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Guardians prospect Kyle Manzardo is on a tear at Triple-A Columbus

By James Mastrucci

Minnesota Twins v Cleveland Guardians
Minnesota Twins v Cleveland Guardians / Brandon Sloter/GettyImages
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Don't look now, but Cleveland Guardians first base prospect Kyle Manzardo is on a power surge down at Triple-A Columbus.

Manzardo has six extra-base hits in his last seven games, including four home runs. The young first base prospect is displaying the reason why Cleveland acquired him in exchange for starting pitcher Aaron Civale prior to the MLB Trade Deadline.

The 22-year-old first baseman has seen his performance at the plate improve since being acquired by Cleveland. A combination of now being fully healthy and adjusting to pitching at Triple-A has led to his slash line improving from .238/.342/442 while at Durham to .266/.355/.578 at Columbus. Manzardo's strikeout to walk rate has also seen a slight improvement. With 65 strikeouts and 42 walks in 313 appearances before the trade to 13 strikeouts and 10 walks in 76 after. This is nearly a three-point decrease in strikeout percentage and a half-of-a-percent increase in walks. Granted, the sample size is much smaller, but it is still noteworthy.

There is a possibility that Manzardo can make the major league ballclub out of Spring Training next year. In fact, it may be the best path for the Guardians to take regarding the manner in which they decide to handle the highly regarded prospect, in addition to putting together the best possible roster from the jump next season. Cleveland opting to go with internal options rather than trying to chase production from outside of the organization could be the preferred method this offseason, considering their most recent failures in free agency (Mike Zunino and Josh Bell).

When the time comes for Manzardo to be a regular in the Guardians' major lineup, expect him to see plenty of time at first base with Josh Naylor taking over as Cleveland's primary designated hitter. Hopefully, Manzardo will be able to be an impact player for this team as they are looking for massive improvements in their offensive output to bounce back from a disappointing 2023 season.