Guardians Positives: Spring Training Week One

Guardians baseball is back on our TVs

After the longest four months, possibly ever, Cleveland Guardians baseball is finally back on our TV screens, radios, and phone notifications. Although we’ve only seen two games so far, there’s been plenty of moments to be happy about.

Big Win on Sunday

While the team dropped the preseason opener versus the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, they showed up big on Sunday. The Guardians closed out a huge 14-2 victory versus the Los Angeles Angels at Goodyear Ballpark. While starter Ben Lively didn’t have the strongest showing, giving up one earned run on five hits in two innings of work, the offense jumped on Angels’ starter Reid Detmers early for two runs on three hits.

Steven Kwan had a big day, going 2-3 including a home run in the third inning. Will Brennan also had a strong showing, going 1-2 with a walk and a run scored. Tyler Freeman scored two runs while Kyle Manzardo had a hit and a run scored. While it may not mean much to win against the Angels just yet, it was great to see the usual suspects getting on base and scoring runs.

Young Guns Get Going

Beginning in the fifth inning of Sunday’s contest, manager Stephen Vogt began making some defensive changes leading to a lot of prospects getting the chance to play. Big names like Travis Bazzana and C.J. Kayfus made their first appearance of the season alongside newbies like Jacob Cozart. All nine positions were eventually substituted for, giving a total of 18 position players the chance to contribute.

The most successful appearances of the day belonged to shortstop Angel Genao and catcher Cooper Ingle. Genao, a 2021 free agent signing, went 2-2 with a run scored and a walk. He currently boasts a 1.000 average and 2.000 OPS. Ingle, a fourth-round draft pick in 2023, also went 2-2 with a walk. While these guys most likely won’t see big-league action anytime soon, they’re proving that they’ll be ready whenever they get the call.

Thomas Collects First HR

Center fielder Lane Thomas, acquired by the Guardians at the 2024 trade deadline, collected the team’s first home run on Saturday. With leadoff man Brayan Rocchio on base from a double, Thomas gave Cleveland an early 2-0 lead. While the team wasn’t able to hold on to the lead and eventually lost 6-3 to the Reds, it was great to see Thomas have some power. Here’s hoping he’ll enter 2025 with the late-season success we saw him take into the 2024 postseason.