Wednesday Thoughts

 David Fry 

I am really happy that Fry is having success.  As I have said repeatedly, he is the consummate 26th man on the roster: a versatile defender who won't hurt you on defense, a guy with a little pop who won't hurt you on offense.  To repeat what  have also siad before, the kind of guy I would rather have had when we wre down to our last out in the 2016 World Series.

The caution I want to make, however, is that he is JUST that.  If Francona overuses him because he is the new, shiny toy, he will eventually be exposed.  There is a reason Jose Oquendo was dubbed 'the secret weapon;' by Cardinals staff, players and fans during his successful run in St. Louis (he was just elected to the Cardinals HOF), a lot of his career he was a utility player (only had more than 400 ABs 4 times in a 12 year career).  

Victory Celebration

Really great to them mobbing Fry after his game-winning hit (103.7 mph).  Freeman, Brennan, both his AAA buddies, Rosario, De Los Santos and everybody.  Just appears that they are all truly happy for this guy.  Interestingly, at one point I saw Rosario pull Ramirez away from the celebration and say something to him.  Maybe he was just trying to keep Ramirez from getting hurt during the wild celebration.  We'll never know, I guess.

Naylor Brothers

Bo just needs to get his confidence going.  I saw him at AAA a lot.  What you are seeing now is just him pressing.  I hope with KC coming in followed by the all-star break Bo will get on a roll.

I hope Josh is OK.  Sounds like he is  but the all-star break can't come soon enough to give this guy some rest.  Doesn't look like he will be added as an injury replacement anyway so maybe him not making the all-star team, although a travesty, may be a blessing in disguise.

Clase and Stephan

Man, what can you say.  We need these guys to do better.

Team

Winning the series against Atlanta would be hugh but we got the game we needed last night.  We just have to stay close to Minnesota.  If somehow we could go into the KC series tied with the Twins we could stand an outside chance of going into the break in first place in the AL Central.  That, to me, would be a huge confidence boost for the team and something to build on in the second half, especially if we find a way to go into this break with an above .500 record.  How huge would that be considereing our struggles in the first half to get above .500.

Minors

• Counting all the US-based teams only, this is probably the worst combined record for our minor league teams this year.  While I thought a couople of these teams would struggle I didn't count on all 5 struggling.  
• Parker Messick - Another rough start at A+ yesterday.  Got rocked for another two HRs. 
• Excited to see how Evelio Hernandez does in the ACL.  His first game could not have gone much better.  
• The ACL hitters and pitchers were on yesterday.   We all know Churio but Aranguren, Gonzalez, Ramirez Jr. are guys who bear watching the rest of this year.  I suspect, with the stare of our farm system, that some of them will appear on Guardians' top 30 prospect lists this off-season.
• Alonzo Richardson: Interesting prospect.  But if you can't strike out guys in A ball, what kind of success can you have at higher levels?
• Columbus with a laugher.  Somewhat lost in the stats is that Pries' 2 HRs were both off position players.  Lots of positive stats all around yesterday.  Logan Allen with the same trouble of putting guys away (50 pitches in 3 innings) but no hits and 4 Ks.   He is going to be back in Cleveland but he should use this time sharpening his 'out' pitch(es).
• "Guys coming out of nowhere" watch: Raynel Delgado hitting .282 with a .799 OPS.  I get it, this is Columbus where stats are inflated somewhat.  Still, is this the year he establishes himself as the prospect they envisioned him as when he was their 6th round draft pick in 2018?   Daniel Schneeman, what can you say.  Like old man river, he just keeps rolling along.  
• It is Oscar Gonzalez time.  Probably won't happen until after the break so that he isn't brought up for a couple of games and then has to sit for the all-star break.  But I could actually see them bringing him up for the KC series and sending him back down to keep playing and then bring him up again shortly after the all-star break.  Depending on how he does in the KC series, it would also increase his trade value if we are going that way.
• Speaking of trade value, Plesac's continues to go down.  I keep him and if we fall out of the race and he has shown improvement at AAA, I bring him up at the end of the year.  No knee-jerking, giving him away for nothing crap, please.
• Karinchak, Morris and even Gaddis should just keep pitching for the unlikely possibility that we need them.  They should keep working on stuff and keep ready for their next opportunity.  Something tells me, depending how the rest of this season goes, the 3 of them could get lots of innings in 2024.
• Battenfield on a rehab in Akron.  Kind of rusty looking but he pitched well enough to throw 3 scoreless innings.  As he is on the 60-day, when he comes off that it will make for a roster issue for us.
• Hitting on the DSL teams is intriguing to me.  Some really good prospects.
• More love for Brito.  I hope he keeps performing and we avoid the inclination to trade him like we did Yandy Diaz, Junior Caminero and Yainer Diaz.  

Draft

I will continue my series of draft-related articles soon but there is a lot of movement.  Not surprising, at least to me, Enrique Bradfield Jr. continues to fall on draft boards.  I think this is because reality has set in that today's leadoff hitter should be more like Acuna Jr., Betts or Tatis Jr. rather than Steven Kwan.  I now that some Kenny Lofton comps have been thrown on Bradfield Jr. but the guy hit .279 in college this year.  I know the age of batting average as a stat has come and gone but, man, these Lofton comps are really stretching it.  I mean, Lofton was drafted in the 17th round of the 1988 draft.  Although times have changed, Bradfield, to me, seems like a novelty: a ture leadoff hitter who embraces his speed and knows his place in the game.  Would I rather proceed with Bradfield as the heir-apparent to Straw than say, Petey Halpin?  Sure.   But not at the expense of a first round pick.  Still, I can see the Guardians going for this guy if he is available at 2, as it meets with organization objectives of drafting good defensive center fielders who hits left handed and who have a good batting eye and speed.   I think it would be a mistake, even if he Rradfield is all that he looks like.  He would have to be a 15-20 HR guy with the rest of his stats to make it worth it.