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Former outfielder's power surge against Guardians a reminder of what could have been

ByJames Mastrucci|
May 18, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson (30) hits a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images
May 18, 2025; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Cincinnati Reds outfielder Will Benson (30) hits a two-run home run in the fourth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-Imagn Images | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

Ahead of the Cleveland Guardians' three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds, the primary focus was either on Terry Francona facing his former team for the first time or on The Ohio Cup, the trophy awarded to the team that wins the most games over the course of the season. Well, it appears that current Reds and former Guardians Will Benson had something to say about that.

Benson did his best Barry Bonds impression against the Guardians, recording six hits in 12 at-bats against Cleveland pitching, with four of those hits being of the home run variety. In fact, Benson outhomered the Guardians during their three-game set by the slimmest of margins (4-3). While Benson only hit one more home run than Cleveland this past weekend, his performance in this series somewhat serves as a reminder of what could have been, especially when evaluating the performances of two players in particular.

Nolan Jones did go 3-9 against Cincinnati, but his overall slash line of .181/.283/.295 leaves a lot to be desired. Jones is not doing himself any real favors at the plate this year, and it seems like he could be relegated to a bench role sooner rather than later should a viable option present itself as a replacement, and the imminent return of Lane Thomas could be what Cleveland is waiting for. Meanwhile, Jhonkensy Noel has been a complete no-show at the plate, slashing .150/.179/.250 on the year, including a 0-2 showing (both strikeouts) against the Reds on Sunday.

When it comes to who a team would rather have right now, would it be the player who is 11-30 at the plate with seven extra-base hits, five of which are home runs, or would it be the combo that has produced four home runs total with neither player looking like they belong in the majors? The answer here is easy, as anyone and everyone would pick Benson right now over the duo of Jones and Noel, and it is not particularly close.

Is Benson guaranteed to continue this level of production? Obviously not. Benson struggled last season after having a breakout year of sorts in 2023 in Cincinnati. It is very possible that he could end up somewhere in the middle between his current performance and the player who entered this season with a career .223/.311/.413 slash line and 97 OPS+. Even then, Benson would be a far more valuable player than Jones or Noel could ever be, further highlighting the dire situation of Cleveland's outfield, (excluding Steven Kwan, of course).

The Guardians do not have a lot of time to figure things out when it comes to Jones and Noel, and the fanbase might not like what could be coming pretty soon in regards to their roster status, but it seems pretty obvious that they would prefer to still have Benson rather than see him obliterate their pitching staff over the course of three days.