Kyle Manzardo has the skill set to be one of the best hitters the Cleveland Guardians have. He can hit for power, which is something this team desperately needs, while also having the ability to be a contact hitter for average.
So how does a prospect who's trying to break the Opening Day roster balance these two dramatically different mindsets at the plate? According to Manzardo, it's all about being a team player and doing what's best in the situation at hand.
"I see from the same point, like, strikeouts are bad nobody likes striking, " said Manzardo. "There's only one worse outcome than a strikeout. Any ball you put in play, you're at least giving your team a shot. So there's a time when you have to sacrifice trying to get the big hit for just being a team player and getting the ball in play."
This response should excite not only the front office but fans too. A player who has yet to make their big league debut may try to do too much in order to show that they deserve to be on the 26-man roster. However, Kyle knows his time will come and is instead focused on being a team player.
Manzardo is currently showing the Guardians exactly what he can do when given an opportunity. He's hitting .417/.533/.500 with an OPS of 1.033 through the first seven games of spring training. This also comes after he was impressed during the
At some point, Manzardo will continue for the Guardians at the big league level and the team already knows that he'll make the right play in that opportunity.
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