The Cleveland Guardians are still figuring out what's best for the team in terms of who they play in the outfield. They've taken multiple approaches such as acquiring Estevan Florial in hopes that he'd provide some pop to the lineup and even converting infielder Tyler Freeman to an outfielder.
However, don't count out last year's everyday center fielder Myles Straw. The organization is hoping that with an adjusted mindset at the plate, they can tap into more of his talent.
"He's barreling some balls," said manager Stephen Vogt, "He's driving some balls which is what [Chris Valaika] and he talked about over the winter, 'We want you to impact the ball. There's more power in there. You have a lot of power, you've got to be aggressive and go for it.' I think Myles has been such a good contact hitter for the majority of his career that sometimes we lose sight, like, 'Dude, you're strong. You need to use that strength.'"
Straw's at-bats are significantly less than others on the team due to him missing a week because of a virus that has swept Cleveland's clubhouse. However, the small sample size from this changed approach does point to a possible improvement.
Through 19 at-bats, Myles has a slash line of .421/.500/.57 and an OPS of 1.079 which includes three extra-base hits. Again, it's small, but still encouraging.
Along with this changed approach, Chris Valaika also noted at the start of camp that Straw came to Arizona "more physical' and 'stronger' in terms of muscle grow. Perhaps putting this all together is exactly what he needs to turn the corner.
Vogt added "He hit that ball off the right-center field wall [against the Colorado Rockies]. That's the type of stuff he can do consistently. So, getting him to buy into that and 'It's okay if you swing and miss Myles ... It's better to swing and miss at a pitch than put it in play weakly.'"
Will Straw be able to take the message and reclaim his value on a team desperately searching for production from their outfield core?
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