The Cleveland Guardians have been searching for some good vibes over the last week. They're now 4-6 in their last 10 games which includes being swept by the Houston Astors and many of the young players dealing with the stress that is the trade deadline for the first time.
But there are some positives we can look at from the last week of baseball and one of those is the emergence of Gabriel Arias' bat.
The Guardians' decision to trade Amed Rosario primarily had to do with giving Arias and Tyler Freeman the opportunity to show what they can do at shortstop as the organization asses their future. So far, Arias has been given the keys to the position and he hasn't disappointed.
It was clear that Arias is a naturally gifted defender. He ranks in the 82nd percentile in arm strength and 66th percentile in OAA. However, it's been the offense that has been the real question in his game. The natural power is there, but we've been waiting to see it come with some consistency.
Terry Francona talked about this before the team shipped out their veteran shortstop. The message was that they know Arias is a gifted defender and are pretty certain there's a solid hitter in there too.
All Arias needed to prove himself were consistent and everyday at-bats.
Since the trade, he's been hitting .333 and slugging .429. His average on balls put in play has also skyrocketed to .500 which is exactly the type of hitter that the Guardians have been waiting for.
This uptick in production included Arias' first career three-hit game against the Astors on Tuesday. He went 3-for-4 in this game which included a run scored too. Watching Arias smoke a double down the left field line on Wednesday afternoon which scored both Brayan Rocchio and Oscar Gonzalez was a glimpse into the future for Guardians fans.
It's been barely a week since social media lit up following the Rosario news so this is a small sample size. But Arias's production has been an encouraging sign for a team looking for a spark.
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