Angel Martínez is finally living up to his potential for the Guardians 

Raise your hand if you thought that Angel Martínez was going to be one of the Guardians’ premier power hitters through the first three weeks of the 2026 season. 

Liar. 

While the start of the Guardians’ season has been defined by Chase DeLauter’s opening series power surge and Parker Messick’s domination, one of the biggest stories bubbling under the surface has been the strong play of Martínez, who entered play on Tuesday with a .319/.385/.511 slashline with two home runs and seven RBI. 

Those may not be superstar numbers, but it’s some much-needed positive production from a player who was a net negative for most of last season. 

One of the biggest reasons why Martínez has gone from scapegoat to baby GOAT is because of his defensive positioning, as he went from being a full-time center fielder to a corner outfielder thanks in large part to Steven Kwan shifting over to center. 

With Kwan in center, Martínez can see more time in left field (where 10 of his appearances have come this season) and right (five) compared to center (two). 

And although he’s already been worth -3 Defensive Runs Saved in left field, his shortcomings cause less of an impact than when he’s in center. 

Guardians’ Angel Martínez is making up for his disastrous 2025 season

But all of that pales in comparison to what he’s doing with his bat. After finishing last season hitting just .224 (remember what we said about being a net negative?), he’s already racked up six multi-hit games this year and has recorded five extra base hits. 

His latest heroics came on Monday in the form of a first inning home run that staked Cleveland to an early lead. Cleveland’s now 14-2 in games where he leaves the yard, so it’s clear that he can be the straw that stirs the drink. 

His power surge couldn’t have come at a better time, either. Chase DeLauter’s cooled down after starting the season on fire, José Ramírez is still finding his footing and Gabriel Arias hit the shelf right when he was starting to get going. 

But those struggles have been mitigated by Martínez’s strong start.

The Guardians have also gotten some additional offense from infielder Brayan Rocchio, who also slugged a home run in Cleveland’s win on Monday. 

After opening the season at second base, Rocchio moved over to shortstop last year after Arias got hurt, and he’s recorded two homers and five RBI since. 

Manager Stephen Vogt loves to hit Rocchio near the bottom of the lineup, so any production from him puts runners on base for Kwan and Martínez.

Last year most of Martínez’s at-bats with runners in scoring position ended up being fruitless. But it’s been a completely different story this season. 

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