Yeah. Baseball Games Are Back

 Great to watch a game with Cleveland players and Cleveland announcers.  

In games that I am actually able to watch I am going to give my opinions of what I saw this spring.  Normally, but not always, I am going to list my player(s) of the game and dud(s) of the game, as well as my thoughts on all the players who saw action that day.  Won't see every game, obviously, but in the games I do see I will do this.

So let's get started:

PLAYERS OF THE GAME

Steven Kwan - Wow, just where he left off last year!   The only nitpicky negative I saw was in his 3rd AB, at 0-1 he took a sliider belt high on the outside edge with the third baseman playing in and off the line.  I would have liked to see him slap that ball down the left field line.  I hope he uses that left field line more often this year.  In fairness, his next couple of swings were going the other way but, like last year, he elevated the ball.   If he keeps that ball on the ground no way the thirdbaseman is going to throw him out.

Gabriel Arias - Like Kwan, hits in his first two ABs is encouraging and he hit them solidly.  I don't know if I saw him field a ball but I didn't see him muff anything.

Tyler Freeman - Tito stole my thunder here as Freeman's BABIP was .000 but his hard hit percentate was 1.000.  He made a really good play to his backhand side up the middle and made a strong throw from behind the bag.  I think he could be a great offensive second baseman and a potential gold glover there, as well, based on his SS experience.

DUDS OF THE GAME

Mike Zunino - This was an easy one.  0-2, leaving 3 runners on base.   3 stolen bases against him in 3 innings, one on a ball 4 call where he should have never thrown through anyway as it was a delayed double steal.  Plus he dropped an easy pitch to catch in the 3rd inning to his glove side that made me wonder about his surgically repaired left arm as it was a fastball about his shoulder height on the glove side.   Plus, he did not pick Brennan's good throw from the outfield, another glovehand play that he did not make.  Again, only spring training but a veteran should never have a stinker like this one and it does raise some question marks about the viability of that surgically repaired arm.

Cal Quantrill - Didn't get out of the 2nd inning and his pitches looked up and did not have his usual command although he was a victim of his catcher.

OTHER PERFORMANCES

PITCHERS

Brett Daniels - got two outs to end the second before more damage.  It shows they are still thinking about him even though he was only Quantrill's parachute if he couldn't get through 2.  Positive outing for him.

Tim Herrin - A little command issue but, to me, the sharpest of the relievers and, if continues to improve, he could break camp with the Guardians, especially if Morris cannot.

Xzavion Curry - His command was not sharp but his control and stuff looked good.  Thus 2 perfect innings but with only one K.

Cade Smith - Even though he had a perfect inning and got a K I think his K pitch was the only swing and miss in the inning.  He needs to miss more bats or get more called strikes to be successful at the ML level.

Luis Oviedo - Some swing and miss stuff here and a basehit given up.  A good start to his spring.  I still think he has some potential to be a middle innings reliever in the majors.

Nick Mikolajchak - All over the place, not looking like the 2021 version of himself.  Someone we thought we might stash at AAA in case of an emergency but now looking more 'organizational' than 'prospect'.

Aaron Pinto - Not the best first impression giving up the walkoff HR but the fact the Guardians used him at all shows they are at least thinking he will be either at Akron of Columbus this year unless he totally tanks the rest of the spring.

HITTERS

David Fry - A HR to put us ahead in the second.  He likely won't break camp with the ML team but his versatility makes him an interesting option for the last spot on the bench.   He might even be a better choice than Freeman who was our emergency catcher last year.

Roman Quinn - Looked overmatched in his first AB, hit a long HR in his second.  Since power is not supposed to be part of his game he still looks to me like AAA filler.  But, way to go Roman.

Juan Brito - As advertised, he worked a walk in his only AB.   He looked shaky at 2nd base as he almost misplayed a popup and I think muffed the around the horn after he fielded a broken bat grounder and threw the runner our.

Josh Naylor - Got a hit, tried to steal a base (which Tito inferred he should not be doing in the regular season), didn't field Benson's smash to him.  He will be fine but, in this lineup, I still think he should hit 6th or 7th.

Pries - Looked solid in the field and roped a double at the end of a good AB.  Really like his potential.

Rocchio - Looked OK at SS but very weak at hitting, waving at a 3rd strike out of the zone and weakly rolling over on two other balls.   I see "The Professor" as still being a big question mark over what he will be.

George Valera - Two weakly hit balls and an adventure on a fly ball to CF.   On one of his ground balls he hit into a double play as a left-handed batter hitting the ball to the shortstop's right.  Seemed he should have easily beaten that ball out but didn't.  Nothing positive to report here.

Richie Palacios - Nothing to report here on an 0-2.

Angel Martinez - 0-1 and may have hurt his wrist diving for a bunt popup.  

Jose Tena - 0-1, rolling over on the first pitch he saw with the bases loaded in the 8th.

Jhonkensy Noel - Looked a little shaky in RF on one ball going 0-1 with a walk on a ball 3 feet outside. An overall work in progress.

Juan Escobedo - 0-1, nothing to report.

Christian Cairo - A walk in his only AB., showing a good eye.

Bryan Lavastida - 0-1 and nothing to report as a catcher.

Meibrys Viloria - Walked in his only AB and I don't remember much about him catching.