Former MLB Player Reveals Hilarious Nickname For Guardians Lineup

The Cleveland Guardians' lineup has been raking, and a former MLB player has taken notice.

Aug 1, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Lane Thomas (8) celebrates after hitting a double during the first inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians are rolling, having won four straight games and seven of their last nine to nab the best record in baseball at 66-42.

After a prolonged stretch in which the Guardians' bats went quiet, the offense has come alive of late and was hitting on all cylinders in the club's 10-3 win over the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday night.

Jose Ramirez and David Fry both homered, Josh Naylor went 2-for-3 with an RBI, Steven Kwan added a couple of hits and trade deadline acquisition Lane Thomas chipped in with a pair of base knocks, including a double.

Former MLB player and current MLB Network analyst Mark DeRosa gushed over Cleveland following the team's victory over the Orioles and has come up with a great nickname for the Guardians' top of the order: "The Fantastic Four."

For DeRosa, Kwan is "Mr. Stretch," Thomas is "The Human Torch," Ramirez is "The Invisible Man" and Naylor is "The Thing."

The @CleGuardians took last night's series opener in a battle of AL powerhouses! ⚔️@markdero7 breaks down their convincing W over Baltimore and Cleveland's "Fantastic Four" at the top of the lineup. #MLBCentral pic.twitter.com/4drPWFx6Ol

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 2, 2024

DeRosa offered hilarious (but legitimate) explanations for his assigned nicknames, noting that Kwan can contort his body to hit to all fields, Thomas is on fire against left-handed pitching, Ramirez is not a major household name and Naylor is, well, Naylor.

Throughout the season, the Guardians' lineup has been rather inconsistent. It has had its moments where it has looked great (like Thursday evening), and it has had stretches where it seemed almost incompetent (like the period before the All-Star break).

Overall, Cleveland's offense has been rather pedestrian on the year, as it ranks 16th in batting average, 13th in runs scored and 13th in OPS. But perhaps the addition of Thomas can add a much-needed spark to the batting order.

The Guardians will battle the Orioles in the second game of their four-game series on Friday night.