Why Yu Chang didn’t work out with the Cleveland Guardians

Yu Chang’s time with the Guardians has come to an end, and here’s why his career in Cleveland never did quite pan out.

Yu Chang’s story with Cleveland reads the same as a litany of successful Indians and Guardians players throughout recent history. In fact, Chang’s origin story is nearly identical to that of Jose Ramirez. A humble beginning at age 18 followed by a slow – yet calculated – trek up the minor-league ranks culminating in a much-anticipated debut in Cleveland.

But Chang’s tenure with the Guardians came to an unceremonious end last week after he was designated for assignment and subsequently traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations. The move prompted many to ask what went wrong with the once-promising utility man who smiled while he batted.

As a whole, the Guardians seem to be weeding out a good chunk of what the internet has deemed Quadruple-A players. The last few weeks saw moves to DFA Bobby Bradley, Bradley Zimmer and Logan Allen and trade away Daniel Johnson. It’s no question that Cleveland is trying to move on from some of these guys clogging up the 40-man roster as the team continues to develop and promote younger talent.

Like many of the aforementioned names, Chang puzzled fans when he played in Cleveland and caused the Guardians front office to constantly move him in between Cleveland and Columbus. Unlike the rest of the list of players Cleveland chose to give up on (Bradley’s strikeout rate, Johnson’s xBA hovering around the Mendoza line), Chang’s reason for failure isn’t quite as clear.

Sure, his slash line looked like a work in progress at best, even during 2020 when his on-base percentage finally climbed over .300. He never broke from the prototypical Cleveland infielder and, in fact, probably turned out much worse than what the Guardians tend to draft/sign and develop. But the flashes of a really solid hitter were there, one that could morph into a slap hitter.

I always imagined (in my greatest fantasy) that Chang would become the nine hitter who always looped a single to the opposite field or laid down a solid bunt to get on base for the top of the order. Alas, I was far from right.

I think what it comes down to for Chang, why he went the way of the DFA and constantly found himself commuting between Cleveland and Columbus, was inconsistent opportunities. As absolutely maddening as it was at times to watch Chang hit, the guy never got a chance to set his proverbial feet. The Guardians constantly shuffled him around, utilizing him as a plug-and-play, fringe major-league player. That doesn’t work with young players sometimes, especially those who had to grind their way through the minors just to get a chance in MLB.

Chang strategically worked his way up Cleveland’s system and was eventually the organization’s sixth-best prospect following his 2017 season with the Double-A Akron RubberDucks. Even midseason jumps between affiliates didn’t affect his numbers. It’s because one thing remained – Chang’s consistent opportunities to be in the starting lineup.

No wonder the guy always showed out in spring training; he was always in the starting lineup. Maybe Chang truly tapped out his potential at Triple-A and he’ll toil away with Pittsburgh and in the minors until finding his way back overseas for consistent playing. But Cleveland’s handling of Chang could have bordered on malpractice.

Of course Chang got DFA’d this season. He ended his promising time in Cleveland striking out in seven of his 10 at-bats across just four games in 2022. FOUR. The Guardians, from the outset, should have let Chang go. Eighty-nine games across 2021, a season that ended below .500? Why? Let the young guns play and, frankly, while the team is still out of contention for the playoffs, let them fail and learn.

Chang never got that opportunity to consistently fail and learn. He got a fragmented experience full of failure but absent learning. He was then routinely punished for not performing in select situations throughout his time with the big-league club.

Chang may never have been destined to be a revolutionary or long-lasting player with the Guardians, but how much can you blame a guy who’s never given the chance to show what he’s truly capable of?