The Cleveland Guardians need outfield help, there's no secret in saying that. The organization has several candidates ready at the minor-league level, but there's a new member of the roster who could offer some more hope.
Cleveland received Estevan Forial from the New York Yankees in exchange for pitcher Cody Morris in late December. Florial was blocked in New York's organization and he admittedly never made an impression at the big league level.
Now, the Guardians are giving the once-top Yankee prospect a chance and Stephen Vogt is especially enthusiastic about what he's seen so far in spring training.
"He's a specimen I can tell you that," joked Vogt.
"You just look at him in the box and there's a presence. He's a really nice kid. You know, he's excited for this opportunity to be here. He looks great running around the outfield. Like I said, he cut some relays, was moving well, arm looked good. We've seen him hit some balls really hard in live [batting practice] over the last week. Like I said, just a really great person that I'm excited to work with and watch play. I'm excited for what he can bring to the table for us."
The one line of that quote that should especially get fans excited is when Vogt mentions the hard contact that he's already seen Florial make. Sure, it's only spring training. But a power-hitting outfielder is what Cleveland desperately needs.
During his 2023 Triple-A season, Florial hit .284/.380/.565 with a wRC+ of 130. This included 28 home runs and 79 RBI. He'll be a clear upgrade in center or right field if the Guardians can tap into even a fraction of this.
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