Three Cleveland Guardians Who Deserve More Playing Time

Johnkensy Noel, Tyler Freeman, and Kyle Manzardo all have cases to be getting more at-bats with the Cleveland Guardians/

Jun 26, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfield Jhonkensy Noel (43) reacts after hitting a home run during the second inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Mandatory Credit: Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports / Reggie Hildred-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Guardians have shown signs of life on offense over the last two games as they look to break out of their offensive slide. Some players have individually been swinging a hot bat, creating an argument that they should be getting more plate appearances. 

These are three players who should be getting more playing time and at-bats.

Jhonkensy Noel

Johnkensy Noel has certainly taken advantage of his major league opportunities so far. He’s been, as advertised so far, from hitting a home run in his first big league at-bat to being a power threat in the middle of the Guardians’ lineup.

Noel, or ‘Big Christmas’ as some like to call him, is hitting .286/.333/.786 over his last seven games which including two home runs and three RBI. Yes, the swing-and-miss is still present with a 37.5 percent strikeout rate in his 18 games. However, the upside has overall been positive for the Guardians and he deserves more at-bats.

Tyler Freeman

With Angel Martinez finding early success since being called up, Tyler Freeman’s role diminished into a platoon hitter against left-handed pitching. However, Freeman is hitting .381 with a wRC+ of 179 since July 8 and continues to make a ton of contact. He recently put together a three-hit game for the Guardians in the series opener against the Tigers. 

The Guardians need to keep playing their hot bat if they’re going to break out of their team-wide slump. Freeman was an everyday player at the start of the season, and it may be time for Stephen Vogt to return to that strategy.

Jul 2, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Tyler Freeman (2) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the sixth inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports / Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Kyle Manzardo

No, Kyle Manzardo is not currently on the big league roster. But there certainly is case to be made that he should be.

Manzardo has refound his swing since rejoining the Triple-A team. He has a .244/.398/.872 slash line and a .872 OPS since being optioned on June 19. 

The Guardians traded away their best-starting pitcher, Aaron Civale, at last year’s deadline to secure a prospect of Manzardo’s level. The major league at-bats weren’t great during his stint with the team in May and the beginning of June, but now is the perfect time to see if he can be a spark for the team’s offense.