The Cleveland Guardians' offensive struggles are no secret. They're still in the playoff picture, but most of that has to do with how good the rookie starting rotation has been. The Guardians have searched all the way from prospects to veterans for help at the plate this season, but have still come up short.
That's why they've gone back to someone who has provided the team with consistency and magic in the past. Spongebob Square Pants himself.
Oscar Gonzalez 's rookie season was truly something special. He finished the year with a .296 batting average and a .788 OPS while coming through for not one, but two clutch walk-off hits in the playoffs.
However, this magic didn't carry over into the beginning of 2023. Oscar hit .159 in the month of April which ended with him being optioned to Triple-A at the beginning of May. The goal was for Gonzalez to find his swing down in Columbus and bring him back up once he got hot.
Spongebob had a lot of success in the Minors batting .275 in 65 games and finding a way to drive in runs as well. This made the decision to call him back up following the trade deadline an easy choice.
Gonzalez may not be crushing home runs and the strikeout rate is still high (22 percent), but he's been a solid bat since his return and has even been one of Cleveland's best hitters over the last two weeks.
Oscar was recalled on July 27 and has accumulated 50 plate appearances since then. He's hitting .326/.360/.457 with a wRC+ of 124 in those 14 games. This includes four doubles, a triple, and three RBI.
His best game yet was in the series finale against the Tampa Bay Rays where he recorded three doubles while driving in a pair. Gonzalez put together great, long at-bats where he looked comfortable and patient at the plate.
The Guardians' focus for the rest of the season is to evaluate their young talent and determine who will be part of the team's future. The outfield is a big question mark with how much they've underperformed in 2023 and the need for more offense from this position group.
Gonzalez can solidify his role on the team in 2024, whether that be as an everyday player or in a platoon position if he can keep up this sort of offense production through the rest of the season.
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