The Cleveland Guardians outfield of the future is finally coming together

The Cleveland Guardians outfield of the future is finally coming together

The outfield in Cleveland has been a bit of a mess for the last handful of seasons. Free agent additions from Carlos Gonzalez to Domingo Santana have been tried. Trade acquisitions like Jordan Luplow and Josh Naylor have made appearances. There’s even the home grown players like Bradley Zimmer. No matter what the team has tried, nothing as worked.

Luckily, a glimpse of the future outfield is starting to form, and it’s being assembled from all angles. Picking up Harold Ramirez prior to the start of the season got the ball rolling and adding Myles Straw at the trade deadline is seeming like a clear trade-win already. Pair those moves with a few rising prospects and there’s a chance that the outfield will no longer be a Cleveland concern in the very near future.

There’s still the chance of moving parts and timing will obviously play a factor, but the introduction to the Cleveland Guardians on Opening Day next year could include the beginning of a steady outfield for the first time in a very long time for the organization. This isn’t a situation where the players have to make leaps and bounds either. They just have to continue doing what they’re already doing, and in some cases, transition that to the majors.

What might be the most intriguing aspect about this group is that all four will be 27-years old or younger at the start of next season. On top of that, all four will be under contract through at least the 2025 season. If this group can click, then the outfield should be solidified for at least a few seasons.

So we’ve already name-dropped two of the players, but these four should be the future of the outfield in Cleveland. They might not all start for the Cleveland Guardians on Opening Day 2022, but over the next season or two they should all start to settle in with Cleveland if they can continue to exhibit the sample they’ve shown.

Myles Straw, OF, Cleveland Indians / Cleveland Guardians

Acquired at the trade deadline, Myles Straw could quietly become one of the better deadline acquisitions of the 2021 season. Turning 27 in October, he’s already proving to be a cornerstone of Cleveland’s outfield, and batting order, and has multiple seasons of team control left on his contract.

In Houston, Straw was a similar hitter to Ramirez. He had a near identical slash line, but with fewer home runs and more stolen bases. However, since he’s arrived in Cleveland Straw has found his stride at the plate and is locking himself into the leadoff spot for the club.

Over 25 games with Cleveland, Straw is slashing .291/.354/.437 with nine doubles, two home runs and four stolen bases. His batting average has jumped nearly 30 points since the trade and he has the same amount of home runs and only four fewer doubles in 73 fewer games compared to what he did in Houston.

Maybe it’s something about Progressive Field or perhaps he just needed a change of scenery, but Straw is making it look like Cleveland got a steal. This isn’t the first time this has happened either.

Back in 1992 the Tribe acquired a centerfielder from Houston who decided to wear #7 and turned his career around immediately. He saw his batting average jump over 80 points and became a speed-demon atop Cleveland’s batting order. That was Kenny Lofton.

Now, Straw has a decent way to go before he can live up to lofty comparisons, but he’s well on his way to being in that conversation.

George Valera, OF, Cleveland Indians / Cleveland Guardians

One of the fast rising prospects in organization, George Valera was bumped up to Double-A Akron earlier this month and has continued to impress at the plate. Earlier this month, Valera was also moved up to the club’s No. 2 overall prospect, sitting behind only Tyler Freeman and leapfrogging Nolan Jones.

At just 20-years old, turning 21 in November, Valera has plenty of time to get his game to the level that others are anticipating. He’s projected for an ETA of 2023 in the big leagues, which would still provide at least two full seasons with this group in 2024 and 2025, plus whatever action he sees in that 2023 season. Being that he hasn’t started his service time yet, he could be locked in for much longer than that as well.

If you look at just Valera’s batting average it might be curious why he’s a top prospect, but when you take into account his full slash line it becomes clear. With Lake County, where he played most of this season, he slashed .256/.430/.548 for the Captains, including 16 home runs, 43 RBI and 10 stolen bases.

The one area that Valera will have to improve a bit is extra base hits. The 16 home runs shows his power and the 10 stolen bases his speed, but he had just two doubles yet managed to get four triples. The lack of doubles is a bit confusing, but that should come along as he progresses towards Cleveland.

Oscar Gonzalez, OF, Cleveland Indians / Cleveland Guardians

While George Valera has received a bit more hype and expectations, Oscar Gonzalez is probably much closer to arriving in Cleveland. Turning 24-years old in January, Gonzalez has been surging this season and could be in Cleveland as soon as Opening Day 2022, if not before. He was somehow left off the club’s Top 30 prospect list, but what he’s doing on the field is speaking for itself.

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Starting the year out in Double-A Akron, Gonzalez put on a show over 49 games. During that span, he slashed .330/.367/.601 with 12 doubles, 13 home runs and 41 RBI. He was then called up to Triple-A Columbus and there was a reasonable expectation that his numbers would settle a bit. That was wrong.

Over 43 games now with the Clippers, Gonzalez is replicating those numbers at the next level. He’s slashing .322/.356/.526 with nine doubles, a triple and eight home runs to total 21 RBI. The RBI are down a bit, but the rest of the line is pretty close to the same.

Gonzalez isn’t currently on the 40-man roster, so a September call-up might be hard to do, but he’s certainly making the case. If anything he should have a strong shot at making the Opening Day roster next year and adding another piece to making the club’s future outfield, the current outfield.