It will be so nice to have baseball again
The Guardians begin 2025 Spring Training games this Saturday – what should Guardians’ fans be watching for in the weeks ahead?
1. Hoping for no significant injuries
If this happens, Spring Training is an unmitigated success. Unfortunately, usually a week or two into Spring Training, there is an inevitable announcement of injuries, especially for pitchers. Last year, the Guardians experienced a late-camp COVID outbreak that set some guys back. Every Spring Training, there is a foul ball off a shin or an awkward run for a player that gets my heart in my throat. Knock on wood, put on your lucky Guardians’ hat, and hope for an injury-free camp most of all. It does seem that the Guardians have some solid depth but there are, obviously, top-of-the-line players they can ill-afford to lose whose names I will not mention because while I’m not superstituous, I am a little stituous.
2. Will Triston McKenzie be able to command the baseball?
Some early reports have McKenzie throwing 95 mph with his fastball and it would be great to see him sustain higher velocities there (especially so early on into the Spring), but what’s most important is that he demonstrates the ability to command his pitches in the strike zone. Again and again, I’ll emphasize not to focus on box scores and results (the ball FLIES in Arizona and it’s impossible to say what exactly a pitcher is going for in each outing), but generally avoiding walks and executing his pitches would be huge to see from McKenzie, who will start the first game of the Spring for Cleveland on Saturday.
3. Who will get the most time in innings 1-4 at second base, and how will their swings look?
I am sure we will see Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Daniel Schneemann, Angel Martinez and Juan Brito get “starts” in Spring Training for the Guardians. I will be honing in on who is starting with Brayan Rocchio in the lineup, especially as games enter into the second week of March. The player getting those reps is probably going to be the guy the team is leaning towards as the starter to begin the season. As for what you see from each player, I’d look at who is taking walks, whose exit velocities are looking good, and who is able to pull some fly balls. Defensively, again, box score scouting is a bad idea, but if you can see or read reports about defensive play look for signs of smooth footwork and good timing with Rocchio.
4. Will Slade Cecconi and Luis Ortiz’s arm slots and pitch mixes look at all different?
After having some time with the Guardians’ pitching lab in the offseason, I’ll be interested to see if we can notice any changes in the new pitching acquisitions’ arm slots and pitch mixes in their Spring Training outings. Of course, they could be asked to go into a Spring Training start and just focus on throwing one of their offerings to try to work out some kinks, which will be noticeable in the data about the start, also. But, there should at least be a handful of outings that will show a glimpse into the Guardians’ thoughts about their optimal pitch mixes and their arm slot adjustments (if any) should be generally observable from day one. I am excited to see what changes the team thinks will help each of these talented young pitchers reach their potential.
5. Will Bo Naylor’s swing look different?
I don’t know if it was the fatigue of catching full-time for his first time in the big leagues or an intentional adjustment on his part and on the part of the Guardians’ hitting coaches, but Bo Naylor’s swing was flatter and his bat speed declined significantly in 2024. I will be watching his swing to see if he is quicker with his wrists and providing more lift as we hope for a bounceback season for the young backstop.
6. What is going on in right field?
The safe bet is that Will Brennan and Jhonkensy Noel will open 2025 as some sort of platoon in right field. However, if Chase DeLauter can show himself to be HEALTHY, I wonder if the Guardians would give him a legitimate chance to win the Will Brennan spot, or at least put himself in position for an early May call-up. Does Johnathan Rodriguez get a chance to win a spot? Supposedly, George Valera will make an early return to play which will be something to watch, and I’m interested to see if Arias and Brito get some time in right-field as well. Again, box scores will only show so much but exit velocities, K/BB, and time spent in the “A” lineups will help give us some hints of what the team is thinking. In the middle of this, I’d also see if Noel shows some small signs of improving his chase numbers.
7. What will Vince Velasquez show?
In 2023, Velasquez had a 3.86 FIP in eight starts for the Pittsburgh Pirates and then he got Tommy John. I’ll be interested to see if Velasquez can sit 93-94 with his fastball and demonstrate a good feel for his slider. If any aforementioned injuries pop up (no whammies, no whammies, 1, 2, 3), Velasquez is the kind of pitcher who could find himself on the roster.
8. Will the heavily used relievers from 2024 bounceback well?
Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, Cade Smith and Emmanuel Clase were all in the top 12 pitchers in MLB for most appearances in 2024. They all then pitched in most of the eight playoff games the Guardians participated in. It’s important that all four demonstrate a return to regular velocity and form without injury this Spring, but I’d expect all of them to be brought along slowly.
9. Will there be any extensions?
Spring Training is generally the time that the Guardians’ front office negotiates extensions. Tanner Bibee and Steven Kwan would be the players who are at the point of team control where extensions would make sense, but it doesn’t SEEM like anything is particularly close with either player. Maybe there’s a surprise in the offing (Lane Thomas, Kyle Manzardo, Bo Naylor, Brayan Rocchio, Cade Smith or Tim Herrin), but it kinda feels like there might not be an extension this Spring? Time will tell.
10. What will Travis Bazzana show in Spring Training games?
Everyone will be excited to the number one pick in the 2024 MLB draft enter games. He’ll probably be playing against Triple-A and Double-A players mostly, or NRI roster detritus, but it will still be fun to see how he stacks up against that level of competition. It’ll also be interesting to evaluate his second base defense which was a point of offseason emphasis for him.
Spring Training is fun but it’s really important not to make anything of game results or box scores. Everyone is in Florida and Arizona trying to get into game form while not getting hurt and that’s all that matters. With that said, the above list provides some things to pay attention to as we countdown the days until the games matter for the Guardians and the roster takes its final shape.