3 Cleveland Guardians who should make the playoff roster and 2 who should be left off

The Cleveland Guardians are currently in wait-and-see mode to see who they will face in the American League Divison Series this weekend. While the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros battle it out to see who will advance, the Guardians must assess who should and who should not make their playoff roster for the ALDS. Some of these choices are quite obvious and a few others could really go either way but at the end of the day, a decision must be made.

Guardians player who should be left off playoff roster - Myles Straw

When it comes to incredibly obvious decisions for the Cleveland Guardians, not including Myles Straw on their playoff roster is as easy as it gets. There are other options for the Guardians to choose to fill out their ALDS roster, and they should all be picked over Straw.

Let's not forget that Straw spent pretty much all of 2024 down in Triple-A, and for good reason. Straw is not a major league-caliber hitter, something that he has proven time and time again over the past two years. There was a time that Straw could get by with his ability as a defender and baserunning abilities, but his defense experienced a steep decline last year, and his return to the big leagues this year was highlighted by getting immediately picked off of first.

Simply put, to carry Straw on the ALDS roster is a complete waste.

Guardians player who should make playoff roster - Angel Martinez

Unlike the previously mentioned Jhonkensy Noel, Angel Martinez may not have the prodigious and raw power that one may covet, but he is still valuable enough to warrant a spot on the Guardians' playoff roster. Martinez possesses the ability to play multiple positions defensively, and that is something that can make a huge impact on a team's playoff run.

So far this season, the 22-year-old Martinez has made appearances at all three outfield spots, third base, and second base. Having someone with this amount of versatility is a hallmark of teams that go deep into the postseason and is almost a prerequisite for any team that ends up winning the World Series.

There is one more thing to mention on top of Martinez's ability to play multiple positions that could make him even more valuable to the Guardians in the playoffs. Martinez is a switch-hitter, giving him the advantage at the plate in any pinch-hitting opportunity. So to have someone who can hit from both sides of the plate and play pretty much all over the diamond ready to go on their bench when needed, including Martinez on their postseason roster seems like a no-brainer for the Guardians.

Guardians player who should be left off playoff roster - Tyler Freeman

When it comes to making arguments for and against a certain player being included on the Guardians' playoff roster, it is incredibly hard to make an argument for Tyler Freeman.

Freeman has never been much of a hitter in his time in the major leagues, slashing just .223/.304/.329 in 206 games. 2024 has seen his slash line plummet to .209/.305/.321 in 383 plate appearances, with a career-high seven home runs and 14 doubles. It is those 21 extra-base hits that have prevented his overall stat line from being even more disastrous and his 79 OPS+ sitting a few points higher than his career-low of 76.

It would be different if Freeman either hit for a high average or for power, but considering he does neither, keeping him off the ALDS roster is not a hard decision. Sure, Freeman may possess some of the same positional versatility as Angel Martinez, but there is a reason the previous entry on this list finished the season with the major league club while Freeman was in Triple-A.

At the end of the day, it is about not having redundancies on the playoff roster, and Freeman's inclusion would qualify as something they are trying to avoid.

Guardians player who should make playoff roster - Daniel Schneemann

Of the Cleveland Guardians players whose roster status could really go either way, Daniel Schneemann is someone who seems like a coinflip decision.

It can be acknowledged that over time, Schneemann has shown why it has taken him until the age of 27 to make his MLB debut, as his .218/.303/.368 slash line can attest. However, Schneemann does have 10 doubles, five home runs, and two triples while putting together a 91 OPS+ in 73 games. Schneemann also has an 11.3% walk rate, which is better than that of Tyler Freeman this season (7.3%) and Myles Straw's career rate of 9.4%.

And then there is the positional flexibility of Schneemann, making appearances at all three outfield spots in addition to playing second base, third base, and shortstop, the last of which is the position to focus on here. The Guardians have juggled the shortstop position all season long, and having someone who can play the position on the bench would be a wise decision.

The final to mention with Schneemann is something that does not show up in any box score or advanced metric, it is the fact that the rest of the team genuinely likes him. Having a likable person in the dugout and occasionally on the field is incredibly valuable, even if it does not show up on the back of a baseball card. And if anyone needs further proof of that, just look at the impact that Austin Hedges has had on this team over the past three years when he has and has not been on the roster. These types of players can make a difference to team morale even if their contributions on the field are somewhat limited.