Who Will Bat Second for the Guardians When It Counts?

A question Stephen Vogt would like to answer

The Guardians are struggling to find a good option to hit second in their lineup - whom do the odds favor eventually settling into the role?

So far in 2025, the Guardians’ second-spot hitters have the 28th worst production in MLB from that spot with a 73 wRC+ (only Cincinnati - hey, Tito - and Colorado are worse). This is not for lack of trying - manager Stephen Vogt has tried EIGHT different players in the role so far in this young season. Of course, hitting second also seems to be mildly cursed as the Guardians’ hitters who do so this season have the 29th worst batting-average-on-balls-in-play in MLB at only .232. It’s a real issue that Vogt and the Guardians continue to try to address.

So, if we have to guess, which player will eventually end up in the role? I’m going to begin by taking Jose Ramirez out of the running; after an early season attempt at getting Jose comfortable there, it seems like our franchise star prefers the third spot in the lineup which is certainly his perogative. With that in mind, let’s take a look at other options:

The Betting Favorites:

Gabriel Arias - As our Tommy Pecoraro has outlined, it looks so far like Arias has found a way to minimize his whiff and groundball issues by adjusting his intercept point and swing path to get to his elite, raw power. He’s also maintained a 7% walk-rate so far. I suspect we will see a lot of Arias and Schneemann in the 2-hole for a little bit and I think there is a legitimate chance that Arias, who looks so much more confident than I’ve ever seen at the plate, settles into the role. However, the margin for error for Arias at the plate remain slim and you’d prefer a walk rate of 8-10% in the role, so the odds here still aren’t especially strong. He does have better speed than a lot of the other options on this list, so that probably helps his chances.

Kyle Manzardo when David Fry is healthy - If I had to guess, I suspect we will see a lot of Manzardo at first base and Fry at DH when Fry returns to hitting, with Santana coming in for defensive replacement and pinch-hit opportunities. I realize this requires me to believe that Vogt and the team will move the indefatigable ‘Los to a bench role, but I do think the team really believes in both Manzardo and Fry, so I think this is a possibility and Santana’s reliable defense and eye at the plate makes him a good option for a bench role. In this case, Manzardo’s 13.5% walk-rate makes him a good choice for the second spot as well as his overall hitting ability. So, Kwan, Manzardo, Jose, Fry, then whatever the right-field platoon partnership looks like at that point, and the rest of the lineup shakes out pretty nicely with some order of Arias/Martinez/Bo and whoever is the other infielder at that point (looking like Schneemann right now!).

Bo Naylor - I know that the Guardians are still big believers in Bo as a hitter. IF Bo was at where his expected numbers say he should be, he’d be the fourth or fifth best hitter in the current lineup by wOBA at .327 and his walk-rate is third best on the team at 12.4% (I’m not counting Hedges’ amazingly high BB count so far, you can’t make me). Bo also has better speed than Manzardo. The only hesitation in me considering him the odds on favorite is that Cleveland has very much been consistent in batting their catchers in the bottom third of the lineup and IF an injury happens to Bo, you’re stuck with Hedges batting second for that game. But, I do think this is a legitimate option.

The Analytics Darlings:
Nolan Jones vs. RHP and Lane Thomas (when healthy) vs. LHP - Believe me, I recognize that many people are going to be rolling their eyes at Jones being an option on this list. He’s had a rough start to the season but he still has elite exit velocity potential and a 14.4% walk-rate. I suspect he’s still working his way to full health from back issues and adjustments. If Jones can provide something like his career .341 wOBA vs. RHP and Thomas can provide something like his career .369 wOBA vs. LHP in right-field, that’s an excellent option for any spot in the first five of a lineup. Also, both Jones and Thomas have excellent speed. However, both players have a LITTLE too much swing-and-miss for my preference in the two-hole.

May-September Carlos Santana - It’s probably not ideal to put a 39-year old second in your lineup. But, if we flush the month of April, Santana has a .444 wOBA in the month of May. If he can be his 127 wRC+ self from May-September of last season, his elite plate discipline and steady production is an excellent choice for the two-hole. What do we do when David Fry comes back? Well, I guess Fry is a late-inning pinch-hitter vs. lefties and gives Manzardo a break. Maybe not a bad option as he returns from Tommy John? IF Santana looks like essentially an all-star hitter, this is not a bad problem to have at all.

The Breakout Candidates:
Daniel Schneemann: As one of our longtime CTC commenters prophesied in Spring Training so the chosen one has fulfilled, Schneemann looks like the Guardians’ latest version of David Fry - a versatile long-time minor leaguer breaking out in the big leagues. Now, admittedly, it’s even more dramatic in Schneemann’s case because Fry was a good hitter his whole minor league carrer and Schnee was not. But, the Snowman’s .378 xwOBA is good, his .333 BABIP isn’t exceptionally high and his 10% walk-rate doesn’t look unsustainable. Now, I think there is still some fairly high platoon risk here and his 78% zone-contact rate gives me pause, but I don’t have any issue riding the Schneemann run as long as possible and batting him second.

Angel Martinez: Martinez is a popular choice on the internets to bat second. Personally, I’d prefer to keep him lower in the lineup until he can bring his xwOBA of .278 closer to his wOBA of .323, likely by increasing his 1.4% walk-rate. Martinez walked at a healthy 10% clip in the minors, so I do think he will eventually settle in and find his way to more bases-on-balls. But, it’s probably better for such a young player to continue to do so from the bottom part of the lineup for now, while still also learning centerfield. I am excted about Martinez and his 110 wRC+, and would not oppose batting him second later this year if he starts to take some walks consistently. He’s got solid speed as well, which helps.

CJ Kayfus: Kayfus has a 167 wRC+ for his minor-league career and a 13.3% walk-rate. Um, I wouldn’t mind seeing that in the second spot in a lineup and seeing if he can manage something like a 125 wRC+ and a 10% walk-rate in the bigs. It’ll likely require Kayfus showing he can handle right field and giving Jones a stint on the IL or perhaps an extended opportunity in center if Nolan’s finding it at the plate. Make no mistake - if Kayfus continues doing what he’s been doing, he’ll find his way on the Guardians’ roster by mid-June-ish one way or another.

The Longshot Prospects:
Juan Brito: I do not expect Brito to make the big league roster this season given his thumb ligament surgery, but if he makes a speedy recovery and shows his hitting is going to bounceback to pre-injury levels then you’re looking at a player who had a 140 wRC+ and a 14.3/15.7 K/BB%, and has renowned abilities to pull fly balls. Maybe he has to get a look in right field (where I continue to think his bat and glove will play) or maybe he takes second base after someone falters in front of him, but for a switch-hitter with even splits and elite plate discipline, he seems destined for some time in the 2-spot at some point. However, given this would be his first big league experience, it seems very ambitious to think he’ll debut this season AND show enough to bat second. More of a mid-2026 project if he’s not traded and regains health, most likely.

Chase DeLauter: DeLauter is a long-shot as he is set to resume game activity in Arizona because we just can’t realistically imagine that he’s going to maintain any semblance of health, sadly. However, there’s no doubt a 159 wRC+ and a 12.5/9.5 K/BB% would play extremely well in right-field and in the second spot in the Guardians’ lineup IF the baseball health gods would finally smile upon the one to whom they have so far given their greatest battles. It’s impossible to project health for DeLauter but not hard to imagine his bat immediately playing in the bigs if he can stay on the field, solving both the Guardians’ right field AND two-spot curses simultaneously. Cross your fingers, folks.

Travis Bazzana: Bazzana looks like a player making a lot of adjustments right now. Pitchers aren’t giving him anything on the inner half of the plate and he’s taking a lot of strikes and making mostly weak contact on those pitches on the outer half. However, his plate discipline skills are still strong and he HAS flashed elite exit velocity. I do not expect Bazzana to debut until mid-2026 at this point, but I also would not rule out him putting everything together and then absolutely blazing his way into the big leagues. The potential is still clearly there, and his defense has looked very solid at second base.

Conclusion:
I do think, when it’s all said and done, that Kyle Manzardo will be the Guardians’ #2 hitter. But, there are a variety of interesting options to follow who also may break the curse of the 2-spot struggles and cement their value there, allowing Manzardo to bat cleanup or fifth. Let me know if you think I missed anyone or understated/overstated someone’s chances in the comments below!