3 lingering Guardians issues a Travis Bazzana call-up can't fix

The Cleveland Guardians finally did it. After three months of posturing and preaching development, they finally called Travis Bazzana up from Triple-A to inject some life into a team that’s hit a bit of a skid. 

And while that decision will help usher in a new era of Guardians baseball, it won’t fix all their problems. You can have the best second baseman in the world, but his impact could be marginal if the rest of the roster stinks. 

That’s why a future Hall of Famer like Mike Trout has only made the postseason once in his career (though Arte Moreno also has something to do with that). 

Even if the rest of the Guardians’ lineup doesn’t stink, it does have some clear flaws that Bazzana won’t be able to fix. 

Steven Kwan’s struggles 

While Kwan has been a leadoff extraordinaire in years prior, he’s been a bit of a black hole at the top of it this season. After a 0-for-4 showing out of the leadoff spot last night, Kwan’s now hitting just .217 with just four extra-base hits. 

It’s a far cry from the productive, pesky version of Kwan that racked up two straight All-Star nods. 

The Guardians already soft-launched a new-look lineup over the weekend when Kwan was out for two games, and it feels like we’re getting closer and closer to an iteration of the Guardians’ lineup where Kwan isn’t leading off every day. 

It’s probably too early for Bazzana to work his way into being an everyday leadoff option for the Guardians, but his strike zone control makes him a great top-of-the-lineup option. 

Slade Cecconi’s inability to limit the big inning 

Cecconi found his groove at the end of last season during the Guardians’ march toward their second straight American League title. 

However, that production hasn’t carried over into this season. Cecconi’s taken the hill six times for the Guardians and has produced a 6.23 ERA across 30 1/3 innings. He’s allowed four earned runs in three of his last four starts and is on pace to allow a barrel rate greater than 12% for the second straight season. 

Even if one bad starter doesn’t make or break a team’s rotation, Cecconi’s struggles are a bit magnified given how well Parker Messick and Gavin Williams have pitched at the front of the Guardians’ rotation.

This a problem that Bazzana obviously can’t fix (though he can help alleviate it by being productive on days Cecconi takes the hill). 

Bo Naylor’s lack of production behind the plate

At one point, Naylor was the next big thing in the Guardians’ system, so much so that it was hard to find any Tweet about the Guardians that didn’t include a reply with a picture of Naylor’s headshot beneath it. 

But a lot has changed in the 3+ years since Naylor earned his first big league call-up. 

While Naylor’s talent didn’t go away, he’s yet to reach a point where he’s making the most of it on a consistent basis. He’s currently slashing .129/.194/.194 and is in the midst of a 1-for-17 slump. 

Again, this isn’t a problem Bazzana can fix unless he wants to put on a chest protector and get down in a squat behind home plate. 

Austin Hedges has been able to pick up some of the slack on offense, but relying on that to continue across the course of an entire season seems foolish. 

Naylor should still get plenty of chances behind the plate (especially since Cooper Ingle hit the injured list at Triple-A), but his struggles could become even more magnified if Bazzana hits the ground running.

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