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Cleveland Guardians Patience Paying Off With Breakout Slugger
Apr 26, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) smiles before the game between the Guardians and the Boston Red Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cleveland Guardians Patience Paying Off With Breakout Slugger

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Tommy Wild  |  Last updated May 14, 2025 7:00 AM ET

Sometimes, players quickly succeed in MLB and hit the ground running after making their big league debut. However, it can also take a player some time to find their footing after making the jump to The Show.

Cleveland Guardians infielder Gabriel Arias has been one of those players who has taken a little bit of time for him to find consistency at the big league level, but he finally is.

Arias was one of the San Diego Padres' top-10 prospects when they sent him to Cleveland during the 2020 trade deadline.

At the time, the middle infielder was viewed as a solid defensive player with the potential to be an above-average impact bat.

Organizations covet this type of prospect and will give them plenty of time to figure it out at the big league level.

That's exactly what the Guardians did with Arias when they called him up during the 2022 season. Even though the highly touted prospect didn't initially find success, he kept getting chances to figure it out at the plate.

But after three seasons jumping between Triple-A and the minor leagues, from the outside, it looked like time was running out for the talented young player.

Through Arias' first 563 plate appearances, he had a slashline of .212/.274/.350 and a staggering strikeout rate of 32.3 percent.

The organization remained patient with him even when it looked like Arias was at risk of losing a spot on the 40-man roster.

Now, he's one of the best hitters in Cleveland's lineup.

Through his first 133 at-bats of the 2025 season, Arias is hitting .263/.315/.414 with an OPS of .729.

He's finally developing into the two-way player that made him such an elite prospect.

"His growth has been huge. Just the maturity and the ability to know who he is, and stick to his strengths," said Vogt.

"Every hitter chases. They're gonna chase from time to time. Gabby is finding the barrel more often than not right now, working walks, and playing electric defense.

Cleveland's patience with Arias is a perfect example of how a player isn't a finished product the moment they make their big league debut, and may not reach their full potential until they have time to make adjustments.

Over the last few years, the Guardians have balanced developing players while being a playoff contender, and the front office could have decided to move on from Arias when he wasn't producing.

Instead, the Guardians were patient.

They gave Arias time to develop, and now the lineup and team are better off for it.

Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage


This article first appeared on Cleveland Guardians on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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