Guardians Outfielder Poised For Breakout Season

Cleveland Guardians: Will Brennan's swing changes make him a prime breakout candidate.

The Cleveland Guardians need more offense from their outfield position group. That's not a secret to anyone. Where that production comes from is what remains a mystery.

Will Brennan is looking to emerge as the answer to these offense woes as he enters his second full major league season.

Brennan had a streaky 2023 season finishing with a slash line of .266/.299/.356 and an OPS of .655. Certainly, these weren't terrible stats, but they also left a lot of room for improvement. To Brennan's credit, he saw the need to improve and went into the offseason with a plan to get better.

The right fielder came into spring training with notable changes to his swing. Brennan has a wider stance and is starting with his hands in a position that will allow him to be quicker to the ball. 

Check out a full breakdown of these swing changes in this story.

Here's the important question, have these adjustments been successful? The answer: there definitely have been some encouraging signs during spring training.

Brennan has hit .231/.286/.577 with an OPS of .863 so far this camp. It's a small sample size, but it appears the changes have allowed Brennan to tap into a little more power as he's recorded four extra-base hits (one double, one triple, and two home runs) in 26 at-bats. 

Jul 17, 2023; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) greets center fielder Will Brennan (17) as Brennan scores a run against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the fifth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

The Guardians made the decision to roll with Brennan over other prospects such as Nolan Jones and Will Benson. So far, the organization may be slightly regretting that decision, but that could all change if Chill Will puts all of this together and indeed has the break season he's setting up for himself.