3 Guardians who must bounce back in 2024

1. Myles Straw

Surprised? You shouldn't be. The bat of Myles Straw has been nothing less than a disaster in the Cleveland Guardians' lineup since his overperformance in 2021. Straw's slash line has plummeted from .285/.362/.377 in his first 60 games in Cleveland to the disappointing .229/.296/.284 over the last two seasons (299 games).

Usually, the only way a player with a batting average this low stays in the lineup on a regular basis is by possessing a stupid amount of power that makes the low hit frequency tolerable. The problem is that Straw is the antithesis of that, being a light hitter who is unable to reach base to make his speed on the basepaths useful.

There was once an argument that could be made for Straw to be hidden in the bottom part of the order due to being a Gold Glove-caliber defender. Even though this was valid in 2022, that was not the case in 2023. Straw's defensive metrics were nowhere near the level of 2022, making it even more difficult to justify having this offensive black hole being a daily lineup fixture.

The Guardians are going to need Straw to improve across the board if he is going to make any sort of tangible impact this season. Whether that is an everyday center fielder or in the bench role/late-inning defensive replacement role he is probably best suited for, Cleveland needs better play all around from Straw.