Guardians Spring Training: Chase DeLauter homers again in win over White Sox

There have only been a select few members of the Guardians who have been taking advantage of the hitter-friendly environment in Spring Training, and Cleveland outfield prospect Chase DeLauter is among that group.

DeLauter homered in the Guardians' 8-5 win over the Chicago White Sox on Monday. This was the third home run of the spring for DeLauter, which ties him with Jose Ramirez for the team lead.

While home runs accumulated in Arizona can be simply a product of the environment while the rest of the performance leaves little substance, that is not the case with DeLauter. The 22-year-old has 10 hits in 21 at-bats while being tied for the team lead in RBI (seven) and is second in total bases(21). Additionally, DeLauter has kept his swing-and-miss in two-strike counts to a minimum, with only three strikeouts to his name.

Do not expect DeLauter in the majors any time soon

Even with the obvious holes in the outfield and the Guardians' overall lack of power in the lineup, DeLauter seems destined to follow fellow spring standout Kyle Manzardo and begin the season in the minors rather than the majors. That is the expectation in the eyes of Cleveland.com's Terry Pluto. 

Pluto stated that there is an "almost zero" chance for either player to be on the Opening Day roster, with both players getting regular playing time in the minors and joining the team during the season. Considering that Manzardo has already been assigned to minor league camp, it is only a matter of time before DeLauter joins him.

A recent back and forth between Guardians' in-game reporter for Bally Sports, Andre Knott, on X (formerly Twitter) would support Pluto's statement. When asked when DeLauter can be expected in Cleveland this season, Knott responded with "Just a solid 200/250 at bats in Akron/Columbus". While this qualifies as an expected response, that does not make the way the Guardians have decided to handle their prospects any better. 

A continued pattern of inexcusable, unserious behavior by the Guardians

As the saying goes, a division cannot be won in April, but it can be lost. It appears the Guardians are more than happy to risk losing a division by making roster decisions that are not helping them from a competitive standpoint. There is absolutely no reason for some of the players they intend to roster on Opening Day to be there over promising young prospects such as DeLauter and Manzardo. This is an organization that has straddled the line between competitive and non-competitive behavior for far too long.

The time to make a decision regarding which direction to go in has long since passed. With the amount of talent on the roster right now, it would make much more sense to act competitively rather than be uncompetitive, and it does not appear that the organization is interested in that at this time, as they would rather have two players who should be day one starters begin the season in the minors for reasons that are flimsy at best. Do not make excuses for this behavior in any way, as this is an organization that does not want to act in a manner that would be considered serious at this time.