Stephen Vogt sheds light on why Kyle Manzardo struggled in the second half

"I asked what Stephen Vogt thought of Manzardo hitting behind Jose [Ramirez]," Knott said. "For the first three or four months, he thought he was great, but it felt like he ran out of steam and got tired.

From Aug. 13 through Aug. 20, a seven-game span, Manzardo recorded just one hit through 20 at-bats. He ended up striking out eight times while walking just once for a slashing line of .050/.259/.050.

"I don't think people realize when you get to mid-August, most of these guys have no legs left," Knott said.

Little moments of struggles like this can occur, but for a second-year big-leaguer trying to get into a rhythm, it's harder to get out of a slump. Then, from Sept. 18 through Sept. 28, the 63rd overall selection in the 2021 MLB June Amateur Draft had another dry spell.

Across 11 games, he had 38 at-bats and knocked just six hits for two doubles and a home run. Unofrtunately, he also wasn't able to draw many walks, striking out 12 times and walking just once for an on-base percentage of .179.

But, as Knott said, a long and hard-fought season like the one the Guardians had can take a toll on a player.

Manzardo isn't a player you can write off after just two seasons. He consistently showed that he was one of the top batters in the team's minor league system and instantly adapted to the major league game. With his patience growing and discipline at the plate becoming more apparent, the Guardians should expect to see continued growth for the team heading into 2026.

He jumped from 2024 to 2025, with a slight decrease in strikeout rate to 24.9% compared from 26.4% in the previous year. He also had a big jump in walk rate, moving from 5.8% to 9.0% and home run rate from 3.2% to 5.1%.

These are all very promising for a power-hitter like Manzardo that can take over and change the game in a singular at-bat.

As the Guardians remain competitive, year in and year out, one of the main things he will have to work on is late-year conditioning.