Kyle Manzardo Will Save The Guardians' Offense

Cleveland Guardians prospect Kyle Manzardo has hit four home runs in his last three games.

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The Cleveland Guardians' front office moves at this year's trade deadline left a sour taste in fans' mouths. They traded veteran players while getting no real Big League-ready talent in return while sitting just behind the Minnesota Twins for the division lead.

One trade the Guardians made that was hard to gauge at the time was sending Aaron Civale to the Tampa Bay Rays for 1B/DH prospect Kyle Manzardo. Cleveland gave up their most reliable starter in return for a prospect with a lot of upside.

Manzardo has finally made his way to the Columbus Clippers (Triple-A) and is showing we he may be the one to save the Guardians' offense.

Okay, that may be a little bit of an overreaction and unnecessary pressure to put on a 23-year-old who's never played in a Major League. But what Manzardo has been able to accomplish in his short sting with the Minor League club should give all Guardians fans hope. 

MANZARDO HITS ANOTHER HOMERUN to keep his streak going 🔥🔥🔥#ThisShipRocks⚓️ pic.twitter.com/nfIe0fCbYF

— Columbus Clippers (@CLBClippers) September 21, 2023

Cleveland's second overall ranked prospect, per MLB Pipeline, gained the reputation as a pure who could also provide some pop. This made fans a little more hopeful following the Civale trade. The best-case scenario was that the Guardians just got a bat they could rely on for years to come. The worst case was that he would end up in a platoon role. 

Manzardo made his debut in the Cleveland organization on September 1. Since then he's put up a slash line of .286/.373./732 and showing that he's more than ready for his chance at the Major League level. 

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Manzardo is also showing off the power he's ready to bring to Cleveland's lineup. He has hit a total of four homers in his last five games driving in six runners in that stretch as well. This is the exact type of production the Guardians are missing.

It's unfair to put all of the pressure on Manzardo to be the one to turn around the Cleveland offensive woes that have been present for a number of years. However, he is playing like he will be a cornerstone piece to have in the middle of the lineup.