Embarrassing Guardians streak officially on notice after Giants break Opening Day hex

Yesterday, Giants outfielder Heliot Ramos ran out to play left field for the San Francisco Giants in what was a historic appearance. 

That wasn’t because of his performance on the field (1-for-4 with two strikeouts), but the mere fact that he was in left field, since him being out there meant that he became the first Giants player to start at left field in two years in a row since Barry Bonds did so in the 2006 and 2007 seasons. 

And, with that streak over, the Guardians’ are on the clock. Chase DeLauter starting in right field for the Guardians on Thursday means that Cleveland has had a different right field start on Opening Day for 15 straight seasons, which is the longest current streak of starting a different player at a position on Opening Day.

Pressure's on Chase DeLauter to break Guardians Opening Day streak

The Guardians’ list of Opening Day right fielders is a trip down memory lane, though most of the memories quickly turn into nightmares. 

You have players who never lived up to their potential like Jhonkensy Noel (last year’s starter) and Tyler Naquin, guys with blink-and-you’ll-miss-it tenures with Cleveland (Domingo Santana, Collin Cowgill and Brandon Moss) other underwhelming options like Abraham Almonte, David Murphy and Ramon Laureano. 

It also included two All-Stars in Steven Kwan and Josh Naylor, but neither of them were playing in right field when they reached their peak. 

That list is a tangible example of the Guardians’ struggles in developing everyday options in the outfield. Kwan’s turned into one of the steadiest outfielders in the game since he made his debut in 2022, but he’s also had a revolving door of underwhelming options next to him in that time. 

If anything, it shows the sheer amount of players the Guardians were comfortable rolling out who weren’t a part of the long-term core. 

And while no team is going to have an Opening Day lineup filled with All-Stars and tentpole players, everyone knew that players like Santana and Cowgill weren’t going to be around long. 

But that streak should end next year so long as everything goes to plan with DeLauter.

He made his MLB debut for the Guardians last year in the postseason and solidified his spot on the Guardians’ Opening Day roster with a strong spring training showing where he hit .459 with three home runs. 

He’s struggled with injuries throughout his career, and manager Stephen Vogt has said that DeLauter’s going to be a full-time right fielder from here on out in the hope that it’ll help him save his legs going forward. 

The one thing that could impact this streak in the future is the presence of George Valera, who is also a corner outfielder and could end up becoming a franchise mainstay. He’s starting this season on the injured list so he didn’t get a chance to throw his hat in the ring for right field this year. 

But if the Guardians end up rotating between the two of them in right field for years to come, both of them being a part of the picture is a win.

Right field has been a black hole for the Guardians for the past 15 years, but it seems like a new day is finally dawning. And if it does, then this streak could come to an end this time next year.