One Huge Reason Why Guardians Likely Haven't Recalled Kyle Manzardo

Cleveland's No. 2 prospect has had some flashes of brilliance, but he is struggling in one major area that is probably giving the Guardians' front office legitimate concern.

May 18, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo (9) bats in the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-USA TODAY Sports / David Richard-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians may still be in first place in the American League Central, but their offense has some clear holes, which is becoming concerning with the Minnesota Twins right on their tail in the division.

We’ve passed the trade deadline, so any reinforcements are going to have to come internally. 

Many fans are curious why the organization isn’t giving their second-ranked prospect, Kyle Manzardo, an opportunity to show he can help the offense get out of its slump. It’s a valid question, given that he’s hitting .268/.399/.552 with an OPS of .951 at Triple-A this season. 

However, one stat could explain why the Guardians don’t feel like he’s ready to come back to the big leagues. That would be Manzardo’s concerning production against breaking balls and offspeed pitches.

May 28, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Cleveland Guardians designated hitter Kyle Manzardo (9) celebrates his scoring a run in the fourth inning against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Manzardo has seen a total of 565 pitches at the minor league level that fit this category. This accounts for 43 percent of the pitches he’s seen this season. When an opposing pitcher throws Manzardo an offspeed or breaking pitch, he's hitting just .180/.277/.438, per Baseball Savant.

Not only is Manzardo struggling to get hits on offspeed pitches, but he’s also having trouble getting the ball in play, with just 12 percent of those pitches reaching the playing field. 

This isn’t a problem exclusive to the minors, either. Manzardo had the same struggles during his short stint with the major league team in May. He had two base hits while seeing 85 sliders, one hit against 26 curveballs, four hits on 49 changeups, and zero hits on 15 splitters.

Okay, so if Manzardo is struggling with these pitches, then how are his counting stats so high? Well, he's absolutely dismantling fastballs. When thrown a heater, he's hitting .336/.485/.616.

As long as Manzardo fails to show he can hit offspeed and breaking pitches, opposing pitchers will keep throwing them, no matter what level he’s playing at. 

All of this isn’t to say it is the reason why Cleveland hasn’t promoted Manzardo back up yet. There are many factors that contribute to that decision.

But it could explain at least part of the organization’s rationale for keeping him in the minors and letting him continue his development even in the midst of the Guardians’ longest slump of the season.