Cleveland Guardians Miss The Firepower Of Traded Slugger, Josh Naylor

The Cleveland Guardians are having a very tough time scoring runs.

So far this season, the Guardians have scored 286 runs, placing them No. 25 in all of baseball.

They just don’t have the same firepower in their lineup without Josh Naylor, who now plays first base for the Arizona Diamondbacks.

This year, Naylor, 28, is entering his final season before being eligible for free agency.

The Guardians elected to trade Naylor’s contract while they could still get a return for his services.

Traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks this offseason for pitcher Slade Cecconi, Naylor delivered 31 home runs, drove in 108 runs, and scored 84 runs for Cleveland last year, in his 633 plate appearances.

The left-handed hitting Naylor also offered some protection in the middle of the lineup for slugging third baseman, Jose Ramirez.

Pitchers had to take great care pitching to both Ramirez, and Naylor, knowing either or both of them can change a game with one swing.

While Ramirez remains one of the premier hitters in Major League baseball, he isn’t seeing the same type of pitches without Naylor in the lineup.

Depending upon the pitcher’s repertoire, Ramirez, a switch-hitter, is seeing a steady diet of changeups, in addition to cutters and breaking balls.

When he gets a fastball, Ramirez rarely misses.

Fastballs are rare against the struggling Cleveland lineup.

There is little question the Guardians miss the jolt first baseman Josh Naylor delivered from the middle of their lineup.

After a successful run deep into the postseason last year, the Guardians will find it difficult to win a 2025 playoff spot.

Of course, more than half a season remains for the Guards to climb back into contention.

The Guardians can boast of solid pitching, but their offense has been dormant.

They’ll have to hit to have any chance to make the playoffs..

Naylor was replaced this year at first base by a combination of Carlos Santana, and Kyle Manzardo.

While Carlos Santana has hit well, he just doesn’t bring the same type of game-changing threat as Josh Naylor.

Carlos Santana:

Santana, 39, is 5-10, 210 pounds.

Santana has always been a good hitter. He has a career .242 batting average in parts of 16 big league season, but he is a tough out.

Santana brings great pitch recognition and a great eye to the plate. He hits the gaps, and can still probably hit 15 or more homers a season.

Santana won a Gold Glove at first base playing for the Minnesota Twins last season.

Now in his third stint with the Guardians, Santana returns where he started his career. He made his major league debut with the (then) Cleveland Indians in 2010.

But Santana does not bring Naylor’s power.

Kyle Manzardo:

Manzardo is a left-handed hitter.

Manzardo, who turns 25 in July, is 6-0, 205 pounds.

Manzardo, traded to the Guardians from the Tampa Bay Rays in July 2023, is still learning how to adjust to major league pitching.

There are times Manzardo is fooled by looking for a fast ball, and getting a pitch that spins. The reverse is also true.

While Manzardo shows promise as a potential home run threat, he is probably some time away from being counted upon to hit anything close to 25 home runs in a season.

Manzardo has the ability to take a pitch to the opposite field, and he can hold his own against left-handed pitching.

Manzardo has been inconsistent so far in his young career. He has spurts of solid contact, and then he shows times when he is off-balance and fooled at the plate. Some of his swings are in desperation.

Manzardo’s issues come with his youth, and lack of experience against major league quality pitching.

With Carlos Santana and Kyle Manzardo combined, the duo probably won’t reach the 31 homers Josh Naylor produced last season. Or the 108 RBIs.

As of this writing, Santana has eight home runs. Manzardo has hit 11 homers.

Even while he is playing with an aching schoulder, Naylor has driven in 51 runs, and has stolen 10 bases for the Diamondbacks in 75 games played. He is on pace to drive in more than 100 runs, once again.

While Josh Naylor isn’t hitting the ball out of the park as often with his new Arizona Diamondbacks club, he is a force to be reckoned with every at bat. He is also stealing bases, and playing credibly at first base.

Naylor is surrounded in the Diamondbacks lineup by hitters like Corbin Carroll, Ketel Marte, Geraldo Perdomo, and Eugenio Suarez. They are a formidable lot.

Cleveland doesn’t have anything close to that type of firepower in their current lineup.

While Josh Naylor may be raking in Arizona, he is not forgotten by the fans of the Cleveland Guardians.

The Guardians could really use the power and thunder Naylor brings to a lineup.