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Three Cleveland Guardians On The Verge Of Breaking Out
Mar 29, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians right fielder Nolan Jones (22) at bat in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Peter Aiken-Imagn Images Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Three Cleveland Guardians On The Verge Of Breaking Out

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Tommy Wild  |  Last updated Apr 9, 2025 5:20 PM ET

The Cleveland Guardians' offense hasn't necessarily been off to a hot start in 2025. The bats have gone cold after some impressive individual performances in the opening road trip.

However, this doesn't mean the Guardians have been unproductive at the plate. The process is there, and the underlying metrics favor numerous players.

Here are three Guardians on the verge of breaking out with the bats.

Nolan Jones

Nolan Jones is only hitting .250 (3-for-8) on the season, but he's also had some of the best at-bats by a Guardians hitter and is clearly seeing the ball well at the plate.

Jones has drawn four walks (including a six-pitch walk-off walk in the home opener) and ranks in the 73rd percentile in chase percentage.

The power hitter has been barreling balls through the first week; they just haven't gotten down for hits. He ranks in the 97th percentile in both hard-hit percentage and hard-hit percentage.

If he keeps seeing the ball well and hitting it hard, he will break out at some point.

Jhonkensy Noel

Cleveland's ALDS hero hasn't gotten off to a heroic start. Jhonkensy Noel only has one hit on the season.

Even though the results haven't been there, there are signs that a turnaround is coming for the power-hitter.

Noel's biggest critique has always been his swing-and-miss tendencies. However, he's actually done a decent job at not striking out through the first week and a half of the season.

The slugger only has three strikeouts in 20 plate appearances (15 percent).

Noel is making contact; they're just not falling for hits, but his improved plate discipline could change that soon.

Bo Naylor

Bo Naylor is in a similar position to Jones and Noel. They're all seeing the ball well, but the results just haven't been there despite putting a lot of work into his swing over the offseason.

Bo connected on a ball with a 103.3 mph exit velocity and a .490 xBA in Cleveland's home opener. He also hit a home run to dead center field at Angel Stadium.

Stephen Vogt mentioned it may be tempting to revert to old habits when the results aren't there. However, he stressed that Bo just needs to keep following the same process, and the results will follow.

Read More Cleveland Guardians Coverage


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

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