Daniel Schneemann deserves an extended look at shortstop

By now, everyone is very well aware of the lack of production the Cleveland Guardians have received at the shortstop position this season. The combination of Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio have been offensive black holes, making the bottom third of the lineup when they are playing much less impactful. For as much aggravation as there has been due to their inability to do much offensively, a new name has emerged as a possible option to see significant playing time at shortstop moving forward. Daniel Schneemann.

An unheralded 27-year-old career minor leaguer, Schneemann turned heads in Spring Training with his performance out in Arizona, but only so much stock can be placed in a performance taking place in a location where inflated offensive production is the norm. Schneemann was able to see his performance at the plate carry over into the regular season for the Columbus Clippers, slashing .294/.428/.556 with 15 doubles and 10 home runs in 53 games. This eventually led to Schneemann being called up to the majors by the Guardians this past weekend.

It has only been two games for Schneemann in Cleveland, but there just seems to be something about his offensive approach that makes him appear capable of being a productive contributor to Cleveland's offense rather than a complete drain like Arias and Rocchio. The chance of better offensive output from the shortstop position is more than enough to warrant an extended look for Schneemann.

Even though Schneemann may not be as adept defensively as Rocchio or Arias, it is not like they would be putting someone in the lineup who has never played the position. Schneemann has played shortstop more than any other position, with 261 career games played across all levels. Even if Schneemann is very much an average defender who requires being subbed out late in a game for defensive purposes, the potential offensive improvement from him over Arias and Rocchio would be very much worth it. Should Schneemann be able to be an upgrade offensively, it would allow the Guardians to focus on other positions to upgrade on the trade market, such as outfield and starting pitching, rather than attempting to acquire a shortstop. But they will not know if they have that luxury unless they give Schneemann playing time to find out if he is capable of being the offensive upgrade they have been looking for.