Guardians Can’t Give Up On Gabriel Arias Yet

Gabriel Arias' swing adjustments could lead to long-term success with the Cleveland Guardians.

Sep 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) hits an RBI single during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

The potential Gabriel Arias possesses has been something the Cleveland Guardians have been waiting for him to live up to since his call-up in 2022. His tenure at the big league level has been full of inconsistent playing time, position changes, and mixed results at the plate. 

Arias has appeared in seven games and received 26 plate appearances so far in 2024. He’s currently hitting .308/.333/.577 with a .910 OPS including two doubles, a triple, and a home run. Arias is finally giving the Guardians the power boost they’ve been waiting for, albeit with limited appearences.

Fans have a reason to believe this success can be sustained. Stephen Vogt mentioned after Arias went 3-for-4 against the Boston Red Sox on Monday afternoon that he’s worked on a few swing adjustments. 

“This kid can play, we all know that,” said Vogt. “It’s been fun to watch Gabby the last couple of days and he’s getting into a rhythm. He made a little adjustment with his hands, and it seems to be giving him a lot more rhythm. He’s on time and he’s hitting the ball hard.”

Sep 17, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) hits an RBI single during the fourth inning against the Texas Rangers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Arias’ biggest weakness will always be the punchouts. He carries a career strikeout rate of 31.3% and it still appears it could be an issue this season. As Vogt said in spring training with other power-minded hitters, the team can live with strikeouts if they're still slugging.

The bottom line is that Arias is still 24 years old. For reference, All-Star Baltimore Orioles catcher Adley Rutschman did not make his Big League debut until he was 24. Now, he's leading one of the best teams in the American League.

This isn't to say Arias is Rutschman. Rather, it's to point out how young the middle infielder still is and that it can take some players a little longer to get comfortable in the Majors.  

There's still time for Arias to prove he can be a key piece to this Guardians team for years to come, as long as he gets the opporunties to do so.

Arias appears to be putting in the work to get better and his potential is still there. The Guardians can’t give up on him just yet until these newest adjustments prove that they can't lead to long-term success. 

Moving on from Arias too soon could out Cleveland in a similar situation with their Will Benson, Nolan Jones, and Yandy Diaz moves.