Oct 17, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians outfielder Will Brennan (17) hits a double during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees in game 3 of the American League Championship Series at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

These Guardians Could Be Pleasant Surprises During 2025 Season

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Tommy Wild | Last updated Feb 3, 2025 8:00 AM ET

The Cleveland Guardians roster has many question marks heading into Spring Training and, eventually, Opening Day.

Unknowns can sometimes lead to disappointment; they can also become positive outcomes as well.

These are a few players who could be pleasant surprises for the Guardians during the 2025 season.

Will Brennan

Will Brennan was once viewed as one of Cleveland's top outfield prospects. However, he hasn't quite lived up to that label since his 2022 debut.

Brennan was a league-average hitter last season and finished the year with a 98 wRC+, but he shined in very specific areas.

Brennan may not be a superstar-caliber player, but he still has a role on this team.

He quietly hit .293/.311/.362 following the All-Star break and posted a .278 batting average and .311 on-base percentage against right-handed pitching. Brennan was also one of Cleveland's best clutch hitters, posting a .319 batting average and a .820 OPS in 69 at-bats with RISP.

If the Guardians put Brennan in the right situations to succeed, he could be one of their more productive platoon hitters in 2025.

Joey Cantillo

Cleveland still has plenty of question marks with their starting pitchers, especially in the back half of the rotation.

If Ben Lively and Triston McKenzie don't pan out, Joey Cantillo could be the next man up before Shane Bieber returns from injury.

Cantillo's big league career got off to a rocky start. He faced off against some of MLB's best lineups, and he struggled with his limited playoff appearances out of the bullpen.

However, there were still some bright spots in Cantillo's first major league season.

The left-handed pitcher had a three-start stretch during which he had an ERA of 1.10 and a 1.12 FIP. He struck out 22 batters and only walked four.

On top of this, Cantillo also had an elite extension and solid command for a rookie pitcher.

It's a small sample size, but it still shows that Cantillo has what it takes to be a big-league starter, and he could provide the Guardians with an unexpected boost in their rotation.

Gabriel Arias

Yes, 2025 will be Gabriel Arias's fourth major league season, and so far, there hasn't been too much to be excited about in his everyday at-bats.

However, after his demotion to Triple-A in mid-2024, Arias showed real progress and development at the plate. He hit .317/.360/.545 with an OPS of .904. That continued into Winter League, where He posted a slash line of .293/.364/.547 with an OPS of .912.

For the first time since Arias has entered Cleveland's system, he's finally showing real consistency.

If this is something that continues into Spring Training, Arias could have a key role on the roster heading into Opening Day.

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

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