, though if he were to pass through waivers he would not be able to reject an outright assignment from the Guardians.

Herrin, 26, heads to Columbus after making his major league debut earlier this season. In ten appearances with the Guardians, the lefty struggled to a 6.39 ERA across 12 2/3 innings of work, allowing two home runs, five walks, and hitting a batter. Those issues with the long ball and control hampered Herrin even as he posted a solid 25.5% strikeout rate in the majors. Herrin figures to act as bullpen depth for Cleveland going forward in Triple-A, where he has posted a 3.63 ERA in 17 1/3 innings of work this season.

Those moves pave the way for the return of Morris, a 26-year-old right-hander who made an impressive big league debut with the Guardians last season. In seven appearances split between the bullpen and the rotation, Morris posted a 2.28 ERA (170 ERA+), though his 4.34 FIP indicates there may have been some good fortune in those run prevention numbers, particularly given the fact that his 12% walk rate and 35.4% groundball rate all leave something to be desired.

Still, Morris’s minor league numbers are certainly intriguing, with a career 1.68 ERA and a 37.8% strikeout rate in 80 1/3 innings of work between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. After opening the season on the injured list with a teres major strain, Morris now figures to assist the Guardians pitching staff as an option for both the rotation and the bullpen going forward, though he seems ticketed for the bullpen for the time being.

disappointing season for Palacios. Morris should be a nice addition to the bullpen. And Herrin could be back again.

Guardians’ catching situation: Mike Zunino, Bo Naylor and service time factors Cleveland Guardians catcher Mike Zunino looks toward the team bench during the fourth inning of a baseball game against the Minnesota Twins, Thursday, June 1, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
By Zack Meisel
4h ago

CLEVELAND — Guardians catchers are responsible for a .157/.231/.241 slash line this season.

That batting average ranks last in the majors. That on-base percentage ranks last in the majors. That slugging percentage ranks last in the majors.

To paint a picture of how far inferior Cleveland’s catchers have performed relative to every other team’s catchers, let’s look at wRC+ (weighted runs created), a comprehensive stat in which 100 is league average (though for catchers, 88 has represented league average this season). The Guardians’ 32 wRC+ from their catchers indicates they’ve been 18 percent worse than the second-worst catching crew, the Marlins (50 wRC+).

Cleveland’s catchers also rank last in the majors in strikeout rate (36.1 percent), far behind 29th-ranked Detroit (31.5 percent). At a time when the Guardians’ offense is finally clicking, with 10 or more hits in all six games of their homestand, the catcher spot remains a black hole.

So, let’s have another conversation about Mike Zunino and Bo Naylor.

Zunino has always been streaky, always an all-or-nothing hitter. But this season, it’s all nothing. His exit velocity has fallen off a cliff; they’re the worst of his career by far, and rank in the bottom 3 percent of all hitters. Steven Kwan and Will Brennan can get away with an attack like that because they make a ton of contact and find holes in the defense. But Zunino has the converse profile.

His strikeout rate (43.8 percent) is the worst in the league. In fact, the difference between his strikeout rate and the second-worst strikeout rate is equivalent to the difference between the second-worst rate and the 15th-worst rate.

And, well, that’s just at the plate. How about behind it?

Defensively, Cam Gallagher rates as one of the better catchers in the league (but his OPS is .333). He’s tied for first among catchers with six Defensive Runs Saved, despite a limited role. Zunino’s minus-9 DRS is second-worst among catchers. This is a team that has, for years, been willing to sacrifice offense for defense and adept handling of a pitching staff. Cleveland has employed a light-hitting Austin Hedges. Roberto Pérez supplied only one offensive season worth mentioning. Yan Gomes had struggles at the plate, but Corey Kluber and others trusted him with their lives.

The Astros swiped six bases against the Guardians on Saturday, though Triston McKenzie took ownership for not monitoring the base runners well enough, and manager Terry Francona echoed that sentiment, saying Zunino’s throws — he was behind the plate for five of the six steals — were rushed because Houston’s runners got huge jumps.

And this isn’t to pile on the guy, whose teammates and coaches say is a hard worker and a helpful presence in the clubhouse. But, the $6 million investment in Zunino — a sunk cost at this point — hasn’t paid off.

Anyway, on to Naylor.

Let’s start with the response to a couple questions I posed to assistant general manager James Harris on Sunday morning.

First, I noted everyone in Cleveland wants to know Naylor’s timeline, but we also know the assistant GM isn’t going to spell that out on the record in a press conference. So, I asked what strides Naylor has made since spring training, what the club still wants him to work on and what he stands to gain from remaining at Triple-A Columbus. Here’s what Harris had to say:

“Let’s start offensively. What you’ve seen and what he’s done offensively has been nothing short of impressive against advanced pitching; against lefties, he’s starting to control the top of the zone, which was something that we were hoping that he would work on this year. Those are things that he has made improvement on, and it’s been impressive. We’re also working on his receiving. We’re trying to figure out whether it’s a depth issue or a glove path issue. Definitely working on that. That’s improved as well. Working on throwing; he had a throwing error the other day. I mean, that’s common in baseball right now, but those are things that he is working on.

“The next step for him is being able to lead the clubhouse at a major-league level, lead the pitcher-catcher meetings. Being a (starting catcher) at the major-league level is not just catching the ball, it’s not just trying to throw guys out at second base. It’s all of that. It’s leading a pitching staff, it’s calling pitches. It’s leading advance work with our analysts. It’s like a quarterback in football and, yes, he can probably come up here and be great right away. I hope that’s the answer. But if you can spend a little bit of time and be sure, we’re hoping that that’s going to set us up for the future.”

Keep in mind, a front office member isn’t going to say…

“We’re manipulating Naylor’s service time.”

“We know the Zunino signing hasn’t worked, but we want to give him another week before we sever ties with him.”

That said, the best way to learn whether Naylor can lead a major-league clubhouse, handle working with analysts and coaches, and lead meetings and a pitching staff is to … permit him to do those things in the majors. To follow up, I asked Harris whether the organization’s preference is for Naylor to be the regular catcher upon his eventual promotion to the majors. After all, David Fry has seen time behind the plate as the club’s third catcher, despite logging zero innings at catcher for Columbus this season before he was summoned to the majors. Naylor could surely occupy that role, though my sense has been that the club wants Naylor to be the primary catcher when he’s promoted.

Said Harris: “That’s the hard part. That’s the challenge, is you can bring him up here and, is he good enough to play on this team? Yes. But if he catches once or twice a week versus six times a week in Columbus, does he learn or get the opportunity to do what we want him to do? At some point, you’re hoping that he’s your everyday (catcher) here. How do you do that? You be the everyday (catcher) in Columbus. So you can bring him up and be (second) or maybe even (third catcher) because we’re carrying three catchers, but is that the best way to prepare him? I don’t think so, but again, we’re trying to figure these things out.

“We’re trying to make the best decisions we possibly can. We don’t have a crystal ball to tell us exactly how he’s going to be great. There’s guys in the past, like Oscar Gonzalez, who start off really, really good. He’s in Triple A now. We’re trying to figure it out. Richie Palacios came up here. He was really, really good. He’s in Triple A trying to figure it out. So, coming up, having a short stint at the major-league level, even a short stint of success, doesn’t mean that guys are figuring it out. Sometimes they have to go back to Triple A. We’re hoping that that’s not the path for Bo. It likely will be, but we’re trying to prepare him as much as we can so we can make the right decision.”
Bo Naylor (Ric Tapia / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Naylor has posted a .257/.397/.500 slash line at Triple A this season, with 12 home runs, 12 doubles, and nearly as many walks (47) as strikeouts (52). He has a .907 OPS against righties and an .847 OPS against lefties. He has proven his breakout 2022 campaign was no fluke.

“It’s a service time ploy!” you (understandably) shout.

Monday is Day 75 of the 186-day season, meaning a player promoted to the big leagues on Tuesday could accrue 111 days of service time this year if he avoids a trip back to the minors.

The Super Two rule allows a group of players with two-plus years of service time to earn an extra year of arbitration eligibility (and, therefore, more money). Of those players with two-plus years, the top 22 percent of service-time accruers gain the extra year. That’s why you see some top prospects stowed in Triple A until late May or early June every season.

Now, as it pertains to Naylor, he has already banked six days of service time (five last year, plus a day as the 27th man for a doubleheader last month). So, for instance, if he were called up Tuesday, he could end the season with 117 days of service time (111 plus six).

The big question, then: When’s the Super Two cutoff? It’s hard to know for sure because it’s based on a percentage of players and you’re projecting two years into the future. Last season, a player needed two years plus 128 days of service time to qualify for Super Two status. The year before, it was two years plus 116 days. Over the course of the past dozen years, the number has ranged from 115 to 146, with an average of 128.5.

In short, the Guardians are probably at or past the cutoff point for Naylor. They certainly should be in the next week or so. As for Naylor, to even sniff Super Two status, he’d also have to avoid a demotion to the minors for the next two-plus years.

The Guardians didn’t play service time games with Tanner Bibee or Logan Allen, for what it’s worth. But there’s a dearth of reasons for Naylor not to be part of Cleveland’s catching equation at this point, given the dearth of value the big-league group has provided.

this is the full report from the front office which I agree doesn't really say much

Guardians executive sheds light on top prospect’s timeline

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Bo Naylor’s path to the big leagues has been a constant sourced of debate and intrigue since the beginning of this season for those who follow the Guardians. The arrival last week of Cincinnati’s highly-touted prospect Elly De La Cruz coupled with Cleveland’s ongoing struggles at the catching position have only intensified calls for the Guards to make a move.

On Sunday, Cleveland assistant general manager James Harris shed some light on where the club’s top catching prospect stands along his journey back to the majors.
Naylor, the club’s top pick in 2019, ranks fourth among Cleveland’s top prospects and 64th overall in baseball according to MLB Pipeline. But the decision as to when Naylor will join the Guardians on a long-term basis this season is complicated. The club signed Mike Zunino to a free agent contract worth $6 million, and seems reluctant to admit missing on the 32-year-old.

Bringing the Naylor up too early risks adding a fourth year of arbitration eligibility down the road if his major league career goes as projected.
But while Naylor toils away in Columbus, he continues to make strides and improve on several aspects of his game, Harris said.

“What he’s done offensively has been nothing short of impressive against advanced pitching and against lefties,” Harris said.

Naylor, currently batting .257 with an .897 OPS, 12 home runs and 46 RBI for the Clippers, is starting to control the top of the strike zone in his at-bats.

“Which is something that we were hoping that he would work on this year,” Harris said. “Those are things that he has made improvement on and it’s been impressive.”

Naylor is also focusing on his recieving as a catcher. Cleveland’s player development coaches were originally concerned that Naylor had an issue with his depth setting up behind the plate, or with his glove path to the ball. But Harris said Naylor has shown improvement in those areas as well.

Naylor committed a throwing error Friday in a loss to Louisville, but Harris dismissed it as a common part of baseball these days. The next step, he said, is for Naylor to learn how to lead a clubhouse.

“Being a C1 at the major league level is not just catching the ball,” Harris said. “It’s not just trying to throw guys out at second base. It’s all of that. But it’s also leading a pitching staff, it’s calling pitches. It’s leading advanced work with our analysts. It’s like a quarterback in football.”

Naylor probably already has the tools to join the Guardians and be great right away, Harris admitted. But spending a little bit of time to be sure will set him up for the future. At least, that is the club’s hope.

MLB trade deadline, 50 days out: Bowden on 8 key factors shaping this trade season

Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lance Lynn and catcher Yasmani Grandal look at the scoreboard during the first inning of a baseball game against the Los Angeles Angels Wednesday, May 31, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)
By Jim Bowden
4h ago
98

Save Article
MLB’s trade deadline is just 50 days away, and by all indications, this trade season will be a lot different than the deadlines of the past several years. The expanded, 12-team postseason field has accomplished everything the league wanted it to from a competitive perspective, as there are now more teams within striking distance of the wild-card spots than ever before. However, as a result, that also means there are a lot more “buyers” and a lot fewer “sellers” at this stage than we’ve ever seen, which could have dramatic effects on how much trade activity occurs and the types of deals that are made.

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In addition, other key factors are shaping this year’s atypical trade landscape. The few sellers that do exist don’t have many high-value players of interest to contenders. The mediocre Central divisions in the American League and National League have made it so every team in those divisions, save one, still has a shot at the postseason (some are in better shape than others, of course). On top of that, some large-market teams that aren’t playing up to expectations don’t want to significantly add to their payrolls as the luxury-tax penalties, including the loss of potential draft picks, have made them less willing to extend beyond certain tax thresholds (with the Mets being an obvious exception).

Many teams are looking for help in the form of starting pitchers and/or outfielders, but the inventory for both is currently very thin on the trade market. Therefore, it appears relievers might end up dominating this deadline, which isn’t exactly what fans of blockbuster deals, with star players changing teams, want to hear.

Will this deadline be a “dud”? It’s trending in that direction, but a lot can change — and inevitably will change — leading up to the Aug. 1 trade deadline, and there will be no shortage of storylines regardless.

“It’ll for sure be an interesting market. There are gonna be a lot of contenders out there this year,” Marlins general manager Kim Ng told me on MLB Radio Network’s Front Office show a week ago, adding that trade talks among teams had started to “bubble,” but hadn’t gotten serious yet.

If you’re hoping for a more exciting deadline, like the past two years, the industry will need some teams with top talent to collapse in the coming weeks. For example, if teams such as the White Sox, Cardinals, Mets or Padres crater, they could become the headliners of the deadline because they all have star-caliber players they could look to trade to get younger and fill future needs.

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Let’s take a closer look at where things stand. Here are the key factors shaping the early stages of this trade season as we head toward the deadline.

1. The expanded playoffs are “working,” with more teams in the mix, but that means more buyers and fewer sellers
In the National League, 11 of the 15 teams are currently in playoff spots or within three games of the final wild-card berth; all 15 teams are within 7 1/2 games of postseason position, with the Cubs (5 1/2 back in the wild-card race), Cardinals (7 back), Nationals (7 back) and Rockies (7 1/2) bringing up the bottom.

In the American League, 12 of the 15 teams are currently in playoff spots or within 5 1/2 games of the final wild-card berth, and 13 teams are within 8 1/2 games of playoff position (in their division or the wild-card standings); only the Royals and A’s are far enough back to be labeled as definite sellers.

To fill out the 12-team postseason field, we’re poised for a fierce fight, which is great for the sport. But it’s not exactly the dynamic you want if you’re hoping teams will be selling at the trade deadline.

2. Mediocrity reigns in the Central divisions
In the AL Central, the first-place Twins are .500. The top four teams are within 5 1/2 games of each other, and that’s with recent separation created by the fourth-place Tigers losing nine straight. The rebuilding Royals are 14 1/2 games back and selling, but everyone else … well, we’ll see.

In the NL Central, all five teams are separated by 8 games. The first-place Pirates, who lost 100-plus games the past two seasons, are the only team with a positive run differential (+2). The last-place Cardinals were the only team with a positive run differential a few days ago. The fourth-place Cubs are 6 1/2 back in the division but have a better run differential than the Brewers, who are a game back of Pittsburgh. The third-place Reds have some juice and sit just 4 games back after winning 10 of their last 16. How can any of those teams tell their fan bases they’re selling if they stay this close, or have closed ground, come the end of July?

3. Sellers have little to sell
As of today, the only definite sellers should be the A’s, Royals, Nationals and Rockies (and in that order). Let’s look at the talent they have on their 26-man rosters that they might be willing to dangle and contending teams might be interested in.

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A) A’s — The A’s have managed to rattle off five straight wins, but they’re 17-50, which is all you need to know about the lack of talent on this team. I projected Brent Rooker to be their lone All-Star, and after hitting 13 homers and driving in 37 runs there should be a market for him. But there really is no other A’s position player who’s likely to be traded. In terms of the pitching staff, reliever Trevor May is probably the only one contenders will target.

B) Royals — The Royals have a plethora of relievers they can use as trade bait, highlighted by righty Scott Barlow and lefty Aroldis Chapman. In fact, they’ve already received calls on both. They also might see if Zack Greinke wants to go to a contender for a chance to get back to the playoffs. He can still trick opposing lineups as a back-of-the-rotation starter.

C) Nationals — Right fielder Lane Thomas, third baseman Jeimer Candelario and designated hitter Joey Meneses could draw interest, as could relievers Kyle Finnegan and Carl Edwards Jr.

D) Rockies — The Rockies never seem to want to be sellers or even active at trade deadlines, but they do have talent to offer. Lefty Kyle Freeland could bolster someone’s rotation and righty Pierce Johnson could be a bullpen target. Among their position players, Ryan McMahon offers positional flexibility and would be a solid target; he is signed through 2027. Charlie Blackmon just went on the injured list with a broken hand, and as a player with so-called 10-5 rights, he can veto any trade. But if Blackmon, who is an impending free agent, agrees to a deal and the Rockies are willing to eat salary, they could move him.

Bottom line: None of these four sellers have much to offer that moves the meter in terms of star power, but they do have quality relievers and versatile players who make sense for contenders.

go-deeper
GO DEEPER

Stark: What we've learned in first 60 games of MLB season and what execs are saying

4. The trade market for starting pitchers

Shohei Ohtani (Gary A. Vasquez / USA Today)
For contending teams that want to improve their rotations for the stretch run, it doesn’t appear there will be a lot of quality options available. However, things can change, so let’s look at the best starting pitchers who at least have some type of chance to be traded.

A) Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels — The Angels are not going to trade Ohtani at the deadline, according to all of my sources with the team. However, if the Angels (36-31) collapse and also can’t extend Ohtani, who will be a free agent after this season, I have a hard time believing they won’t trade him to get as much as they can in return and then try to re-sign him in the offseason.

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B) Marcus Stroman, RHP, Cubs — Stroman can opt out of his contract after this season, and if he continues to pitch at a high level, he almost certainly will do so. The three-year deal he signed with the Cubs in December 2021 has one year remaining at $21 million. If the Cubs drop out of the race and can’t extend him, they should trade him and try to re-sign him this winter. However, keep in mind Stroman has said he wants to remain with the Cubs, and their preference is to keep him as well.

C) Lucas Giolito, RHP, White Sox — An impending free agent, Giolito is the most likely starting pitcher to be traded. He’s had an up-and-down season and will need a strong June and July for the White Sox to get the type of return they’d like.

D) Lance Lynn, RHP, White Sox — The White Sox have a team option for Lynn, 36, in 2024, but he’ll need to pitch a lot better for them to want to exercise it. Like Giolito, he could be traded if they drop out of it.

E) Dylan Cease, RHP White Sox — The White Sox control Cease through 2025 and would have no reason to deal him, but with such a thin starting pitching market, they might receive an overwhelming trade offer for the 27-year-old, who finished second in the AL Cy Young Award voting last year, because of the two-plus years of team control.

F) Jack Flaherty, RHP, Cardinals — If the Cardinals don’t start winning soon, they could dangle Flaherty, who will be a free agent after this season. Given his injury history, they might not want to extend him.

G) Eduardo Rodriguez, LHP, Tigers — Rodriguez can opt out of his contract after this season and was having a career year before suffering a ruptured A4 pulley in his left index finger. He started to play catch last week and could return in July. But if the Tigers remain competitive, would they trade him?

H) Zack Greinke, RHP, Royals — I don’t know if Greinke wants to finish his career in Kansas City or in a pennant race but plenty of contending teams could use him as a fourth or fifth starter down the stretch.

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That brings us to Shane Bieber of the Guardians, Corbin Burnes of the Brewers and Sonny Gray of the Twins, who could be dealt if their respective teams collapse. (Gray will be a free agent after this season. Bieber and Burnes each have another year of team control.) However, barring that type of downturn, I think it’s highly unlikely any of them will be traded because their teams are all going for it this year, and all three have a legitimate shot at playing October baseball.

Bottom line: Of this entire group of starting pitchers, only one to three will probably end up being traded.



5. The relievers most likely to be traded

Alex Lange (Scott Taetsch / USA Today)
The reliever market is deep enough that we’ll once again see a lot of them moved. Here are some of the best relievers who should be on the trade market:

A) Alex Lange, RHP, Tigers — 10 saves, 3.42 ERA, 27 games

B) Scott Barlow, RHP, Royals — 7 saves, 4.18 ERA, 23 games

C) Kendall Graveman, RHP, White Sox — 6 saves, 2.86 ERA, 29 games

D) Aroldis Chapman, LHP, Royals — 2 saves, 2.82 ERA, 24 games

E) Kyle Finnegan, RHP, Nationals — 11 saves, 4.56 ERA, 26 games

F) Pierce Johnson, RHP, Rockies — 11 saves, 7.20 ERA, 27 games

G) Liam Hendriks, RHP, White Sox — 1 save, 5.40 ERA, 5 games (on the IL)

H) Jason Foley, RHP, Tigers — 2 saves, 2.63 ERA, 28 games

I) Justin Lawrence, RHP, Rockies — 2 saves, 3.22 ERA, 30 games

J) Carl Edwards Jr., RHP, Nationals — 1 save, 3.14 ERA, 29 games

K) Zach Jackson, RHP, A’s — 1 save, 2.50 ERA, 19 games (on the IL)

L) Trevor May, RHP, A’s — 2 saves, 7.04 ERA, 17 games

6. The contenders looking to trade for more offense
Several teams, including the Marlins, Guardians, Yankees and Mariners, are looking for offense this trade season. The Marlins are getting very little production from the left side of their infield and need to add more slugging to their overall offense. The Yankees, because of the injuries to Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader, have been using an outfield of journeymen, including Willie Calhoun, Isiah Kiner-Falefa, Jake Bauers and Billy McKinney. No one saw that coming! The Mariners need a slugger for the DH spot and an upgrade offensively at second base. The Guardians need to add more power around José Ramírez and Josh Naylor in the middle of their lineup. All four teams are playoff-worthy, but they each must add more offense between now and the trade deadline.

7. The contenders looking to trade for more starting pitching
The Cardinals desperately need to bolster their rotation, which is 14-25 with a 4.63 ERA. The Angels always need more starting pitching, which is the main reason we never cover them in October, and this year is no different as their starters have combined for a 4.79 ERA. And how about the Mets and Phillies, whose rotations have posted 4.95 and 4.64 marks, respectively, thus far? An up-and-coming team like the Reds would become a more legitimate postseason contender if they boost their rotation behind Hunter Greene, Graham Ashcraft (on the IL) and rookie Andrew Abbott. Meanwhile, the Orioles and Diamondbacks could become real threats to win the World Series as soon as this year if they could add a top-of-the-rotation or two mid-rotation starters to their respective rosters. With so few starters expected to be available, the GMs who can pull off these kinds of trades will be true difference-makers for their teams.

8. Deals might be dominated by contenders trading with contenders
If this trade deadline isn’t going to be a “dud,” it will be because contending teams decide to make trades with each other and not just with the expected sellers. I’m talking about trades like the Cardinals using their plethora of major-league outfielders to acquire a starting pitcher from a contender such as the Guardians. (Of course, the Cardinals have to play better to be labeled a contender.) The Guardians need offense, the Cardinals need pitching. You get my gist.

“As we have more playoff teams and more teams who are kind of in the mix, there are fewer devout sellers and clear buyers, so we are having more conversations with all teams,” Twins GM Thad Levine told me this weekend on MLB Network radio. “We are talking to teams about opportunities to ‘buy and buy,’ where two teams that are trying to go towards a playoff berth are talking to one another, so the scope of teams you’ve talked to has evolved.”

Put your seat belts on, folks. This trade deadline is shaping up to be different and it will be fascinating to watch it unfold over the next 50 days, but one thing won’t change: Expect some unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Guardians’ Will Brennan explains the mental and physical keys to his turnaround

CLEVELAND, OH - JUNE 09: Cleveland Guardians right fielder Will Brennan (17) hits a walk-off double to drive in the game-winning run during the fourteenth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Houston Astros and Cleveland Guardians on June 9, 2023, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
By Zack Meisel
4h ago
18

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Every morning, Will Brennan cooks up some eggs and toast, prepares a bowl of spinach with frozen blueberries and mango and then heads out for a walk around Crocker Park.

As he strolls through the Westlake, Ohio, shopping district, Brennan listens to the Huberman Lab podcast to learn about neuroscience from a Stanford doctor and professor.

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Brennan refers to himself as “a pretty simple person.” He doesn’t stray from that morning routine, whether he’s mired in an all-consuming funk or he’s sizzling at the plate. He has experienced both ends of the spectrum this season, with a slow start finally giving way to a recent tear, enough of a scorching stretch to seize daily at-bats in right field for the Guardians.

To spark such a turnaround required both mental and mechanical care.

Brennan’s grandfather, Reggie Minton, coached basketball at Dartmouth and Air Force for decades. He’s one of “an army” who helped Brennan understand the importance of the mental side of the game.

“You want to be the same person every single day,” Brennan said. “You don’t want to show up to the field and mope around because you’re not doing well. Nobody cares. The only person who cares is you.”

For Brennan, that meant flushing a forgettable first six weeks of the season. He abides by the rule that mandates he move past any performance once the clock strikes midnight. He completes his disconnect on his drive home from the ballpark, when he calls his family or girlfriend or friends to discuss the day’s results before shifting his attention to the next game. Before he falls asleep, he studies the next day’s pitcher, watching at-bats from their prior outing against left-handed hitters.

Brennan noticed toward the end of spring training he was starting to slip into bad habits at the plate. His hands had dropped and his body had “coiled away” too far, which he said was the byproduct of trying to swing too hard.

He said it’s easy to spot when he’s pressing at the plate.

“(I) swing at everything and swing as hard as I can,” he said. “That’s not me. That’s not who I am.”

To remedy what’s ailing him in the batter’s box, he searches for three cues: bat angle, hip load and scap load.

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Timeout for a hitting mechanics lesson with Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika: Those three cues are all intertwined. “Scap load” refers to the positioning and motion of a hitter’s upper body. “Without a scap load,” Valaika said, “it’s hard to turn and create speed efficiently. It affects plane and being able to match pitches, like how he was getting attacked at the top of the zone. Those pitches came right above his barrel. … You’re creating an anchor behind your swing. For him, he has to get into that spot where he can create tension, and then tension creates speed. Without getting there, he was just floating through that step in his swing and then the barrel would fall and he wouldn’t have the ability to move into that position to rotate to the top of the zone.”

Brennan said his hip load and scap load became too rotational, and his bat speed was too slow as a result, making it difficult for him to get around to a high fastball. He could flick an off-speed pitch into left field on occasion, but pitchers had a straightforward blueprint for how to attack him.

Brennan versus fastballs in May: .250 average, .281 slugging percentage, 20.9 percent whiff rate, 85.9 mph exit velocity

Brennan versus fastballs in June: .522 average, .826 slugging percentage, 12.0 percent whiff rate, 88.1 mph exit velocity


Will Brennan celebrates after hitting an RBI double last week. (Ken Blaze / USA Today)
With assistance from the Guardians’ hitting coaches, Brennan shifted his hands away and a bit higher to better position himself to pounce on pitches in any area. With his hands dropping, he was starting his swing far too low to meet pitches at the top of the zone.

Timeout for another quick lesson: “You want a positive attack angle,” Valaika said. “There are vertical bat angles at different planes in the zone, 25-35-45 (degrees), going top to bottom. Where his hands were dropping, not being able to hold that tension, he was starting into the zone and they were riding those fastballs up. So we got him into a spot where, when he loads, he’s at the top and now he can turn on that pitch and posture-adjust for (pitches) that go down. But if your swing starts under plane, it’s really hard to get back on plane without flattening out your swing. Your room for error shrinks.”

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Brennan surmised the initial warning signs spiraled when he struggled in the early portion of the schedule. Four weeks ago, he was hitting .193 with an OPS barely above the .500 mark. The mechanical tweaks take time to translate on a stat sheet, though.

Maybe it took some repetition. Maybe there was some aviary influence. But Brennan has been one of the most productive hitters in the sport over the past few weeks, and has keyed Cleveland’s recent offensive resurgence.

Over the last two weeks: .417/.451/.667 slash line
Over the last four weeks: .346/.378/.539 slash line

“Identifying it is the easiest part,” Valaika said. “Getting it into training is also easy. Awareness is big, but the trust of it and putting it into action, when results and performance matter — it’s hard to re-pattern a swing off of 97 mph (with movement). He’s done a really good job making those adjustments.”

The morning routine hasn’t changed. But there’s no doubt the frozen mango and blueberries have tasted better recently.

“You can’t get too big of a head or on too high of a horse,” Brennan said. “This game will tear you down. It’s the fairest game in the world.”

Comments on the Bo Naylor update from the assistant GM


Unpacking the Guardians’ comments on Bo Naylor

Sifting through a potential public relations misstep for the Guardians’ assistant gm

The internet is mad at James Harris and the Guardians’ front office about Bo Naylor — should they be?
In case you haven’t seen it, MLB.com’s Mandy Bell shared a quote from James Harris, Guardians assistant general manager, on Twitter on Sunday morning. :

After some helpful opening information about things they’ve been working with Bo Naylor on and areas in which he is, accordingly, showing improvement and continuing growth efforts, Harris began to opine on the catching situation and Naylor a little further. I appreciated the specific insights, and want to enter the more controversial portion of these comments remembering that James Harris is a brilliant front-office person and scout, and talking to the media isn’t easy. I was pretty surprised by how bad the rest of these answers sounded when I first read the transcript, but let’s see if we can make sense of what’s got some Twitter hornets’ nests kicked:

Yes, he can probably come up and be great right away. I hope that’s the answer. But if you can spend a little bit of time and be sure, we’re hoping that’s gonna set us up for the future.

I think it’s probably a public relations error to say that a given young catcher “can probably come up and be great right away,” when Mike Zunino came into the day this statement was made with 67 wRC+, -9 DRS, -0.2 framing runs above average, and measuring as the worst catcher at blocking pitches in MLB. Zunino also measures at -6 rCERA, the measurement FanGraphs uses to compare pitching performance/game-calling with a given catcher. Of course, Cam Gallagher is a defensive savant ... but he has a -9 wRC+ for the year. If there is a young catcher that you believe “can probably come up and be great right away”, no one on the Guardians’ roster is blocking him from coming up and doing exactly that and every Guardians fan understands that even without the accompanying numbers I shared.

If you have someone who can be “great,” Guardians, we should probably see if he can be “great” because we do not have anywhere close to “great,” currently.

You can bring him up to be C2 or maybe even C3 because we’re carrying three catchers, but is that the best way to prepare him? I don’t think so.

I don’t think anyone would argue with Harris on this point. If the team wanted Bo Naylor to split time for a while and work on things with Sandy Alomar on his off days, everyone would be in full support. But, they are saying that’s not the best path. Understood. We get it. But, if development for Bo should occur as a starter, I think every single Guardians fan is ready to say: “OK! Let’s start him right now!”

So, the hold-up is a bit confusing at this point. Zunino and Gallagher are not major league-caliber starting catchers, at least on an everyday basis. David Fry is a third catcher. Is Bo not starting because Zunino is making $6 million this year? Or, is it simply learning more about how to lead a major league pitching staff, as Harris intimated? If the latter, what’s the compelling reason to believe learning to lead a major league pitching staff wouldn’t involve getting experience leading an actual major league pitching staff?

We don’t have a crystal ball to tell us exactly how he’s going to be great.

I appreciated that this statement implied that Bo Naylor is going to be great. The question is just about “how” to get him to that point. Again, he apparently needs to practice leading a major league clubhouse and facilitating pitcher-catcher meetings. One could speculate that a player who taught himself fluent Spanish would put forth any effort needed to lead a meeting and a clubhouse, but Bo Naylor is only 23 years old. Is Harris implying some level of waiting for gravitas combined with a major-league opening is needed? I guess that’s the best guess of what we are being asked to believe is the case.

There’s guys in the past like Oscar Gonzalez who started off really, really good. He’s in Triple-A now. We’re trying to figure it out.

Harris now goes into the analogy portion of the proceedings, always a dangerous gambit. I love Oscar Gonzalez, but I’m not sure comparing Bo to a player the Guardians valued so little they allowed him to become a minor-league free agent in the fall of 2021 is the best point of comparison to use. The team also has players in Gabriel Arias and Will Brennan who have shown themselves deserving of continued reps in right field, unlike what Zunino and Gallagher (as a hitter) have shown at catcher.

Guardians’ Triston McKenzie and his dad celebrate bond forged through baseball SEATTLE, WASHINGTON - MARCH 31: Triston McKenzie #24 of the Cleveland Guardians looks on before the game against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park on March 31, 2023 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel
4h ago


The bond sprouted from the living room floor of the McKenzies’ Palm Beach County home, where Stan would sit, in front of the couch, with Triston either beside him or behind him. The two studied every player’s every move and listened closely for any useful advice from the commentators.

Stan McKenzie fell in love with the sport through the 1980s Yankees. He was a new Brooklyn resident with no baseball background who jumped at opportunities to learn from whatever Phil Rizzuto or Ralph Kiner spouted on TV. The family moved to Florida when Triston McKenzie was a toddler and, from that point on, any game, any teams, any broadcast lured them to the living room.

They still connect over baseball, but the ritual has evolved. Now, Triston is the player on TV and his dad is in that living room examining every pitch, mannerism and decision. And after every one of Triston’s big-league starts for the Guardians, they debrief with a phone call.

For Father’s Day, The Athletic talked with Triston and Stan to learn more about the postgame phone calls that have strengthened their connection to the game and to each other. They each knew a letter was headed to the other person, but didn’t know they would be receiving one themselves.
Dear Stan …

It wasn’t personal.

Triston didn’t mean to ditch tradition. He was just rusty on the routine. After all, it was his first start of the season, two months tardy, thanks to a stint on the injured list stemming from his last spring start.

He was antsy to get back on a major-league mound. It was getaway day, the end of a weekend series in Minneapolis after Mother Nature interfered with his final rehab tuneup. It preceded an off day. And, well, Triston simply forgot to call you.

Believe him, this is the sort of start he can’t wait to dissect with you. The rocky ones? Those can wait a day or two. But five near-perfect innings, one hit allowed, one walk, 10 strikeouts, no runs and a key win against the team the Guardians are chasing in the American League Central? For his first outing of the season? That’s normally a start worth chatting about immediately after the game.
Triston McKenzie made his season debut against the Twins on June 4. (Bruce Kluckhohn / USA Today)

Those calls mean everything. They’re a staple, a safe haven, a comforting recap. You have always let Triston be himself, which is why he says you understand him better than anyone. He knows you’re coming from a place of authenticity. You’re not the dad telling his son to follow his instructions simply because you said so. You’re not claiming to know best. You genuinely want to help in whatever manner you can.

He partners with his catchers on a game plan. Coaches and analysts study his mechanics. But there’s something about this father-son pairing that grants him a deeper level of thought. He can candidly talk through things with you. He trusts your perspective. It’s different.

The two of you have aligned on this since he was a lanky kid. Sitting in that living room, dishing back and forth, serving up predictions.

I think he’s going to throw a curveball.

Well, I think he’s going to throw a fastball.

It didn’t necessarily matter who was proven right. The thought process behind why you each forecasted a particular pitch was coming next was what had you both so intrigued. It’s what united you.

Stan, the way you approach the conversations with your son is why he keeps coming back. Instead of critiquing his decision-making on the mound, you share your curiosity.

You threw a 2-1 slider. What was the thought process behind that pitch?

He appreciates that framing, rather than …

Why didn’t you throw the heater?

He trusts his catchers and coaches, of course, but having that unbiased third party — and the one who knows the way he thinks — offers a valuable dimension. You’re usually on the same page, or at least shuffling through the same chapter, trying to find common ground.

If Triston dominated a hitter with fastballs in his first two encounters and decides to mix it up and fling a curveball in their third meeting, inducing a loud out, his teammates will say to leave it alone. He accomplished what he needed. But you’ll ask what he was considering in that moment. You’ll notice how he shook his head as he walked off the mound. You’ll spot that he second-guessed his decision-making. He’ll say he was thinking about throwing another heater. You’ll reply you were expecting it, too, and wonder why he changed course — not to dispute his motivations, but to contemplate other possible outcomes.

It’s sort of like when Triston and teammate Steven Kwan play chess. They spend a lot of time talking about theory. The game could unfold in millions of ways. If you change one move, there’s a ripple effect. How does one pitch change one at-bat, which alters the course of an entire game?

These are the minutiae you guys pore over, the stuff you’ve both loved for decades. Triston remembers weekend tournaments at Disney as a kid, and then coming home to turn on a game. You would point to specific examples of how a big leaguer gets to his position or rotated defensively or cut off a throw.

Now, you take what you learn from watching Triston pitch and apply it to the little leaguers you help coach, even when they suggest you don’t know what you’re talking about. You laugh, and say, “I guess not,” despite devoting so much time and energy to aiding an instrumental member of the Cleveland Guardians’ starting staff.

Triston can’t thank you enough for that. He covets those phone calls, those chats that permit him to be himself. And he apologizes for messing up the routine upon his return to the rotation.

Dear Triston …

Your dad sat in Section 158 for your start against the Astros last week, with a direct view of you holding your glove to your face before initiating your delivery, and with headphones in, listening to the broadcast and recording mental notes for the next phone call. On evenings like that, the ballpark is his sanctuary, and with a crowd north of 35,000 filling the forest-green seats at Progressive Field, he couldn’t imagine a more perfect setting.

He’s watched you your entire life. He’s seen every stage of your journey. He knows you. He knows your mannerisms. He claims he could watch 50 other pitchers and not pick up on certain cues; but with you, he notices every twitch, every motion, every hint of body language.

And yet, he would still feel uncomfortable offering suggestions or tips if he didn’t have your approval. He never wants to feel like he’s infringing.

He’s grateful you appreciate his input, starting with those 9 a.m. texts on the morning of your start day, the quick reminder, such as, “Good things happen if you get your first pitch over for a strike,” followed by the ultimate dad ending: “Make sure you read this.” The fact you text, “What’s going on? Your watch not working?” if he misses his deadline actually makes him smile. (Now he makes sure he types out the message the night before and sets a 9 a.m. alert to prompt him to send it.)
Triston McKenzie delivers during a start last week against the Astros. (David Richard / USA Today)

As you navigate your way through your fourth major-league season, he watches every one of your outings. And then he watches them a second time. And then a third time, ensuring he catches every broadcast, just to see if he’s “missing any interesting intricacies.” You both love details. Your dad used to document how many first-pitch strikes you threw, which pitches you threw to each hitter and in which sequences. He’s not as regimented about it now. He’ll make a mental note of a few keys to mention later.

He’s a staunch advocate of pitching inside. “If you can’t pitch in, you’re wasting time because these guys are just way too good,” he’ll say. He’s never overbearing about it. He’s just giddy that his son has this opportunity, and if his son welcomes his insight, he’ll do anything to provide one iota of help.

Really, he wishes every parent had the chance to craft such a relationship with their child, no matter the profession — anything to step into the kid’s world and make the parent feel a part of it, even if in different time zones.

“It makes me feel like I’m something special,” your dad says. “It gives me a sense of pride.”

Sometimes, he hesitates because he never wants to feel like he’s overstepping. You have so many resources at your disposal, with video and data and teammates and coordinators and analysts and coaches with decades of experience in the dugout. But you go out of your way to ensure he can’t overstep.

“I feel blessed he still feels he needs to hear that voice, he feels he’ll pick something up,” your dad says, “that I’ll see something completely different than how everyone else sees it, and that he finds value in it.”

The summer your dad moved to this country from Jamaica, 40 years ago, he didn’t leave the house. It was just him and your grandma, and she was working. He had nowhere to go and no friends. So, he watched baseball. Nothing else.

In Jamaica, he had one classmate who wore Mets gear and another who wore Yankees gear. He didn’t like the orange in the Mets logo, so he gravitated toward the Yankees. When he arrived in Brooklyn, he watched them every day, hanging on every word Phil Rizzuto or Bobby Murcer uttered.

He never played the sport himself — well, aside from when the neighborhood kids gathered for a pickup game and either hopped over or clipped the school fence. (Don’t tell anyone outside the family that last part.) They had nine gloves, so at the end of each inning in the field, they would leave them at their positions for the other team and go bat.

Your dad insists his lack of experience on the diamond aids him because he isn’t brainwashed by his own track record. Instead, he treated baseball like a college course, and those Yankees legends on TV were his teachers. That’s how he absorbed everything he could pass on to you over the years. And now, if he can’t attend your games in person, there’s nowhere he’d rather be than on the floor of the living room, watching you operate on TV.

Because, in the end, if you told the 1983 version of Stainton McKenzie that he would have a son in the big leagues 40 years later, he would say:

“You’re crazy. No way. No way. Man, I’m living the dream. I would have never guessed that. Never in a million years.”

The flaw in Cleveland’s infield defense

Amed Rosario sticks out like a sore thumb at shortstop

Cleveland Guardians infielders are quietly putting up very good defensive performances ... except for the player who is manning the most important defensive position.

For starters, let’s take a look at the stats to see how each regular starter has performed in defensive runs saved, outs above average, and ultimate zone rating (averaged out over 150 games) so far in 2023.

Andrés Giménez: 7 DRS, 2 OAA, 0.2 UZR/150 (1st in AL in DRS among second basemen, 4th in OAA, 8th in OAA)
José Ramírez: 2 DRS, 5 OAA, 3.2 UZR/150 (4th in AL in DRS among third basemen, 3rd in OAA, 7th in UZR/150)
Josh Naylor: -1 DRS, 4 OAA, 1.4 UZR/150 (8th in AL in DRS among first basemen, 2nd in OAA, 6th in UZR)
Amed Rosario: -9 DRS, -11 OAA, -6.5 UZR/150 (37th in AL in DRS among shortstops, 37th in OAA, 30th in UZR/150)

It’s a welcome sight to see the Guardians’ second, third, and first basemen consistently ranked in the top five for the three most common public defensive metrics among American League infielders with 200 or more innings. While only Andrés Giménez has a strong case to be a Gold Glove leader at the moment, José Ramírez and Josh Naylor have put themselves in the conversation for the award as well. However, It is not difficult to identify the odd player out in the current infield configuration.

Amed Rosario has never been a good defender at shortstop in the majors, but his numbers have collapsed this season. If we take a look under the hood on Baseball Savant, his biggest change shows up when he has gone “in” on balls hit to him. He was two outs above average on those plays in 2022 and has gone to seven outs below average on them in 2023. He has not been good at moving laterally, but that’s no different than his historical performances. The primary defensive issue in 2023 has been his inability to go in toward a ball and successfully record outs.

We don’t have a lot of information about how players attempt to address their fielding issues, so it’s hard to say exactly what Rosario is doing poorly or how different it is from previous years. Interestingly, the Mets in 2019 worked with widening the space between his feet, pre-pitch, so that his hips could open up for better lateral movement. Manager Terry Francona connected Rosario’s improved defense in 2022 to “learning to leave his feet a little bit more”, saying it was something he didn’t do when he first came to Cleveland.

The recurrent issues mentioned for Rosario’s defensive performance seem to be getting caught flat-footed and needing to improve his jump on balls. So, is poor reaction time responsible for the problems fielding balls hit in front of him in 2023? The answer doesn’t appear to be a clear yes.

A lot of Rosario’s mistakes coming in on balls are going to be recorded as infield hits. For example, this “single” off the bat of the Mets’ Mark Canha:

This play illustrates the repeated issue I notice with Rosario this year, in which he has difficulty digging the ball out of his glove. If you go to MLB Film Room and search “Amed Rosario error” or “Amed Rosario infield hit”, you’ll have a chance to see a dozen or so plays where Rosario was able to get to a ball but had trouble transferring it to his hand, often resulting in a rushed throwing error.

As another example, Rosario does a little dance while trying to fish the ball out of his glove resulting in an infield “hit” for Manny Machado:

n reviewing Rosario’s defensive plays, I don’t think he will continue to be as bad as he has been fielding balls hit in front of him, primarily because I see no reason to think he will continue to struggle as badly as he has in trying to transfer the ball from the glove to his hand. These seem mostly like small sample size issues that magnify the flaws of a player whose track record as a major leaguer has proven that rosy defensive scouting reports on minor-league prospects can be very misleading.

My primary concerns entering the season were on how much the shift restrictions would affect Rosario’s struggles to move laterally and they have yet to show much impact so far. The analysis of his defense leads me to good news and bad news. First, his defensive performance is likely to improve on balls hit in front of him — good news! Second, those improvements may be moderated by some regression on balls hit laterally, especially toward first base, where he was 11 runs below average in 2022 by OAA and is only two runs below average so far this season — bad news! These factors will likely average out to being mostly what he was in 2021: firmly in the bottom third of the rankings of defensive shortstops in MLB but not the worst defensive shortstop in baseball as he is currently.

With Rosario putting up only a 68 wRC+ so far in 2023, it is certainly fair to wonder if Arias, Rocchio, or Tyler Freeman should be getting more playing time at shortstop with Rosario taking a seat for more games.

If Rosario’s bat isn’t going to provide a run value that can help offset the run prevention he has been unable to provide as a defender, the Guardians will eventually need to consider one of the alternative options at shortstop. Until they do, there will be a noticeable exception to an infield assembly of excellent Guardians defenders as the team looks to right the ship and compete for a playoff berth.

Know Bo: What to expect from Bo Naylor, the Guardians’ new catcher PHOENIX, ARIZONA - JUNE 18: Bo Naylor #23 of the Cleveland Guardians bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the game at Chase Field on June 18, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Guardians defeated the Diamondbacks 12-3. (Photo by Chris Coduto/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel
4h ago


CLEVELAND — Bo Naylor entered the Guardians clubhouse at Citi Field ahead of a doubleheader against the Mets last month, spotted his last name and started to set up shop in his locker. Then, he realized the navy Naylor jersey hanging in the cubby had his brother Josh’s No. 22, not his No. 23.

He took a few steps back and scanned the room to find his actual locker, five stalls to his right.

“It’s something we’ve been dreaming of for a long time,” Bo Naylor, 23, said about playing with his brother in the big leagues. “I don’t think that’ll ever get old.”

Now, it’ll be routine, the Naylor brothers sharing a clubhouse and an infield and occupying a couple of spots in manager Terry Francona’s lineup.

There’s a lot on the plate of any catcher, especially a rookie, and especially a rookie transitioning to the majors in the middle of the season for a team with postseason aspirations. Last summer, the Cubs’ Willson Contreras was an impending free agent on a team headed nowhere, and yet, the Guardians and other teams checked in on him and opted to pass at the trade deadline. Part of the equation: It’s difficult for a catcher to build a rapport with a new staff on the fly. There’s risk involved in turning over the reins to an unfamiliar catcher.

In Cleveland, Naylor doesn’t need to be some savior, even though The Athletic’s Keith Law ranked him as the No. 55 prospect in baseball entering this season. For one, Naylor has worked with many of the Guardians pitchers before, either in the minors or in spring training. He partnered with Cal Quantrill throughout the winter in advance of their time on Team Canada for the World Baseball Classic. This isn’t “nice to meet you,” it’s “nice to see you again.”

And, well, with respect to the recently exiled Mike Zunino, if Naylor merely demonstrates a pulse at the plate (or behind it), he’ll be halfway to the production Cleveland’s catchers have provided this season. Guardians catchers rank last in the majors in batting average (.165), on-base percentage (.235), slugging percentage (.262), wRC+ (37), strikeout rate (36.2 percent) and fWAR (minus-0.6).
Bo Naylor tags out a runner at the plate during the World Baseball Classic. (Mark J. Rebilas / USA Today)

For Triple-A Columbus, Naylor posted a .254/.393/.498 slash line, with 13 home runs, 12 doubles, and nearly as many walks (49) as strikeouts (52). Even if he takes some time to adapt to big-league pitching, his walk rate the past two seasons in the minors should offer him a promising baseline. Aside from a random, solid season from Yan Gomes or Roberto Pérez, Cleveland hasn’t had a catcher as capable with a bat since Carlos Santana crouched behind the plate a decade ago.

And while Francona will have other options — David Fry has historically fared well against lefties, for instance — he doesn’t necessarily need to adhere to a strict platoon with the left-handed-hitting Naylor.

Naylor vs. RHP in 2023: .890 OPS
Naylor vs. LHP in 2023: .824 OPS
Naylor vs. RHP in 2022: .896 OPS
Naylor vs. LHP in 2022: .797 OPS

How else can Naylor excel?

For one, his arm strength. Naylor has completed velocity programs designed to boost his arm strength behind the plate. He’s been clocked at 100 mph on throws to second base on occasion. Among 60 qualified catchers, Cam Gallagher ranks 40th in arm strength; Zunino ranked 57th. As Guardians coaching coordinator Luke Carlin stressed to me last fall in talking about Naylor’s arm: “It’s not easy to do that. He had to work for it. He had to earn it.”

Before this season, Naylor had nabbed one-third of potential base runners in the minors. This year, that percentage slipped to 17 percent. Francona last month suggested Cleveland’s pitchers bear much of the responsibility for not holding runners well enough. Naylor and several team evaluators have noted he has worked on the efficiency of his transfer when throwing to a base.

Zunino rated as one of the worst defensive catchers in the league this season, with ghastly results in pop time, blocking and Defensive Runs Saved. Gallagher’s metrics glisten. He’s tied for the league lead in DRS with seven, despite having about half the playing time as the other contenders. He ranks in the 98th percentile in framing. He has, however, thrown out only 18 percent of potential base stealers. The league-average rate is 22 percent.
“It’s something we’ve been dreaming of for a long time,” Bo said of playing with his brother Josh in the majors. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)

Carlin spoke highly of Naylor’s maturity and makeup, comparing him in that regard to Steven Kwan, Triston McKenzie and Sam Hentges in terms of young players who acted older than their age. He said he remembers watching former Arizona teammates Stephen Drew and Justin Upton, in their early 20s, navigate their ways through the daily rigors of the majors. Carlin marveled at how they seemed like they had spent a decade in the big leagues and how he “was nowhere close to that as a player.”

No development better conveys Naylor’s makeup than how he took it upon himself to learn Spanish. And not just to familiarize himself with some popular lingo, or a few baseball terms, but to speak it almost fluently. In spring training, it was eye-opening to watch as he taught Jhonkensy Noel how to play chess, delivering instructions in Noel’s language. That sort of communicative effort can only help him, and reflects why Carlin said, “This kid’s got it.”

Naylor said he spent much of his time in Triple A working on “the mental side of the game,” including his game-calling ability, his thought process at the plate and his rapport with the pitching staff. Now, his progress continues in the big leagues, where he’ll first have to locate the proper locker.

“Bo has grown a lot and so have a lot of the guys,” Carlin said, “but they had a head start coming in. They had good makeup when they walked in the door.”

Gavin Williams will make his MLB Debut and join the #Guardians in Cleveland via @CleGuardPro.

The wait is over for the highly touted pitching prospect who many have compared to Gerrit Cole.