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Cleveland's infield combo playing big role in Guardians' early season success

ByJames Mastrucci|
May 9, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Daniel Schneemann (10), shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) and center fielder Angel Martinez (1) celebrate a win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images
May 9, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Daniel Schneemann (10), shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) and center fielder Angel Martinez (1) celebrate a win over the Philadelphia Phillies at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images | David Richard-Imagn Images

Of all the areas on the Cleveland Guardians roster that one could possibly think of being the recipients of heavy praise before the season began, the middle-infield had to be at, or, at least near the bottom of that list. Now, seeing that as a reason why they are a team that is viewed rather highly is a welcome development that no one saw coming.

The duo of Gabriel Arias and Daniel Schneemann may not have been on anyone's radar as Cleveland's best middle-field combination a month and a half into the season, but it has been contributions of those two that have helped the Guardians maintain their status as one of the better team's in baseball.

Arias and Schneemann were specifically mentioned by Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter in his latest MLB Power Rankings for Cleveland's entry on the list. The 23-17 Guardians come in as the eighth-ranked team, moving up one spot from the previous week.

"Versatile Daniel Schneemann has played his way into a larger role with an .888 OPS over 88 plate appearances, and he is seeing the bulk of the playing time at second base with Gabriel Arias shifting to shortstop and light-hitting Brayan Rocchio starting to lose playing time." wrote Reuter, noting Brayan Rocchio's decrease in playing time before being optioned to Triple-A Columbus on Monday with outfielder Will Brennan taking his place.

It's clear that their early season performances have outweighed a so-so week of baseball, which saw the Guardians go 3-3 against the Washington Nationals and Philadelphia Phillies. Cleveland took two of three from the Nationals in Washington before losing the final two games of their series with the Phillies this past weekend.

Like last week, Cleveland is the second-highest ranked team in the American League Central division, with the 26-15 Detroit Tigers occupying the second spot in this list. The next-highest team in the AL Central are the 24-18 Kansas City Royals at 12, with the 21-20 Minnesota Twins not far behind at 14.