Thoughts for a Tuesday - Jan 10th style

 Even though I live in a relatively warm climate now, thoughts of spring training still warm my heart.

My thoughts to Liam Hendricks and his family and prayers for a quick, complete and permanent recovery.

Do you think the Guardians are done signing players?   Do you think they are going to make a trade?  I am voting yes to the former but, given the vibes from their previous efforts this off-season, I think they may just choose to hold their prospects until the deadline.  One thing is for sure, however.   They will need to clear some prospects off this roster, consolidating them for a proven major leaguer or trading them for guys who don't have to be rostered this coming off-season.

I know it is a minor point but when I see some of these guys traded after having been DFA'd and the other team getting a minor leaguer back, I can't help but ask myself why we appear to have gotten nothing for Owen Miller.  Now, that might change if Miller makes the Brewers out of spring training but, still.  If AJ Alexy can get a minor leaguer in a DFA trade, why couldn't Miller?

Wow, what a turn to the Carlos Correa saga.  I would have really liked to see him sign a long-term deal with San Fran.   It seemed to me that in the first half of the year he was not going all out.  Now, I don't know if he was hurt then, or if he was just protecting his body for free agency.  But it would have been great to see what 12 years of guaranteed salary would have done for his effort level.   Clearly he turned it on in the second half, maybe after he made the decision that he wanted to opt out if he could build his numbers.   Not saying that he was dogging it but, if he was, I don't know that his new contract with the Twins will be sufficient for him to go all out all the time as it is likely not to be his last contract. 

Guys are still signing for more money than I would pay them to play for the Guardians.  Fortunately it is not the Guardians who are paying them these salaries.  Aside from Gregory Soto, I don't see, in the Guardians' mentality of cheap, controllable talent that anyone but Soto would have been a fit.

More later.  Have a great day!

Recollections of a lifelong fan

 My first Cleveland baseball recollections were listening to the games on the radio.  My favorite player was Tito Francona and, although I don't really remember his heyday back in 1959 where he hit .361 or even his all-star season, I still liked him.

When he was traded away I remember hiding my transistor radio under my pillow and listening the Harry Carey and Jack Buck broadcasting the Cardinals games on KMOX and hoping that Francona, only a part-time player at that point, would get in the game.

I followed his career as he moved to Oakland and had a 6 hit game, as I remember.  I still have the article from the Plain Dealer somewhere.  

From that point my memories were that of a kid loving his baseball team.  No expectations, no judgement of the front office for their missteps.   Just a kid caring about what went on between the lines and rejoicing at each victory, even if there were always more losses than wins.  

I remember going to old Municipal Stadium which magnified the lack of fans with its cavernous confines.  I specifically remember one game where my brother and I and his friends got there early before the game.  We were out in the upper deck in RF and George Hendrick and Charlie Spikes came to warm up out along the right field line.  When they were done my brother's friend called for Hendrick to throw the ball up to him.  Hendrick obliged and, amazingly threw it right to my brother's friend in the upper deck.   We hung out there and about 15-20 minutes later here comes Hendrick and Spikes to throw a little more.  Realizing they don't have a ball they motion to my brother's friend to throw the ball back down...and he obliges.   After they finish throwing Hendrick motions up to the guy that he is going to throw the ball back to him in, did I mention, the upper deck.  And Hendrick makes another perfect throw to him.  

It is likely that Cleveland lost that game but that memory sticks with me.

Most of the rest of my memories of the Indians/Guardians are from afar.  I would get home to watch them on occasion or catch a game if they were playing close to where I lived.  But, since I haven't lived in Cleveland since 1975, most of my memories come from radio broadcasts and reading about them on the internet. 

Since 1975 I became much more interested in the result.  Still loving the experience and the joy of watching my team, I wanted to get a piece of what fans in other cities were getting...the pride of having a winning team and getting to and maybe winning a WS title.  Startng in the mid-90s I got that and, ever since (thanks in large part to the front office and my favorite player's son) I have what I wanted in the 80s: a winning team with a chance to make it to and maybe win a WS.  Some of my thoughts now are about the minutia that can make or break my team in that effort.

But I constantly am brought back to the joy I get from watching my team play, win or lose.   I love Cleveland's major league team, no matter what they are called because, frankly, they bring me joy.

p.s., It helps to have the Lake County team so close to where I grew up so if I come into town I can catch the stars of the future, too.  And maybe drive down to Akron or Columbus for more baseball..  

Go Guardians!  You were and continue to be a big part of the recreatonal happiness of my life.

Batting Order

 OK, about once a month I want to talk a little more about the batting order.  Now, in Terry Francona's world the battng order appears to be a very touchy-feely thing where the whole appears to be greater than the sum of the parts.  

However, what I am going to suggest leaves out that touchy feely thing and, as such, will likely to be off the beaten path from what Francona and the Guardians will follow.  

But here goes:

Kwan LF

Gimenez 2B

Ramirez 3B

Gonzalez RF

Bell DH

Zunino C

Naylor 1B

Straw CF

Rosario SS

Why, you ask, would I make these changes to the lineup that Francona will likely use:

Kwan

Rosario

Ramirez

Naylor

Bell

Gimenez

Gonzalez

Zunino 

Straw

One 4-letter acronym: GIDP.  For a team that is going to manufacture runs and not have a lot of power, giving up two outs in an AB just won't work.  

Roasrio and Bell grounded into an unacceptable, on this team, number of double plays last year.  Bell had 22 and Rosario 19.  Naylor had 13 and no one else who is coming back had double figures.  So my plan is to 'insulate' guys who hit into DPs by putting guys before them who have low OBP but have some other important abilities like power and speed.   If there is no one on 1B when a DP-prone guy comes up to bat, you are not likely to give up 2 outs n that one AB.

So, if you put stats behind my lineup here is most of my rationale (Player, OBP, GIDP)

Kwan .373 OBP, 9 GIDP

Gimenez .371, 9

Ramirez .355, 5

Gonzalez .327, 6

Bell .362, 22

Zunino .301, 7 (2021 stats)

Naylor .319, 13

Straw .291, 4

Rosario .312. 19

You start out with 3 good OBP guys and go to a 4th guy who doesn't walk much or GIDP often.   Thus, when Bell comes up he likely wouldn't kill a rally with a DP because the damage would have been done before he got there.  There is a chance if he hits 4th that he could come up with first and third and one out and kill that rally.   Gonzalez doesn't ground into many DPs and, rather, strikes out so, for example, if Gonzalez comes up with runners on first and third with one out, he likely would not kill that rally as he will likely not make 2 outs in his AB.  Bottom line, worst case is that Gonzalez leaves the bases as he found them.  So if Bell then comes up with first and third with two outs he can only give up one out in the worst-case scenario in that AB.  No extra outs from him grounding into a DP.  

Same way down the lineup.  Bell is a good OBP guy and Zunino doesn't ground into many DPs.  Naylor does ground into a few but he would come up after Zunino who likely would not be on 1B (low OBP guy). Straw is a low OBP guy so Rosario would likely come up with no one on first and that would give him a chance to more easily beat out an infield hit and set himself up on base for Kwan and Gimenez who don't ground into many DPs.  If Straw ups his OBP he just could try to steal more often to stay out of a Rosario DP grounder.  

Now, you could also do this with the following lineup:

Rosario

Kwan

Ramirez

Gonzalez

Bell

Gimenez

Zunino

Naylor 

Straw

This would be IF Francona is willing to move Kwan to the #2 hole which is where I think he fits best.  Problem is that Rosario is not a good fit at leadoff hitter.  Rosario isn't really a good fit at #2 either as he gets into funks where he chases pitches out of the zone and the aforementioned penchant for GIDP.  Gimenez works well at #6 as he doesn't ground into many DPs and is hitting behind the high OBP Bell and Zunino, who doesn't ground into DPs is behind him, as a buffer between Gimenez and the GIDP guy Naylor.   Again, just like before Straw with his low OBP hits before Rosario, somewhat negating Rosario's GIDP leaning.

Of course, with Bell, maybe he doesn't hit into as many DPs next year due to the anti-shifting rules.  He certainly didn't hit into many earlier in his career.  as he averaged less than 13 between 2017-2019 with a low of 11 in 2019 when he had 118 RBIs.  Still, batting him 5th gives Gonalez some protection which I think would be good for the kid and, if Gonzalez doesn't work out maybe you slide Naylor and his low OBP in the #4 hole and have Bell hit 5th and Gimenez hit 6th followed by Zunino, maybe Brennan and then Straw.   Brennan gives you some good OBP skills near the bottom of the order and, hitting before Straw, wouldn't likely be part of a DP.

Lots of possibilities but the lineup that I think Francona will go with appears to be the worst possible lineup for rally-killing DPs.   When you don't hit a lot of HRs, DPs really will kill you if you are not stealing bases and the lineup I think Francona will use is the worst I can imagne in terms of rally-killing DPs.

Just a thought.

Gregory Soto to Phils. Really?

 It is no secret (unless a guy blogging on the internet expects his posts to be secret) that I think the Guardians should bring in an experienced lefty reliever who could spell Sam Hentges and lessen his regular season load.  It would help if he had some late inning experience, as well, as you can never have too many setup and replacement closer guys, can you?

It was not surprising when I saw that Detroit had traded Gregory Soto today.  It wasn't even surprising to see that they traded him (and utilityman Kody Clemens) to the Phillies.  What was surprising was the return that Soto brought back to the Tigers.

Matt Vierling (OF) - 26 years old (part-time player in 2022 after debuting in 2021 - Rated as Phillies #8 prospect before 2022 by Baseball America.  Had 23 postseason ABs in the Phillies playoff run this past season, going 2-13 with 1 2B and 1 RBI. 

Matt Sands (C) - 26 years old, first time in the majors in 2022

Nick Maton (Utility infielder) - 26 years old - has 216 plate appearances over the last two seasons for Philly.

Not that these guys are terrible prospects, but, really, a backup catcher, a utility man and a part-time outfielder for Soto?  Really?

Plus, the Phillies even cleared a roster spot by getting 2 40-man guys (Soto and Clemens) and giving up 3 40-man guys.  Plus, none of these guys Philly gave up had a clear path to playing time this coming season.  

Clearly, unless they have a bump in performance, none of the 3 guys the Tigers got in this trade will be any more than inexpensive complementary players for a team in a deep rebuild this coming season.  Plus, as complementary players they will be clogging the roster for the next 4 years with little chance of offering any significant change to the Tigers performance over that time.  Again, this is considering that they don't have a significant bump in performance.

Looking at the Guardians roster there are no comparables to Maton, Vierling and Sands.  None. But I can't believe that the Guardians couldn't have put together a package of their 2nd tier prospects that wouldn't have beaten the Phillies package in terms of future projectability.  

The questions is were the Guardians in on Soto and, if so, who did Detroit ask for.  Remember, given that Oakland asked for Daniel Espino and others from the Guardians and ended up with an inferior package from Atlanta/Milwaukee, putting on my conspiracy theory hat I wonder if teams are only willing to deal with the Guardians if they can get a much better haul than they can get anywhere else.  

Now, it is interesting that with 30 saves and 2-11 record Soto was deemed to have pitched at replacement level in 2022.  Don't know how that works but it points out what others have pointed out about the issues using WAR.  

Still, to Cleveland I think we would have been worth at least 2 WAR this season, if not 3, all things considered.  I don't know why Gregory Soto is not wearing a Guardians' uniform tonight.  I just don't.  We had more than enough prospect capital to get him and not hurt our depth.  I don't know the Guardians' FO plan but losing out on guys like Gregory Soto who came pretty cheap is NOT how I would be handling my off-season.

A look at our minor league signings and thoughts going forward.

 Today the Guardians announced the signing of 4 minor league free agents who were offered invites to ML spring training.  Let's take a look:

CAM GALLAGHER 

What he brings: Here is a guy who profiles as a likely replacement for Luke Maile.  The Guardians have said that, if healthy, they expect Zunino to catch the bulk of the games this coming season.   As Gallagher backed up Salvador Perez for years, this makes the backup role in Cleveland perfect.  Add to that the fact that he brings Maile-average offense and defense to the backup role and we lose nothing. 

Impact on the roster: The backukp catcher role is still a bit of a jumble but having Gallagher here does provide the same insurance that Maile provided last year.   In terms of how it impacts the other catchers in the system it depends on how it all sorts out.   Right now we have 3 catchers rostered, Zunino, Naylor and Lavastida AND we have a full-40-man roster.   We also have, in addition to Gallagher, Meibrys Viloria on a minor league deal.   

From where I sit there are are few scenarios to consider:

1. Lavastida's struggles last year were because of his injuries and he looks like a reasonable backup this spring..  If Zunino is healthy and Lavastida is whole this spring, it makes sense for Lavastida to be the backup.  If that happens I doubt Gallagher stays as I am sure he has an opt out if he doesn't make the roster..   Naylor goes to catch every day at Columbus and Viloria becomes his caddy.  The 40-man roster remains untouched as no one is added.

2. Naylor overwhelms his competition this spring and miraculously makes the opening day roster.  In this, the most unlikely scenario, Zunino and Naylor split the catching duties and we work Naylor into the lineup to get him some DH ABs.  Lavastida and Viloria split the cathing duties at Columbus, Gallagher opts out.  

3. Lavastida is not ready, Zunino is healthy and Naylor doesn't overwhelm his competition.  This, the most likely scenario, is where things get sticky.   We have no choice but to add Gallagher to the 40-man as he would make the 26-man.   We are not likely to have 4 catchers on the 40 man given how many unuseable (n 2023 players already are on that roster (Tena, Brito, Martinez, Noel_ so Lavastida becomes in danger of getting traded or DFA'd.   This all would come down to what the organization thinks of Lavastida long-term.  If he an average catcher with above-average offensive and OB skills?  Is what he showed in 2022 what he really is going to be (a AAAA catcher)?  He just turned 24 so he is young and hit very well in 2019 (draft year) and 2021.   

4. Someone gets hurt.  So if Zunino is not ready for openeing day but if it is Luke Mailer situation (10 day DL) we have to determine who starts.  At that point I think Naylor starts and Lavastida backs him up.  If Zunino goes on the 60-day DL, then we have a spot for Gallagher and he and Naylor or Lavastida share the catching duties.

5. We bring in Gary Sanchez as our backup.   I think the signing of Gallagher precludes that.  No way is Gallagher going to AAA to be Naylor's caddy.  Plus, we now have to clear a 40-man roster spot and I just don't see that happening.

In none of these scenarios (one injured catcher, Lavastida not ready) do I see Viloria making this team out of spring training.  Multiple catchers would have to be hurt and, even then, 

ROMAN QUINN

What he brings: He is a switch-hitter, who plays good defense, has speed and takes his walks, all in the Guards wheelhouse for the players they want  He does strikeout a lot which is not in the Guardians wheelhouse right now.

Impact on the roster: Quinn's situation is much less complicated.  As the Guardians (and all other teams) have in the past they fill in their AAA and AA rosters with veterans.  Quinn is just that.  Our AAA roster doesn't have a lot of outfielders so this fit is good.  Plus, if we can stash Quinn in Columbus he provides insurance if we have a disaster in the majors and Valera isn't considered ready.  But, unlike Gallagher, Quinn is just insurance and while he likely makes AAA Columbus' roster this year, it is not out of the question that he could get pushed to AA Akron.

TOUKI TOUSSAINT 

What he brings and his impact on the roster: This year's Enyel De Los Santos wanna be, Toussaint brings ML-ready insurance to Columbus.  He protects in case of injury (on the cheap, that is) by providing a warm body with ML experience and success.  Like many guys before him (Anthony Castro, Yohan Ramirez, Ian Gibault, most recently) he stands a decent chance, if healthy, to get some ML innings this year.   The upside is if they figure out what he needs, having another de los Santos-type reclamation project be uber successful this year can only help.  Worst case is he provides innings at AAA UNLESS we get Enright and Kelly back from the Rule 5, in which case if Toussaint doesn't look good in ST, he might, in an unlikely scenario, get released.

MICHAEL KELLY

What he brings and his impact on the roster: Interestingly, I see Kelly as having a job in Columbus only if we don't get Nic Enright and Kevin Kelly back from the Rule 5.  If we do I don't see Michael Kelly being needed.   He, like many before him, appears just to be an organizational filler who eats innings to save our pitching prospects at AAA or AA.  Wouldn't be surprised to see him released so he can end up pitching in Asia this coming season.

SUMMARY

Well, our signings are starting to get a little more interesting in that it poitns to not going after another FA catcher (Perez, Sanchez) although it does not preclude us from adding a veteran reliever or two, either on ML or minor league deals nor do these signings preclude us from adding some AAA depth in the outfield.  

Random Thoughts for a Tuesday - January 3rd edition

 1. We hear all the time about what the "front office" is doing.  Obviously this is used in connection with your GM and, in the Guardians' case, their president of baseball operations, Chris Antonetti.   

In the business world the front office is the customer-facing division of a business. Interesting, as in baseball the 'customers' are more like other teams and players and their agents than they are like us, the fans, the true customers of this team.  We just use front office as jargon when these people are really just the executives of the baseball operations division with the owner of the team also, in some cases, lumped in.

Not much crazy new here but just something that has been rattling around in my brain. 

2. Good effort by Ohio State on Saturday.  No one talks about it but it was just bad play calling that netted them -1 yards on their last three plays before forcing Ruggles to try a field goal longer than he had ever made.  That was the key to the game there.  Bad play calling on the last 3 plays.  I was screaming for them to do a student body right-type play toward the sideline with Stroud carrying the ball.  Could have gotten 2-3 or more yards and avoided a fumble as Stroud just steps out at the first sign of trouble.   As far as the Buckeyes defense, Knowles has a lot to improve on next year.

3. Donovan Mitchell...SEVENTY-ONE...amazing.   

4. To reiterate, it is time the Guardians start thinking about usage rates for their relievers.  On paper they have enough relievers but, given the usage rates, they NEED another lefty reliever and could use, but don't really need, a veteran righty 7th innng guy.  The former would likely be by free agency on a major league contract and the latter could be on a minor league contract.  

5. It would be nice to see some of our utility guys out in Arizona working on their positional flexibility.  Not everything has to be done starting in spring training.  Arias should get time in LF and he and Freeman should get time at all 4 infield positions. 

6. Is it just me or is this off-season in baseball just setting up perfectly.  I mean, yeah, the Mets are spending ridiculous amounts but the free agent shuffle is going, in my opinon, flawlessly and so far, and I imagine in the future, the trades are going perfectly with teams who match each others' needs being able to make deals.   The Guardians do have an excess of prospects but I applaud them for not just giving away guys BECAUSE they have excess.  I mean, if Andre Knott's assertion that the A's were asking for Daniel Espino and other Guards' top 10 prospects for Sean Murphy is accurate, given what they eventually accepted for Murphy, it shows that the rest of baseball either thinks the Guardians' prospects aren't as good as the rankings would indicate or that they were playing hardball with Cleveland BECAUSE the Guardians have so many prospects that they won't be able to find playing time for all of them AND because the Guardians are in a competitive window right now.   Again, props to them for not blinking and making a trade they will regret later, not for what they get back but what they give up.

7. While I applauded them in 6., I still am ticked that they traded Jones for Brito.  Not an even trade and one that smacks, in reverse, of the Tobias Myers trade last year.   Hey, Vargas for Carver, I get it because you needed the roster spot for Bell and a team like the D'backs have to roll the dice a little hoping to catch the brass ring.  But Jones for a guy who will run out of minor league options BEFORE he gets to even 1/2 a season in the majors?  Ridiculous on paper and, as I said before, teams that value guys the rest of the league doesn't value almost, and I repeat, ALMOST always get burned.  

8. Can't wait for ST to start.  Hoping for another season with only small or no injury issues and guys (like Shaw and Gonzalez, for instance) giving us bigger than expected results with most others giving us at least average results for their abilities.  I know that is a big ask but this team isn't far from 94 wins this coming season but they aren't far from 83 losses, as well, if things don't break right.

9. Hoping NONE of our guys play in the World Baseball Classic.  I don't know why but it seems like major leaguers seem to be more negatively affected by this type of event than guys in other sports.  I mean, Olympic basketball for instance.  How often are guys hurt in that event compared to what happens to guys in the WBC.  And I am not just talking about acute injuries.  Just long-term wear and tear.   The WBC should be for career minor leaguers, professionals in other professional leagues not named MLB and guys in the lower minors, not for major leaguers.

A hard look at our prospects and what they need to do in 2023

 We have lots of good prospects.  In fact, I think it is safe to say that no team in baseball has the prospect depth that we have when you consider prospects who are close to or ready for the majors.   That being said, our high-end prospect depth as measured by how many prospects we have in the top 30 in baseball (one per team), is not above average.  

Each of our prospects has things they need to accomplish in 2023 that will take them over that hump.  This listing will not include Freeman or Palacios who have all exceeded rookie limits.   

So let's dive in:

1. Daniel Espino - The key here is health.  Look, this kid has a Gerrit Cole upside if he is healthy and his floor under the same conditions is as an 8th inning setup man who could grow into a closer of the Emmanuel Clase ilk (actually, due to not being that tall, what he was projected to be when drafted).  But he has to stay healthy.  His lost 2022 season was a mystery with no real explanation of what happened to him or any real, substantive updates of what happened to him during the season.   We started hearing it was a knee problem, then a shoulder problem.  But, if you believe the rumors, the Guardans were dogged in not including him in trades this winter.  He just needs to stay healthy and build up his arm and command.

2. George Valera - The issue with some of these guys, Valera being the first on this list, is that they are so young for their level and the level they started at last year.   When a guy gets promoted and doesn't light up the next level there are always lingering question marks about whether he has hit the ceiling based on his abilities.   Not that Valera is in the same category, but there have been a lot of guys who hit the heck out of AAA pitching but couldn't translate that to the majors.  Corey Dickerson is the guy I see as the floor for Valera and while the guy has hung around the majors for 10 years and has a career .805 OPS, he just is a rotational player, not a starter and certainly not an all-star.   For Valera to avoid that floor he is going to have to conquer AAA this year and it looks like power and OBP are going to have to be his calling cards as he doesn't look like he is going to hit for more than .260 in the majors.  So, for this year, he needs to lower is K%, keep his BB% high and get his power numbers up to 30+ at AAA (based on a full year's worth of games, that is).  His defense needs to continue to improve, as well, as he would have to be a plus defender with a good arm to stay in RF in the majors.  If his K rate goes up and his BB rate takes a hit and he sticks at around 20 HR for a full season he will start to migrate to a Corey Dickerson-type prospect.

3. Brayan Rocchio - Smooth swing, smooth defnses, defensive versatility (SS/2B).   The key for him will be his hitting.  His upside is Andres Gimenez's 2022 season.  However, he did not exactly conquer AAA or his winter league this year.   He doesn't appear to be a proficient basestealer and his OBP % and walk rate could use improvement.  He has to maintain his power and increase his walk rate.  A full year at AAA where he gets to 60 BB, 25 2B, 20 HR, 10 steals with a .270 average while playing top notch defense is what he needs to work for at AAA.  This, hopefully, will set him up for those 2022 Andres Gimenez-type numbers either this year or next year.

4. Gavin Williams - Literally, he just needs to repeat his peformance from 2022, this team STARTING at Akron and ending at Columbus.   This, of course, means staying healty and improving his command and his craft.  He is in the grind and he just needs to stay healthy and perform

5. Bo Naylor - Again, just improve his craft.   I think he has set himself up for the typical prospect pattern: handle a level for 1/2 a year, struggle a little after a promotion, rinse and repeat the next year.   He will be in his second year at AAA and should put up good offensive numbers.  He needs to keep his walk rate high, improve on his power and continue to realize that hitting for average is important, too.  Still, it is his defense that will carry him.  If he does well he should be in the majors by the all-star break and should get a lot of his ML learning done in the second half this year.  

6.  Tanner Bibee - He came out of nowhere last year and so he needs to maintain that consistency in 2023.  He just needs to stay healthy and work on his craft although it looks like he is clearly about 18 months away from helping this team.  He is in the grind and needs to improve all aspects, while staying healthy.

7. Logan Allen - Here is a guy who got chewed up at AAA last year.  But it was a long season and he has moved fast through the system.  He isn't a big power guy like Williams and so these bumps in the road on promotion to the next level will be expected.  He just needs to continue to find ways to get guys out while he improves his stuff.   A good comp for him is where Beiber is now.   If Allen can make it to the 2022 level of Beiber (which I think is very reasonable) he will have maxed out his ability.  It will likely take him all of 2023 to shore up his game and his craft to have a chance in 2024 to be 'that' rookie.

8. Gabriel Arias - In 2023 he has to decide who he is.   He just has to hit more, plain and simple.   He reminds me of the 2021 version of Andres Gimenez.  I am not saying to scrap his current hitting approach but he needs to get more walks, hit for more power, and make better contact.   Look at Amed Rosario's stats last year.  I think those are highly achiveable for Arias but he needs to make improvements to get there.  This is a make-or-break year for hm in terms of starting to play like an all-star.  His whole game, across the board, needs to get immediately better.  Given his young age, if this happens he can still be an offensive star, defensive asset in the middle of the diamond or at an outfield corner for the Guardians.

9. Xzavion Curry - A big part of Curry's development will be if they move him to the bullpen.  As a starter he is undersized but without Espino's fastball.  I don't know if he can hold up, let alone dominate in the majors, with his size and stuff.  But, in the bullpen, you are looking at top of the league 8th inning guy and, I think, right now.  So his development will depend on his team using hm appropriately.  If they continue with him as a starter he might disappoint this year.  We will see.

10. Jake Fox - He, like Milan Tolentino, just need to play.  What they will eventually end up being is too out of focus right now as it will only be determined when both get to AA and AAA.  Lots of potential but let's remember that Owen Miller was this level of prospect in our system.  So, there's that.

11. Jhonkensy Noel -  If there is one guy in the system that has to take to what the Guardians are asking him to do, it is Noel.  As a firstbaseman with Bell on a one-year opt out, Noel can put himself in position to be in the majors in 2024 with a good season.  But I can see this going two ways.  If he is receptive and puts the Guardians' teachings into play he becomes Spongebob.   If he goes his own way, he becomes Franmil part deux.   He is teed up to start the year at AAA and that challenge, along with how he has to improve his game, will go a long way to determine his eventual worth.  If he does his job well and stays healthy, he could be our team ROY in 2024...and a much needed piece.  As I said last year, I see a little Albert Pujols in him and I hope he can develop into anywhere near what Albert became.

There are a lot more guys I will touch on in the next few weeks, hopefully.   But I wanted to start with these guys today.