Away Back Gone
FanSided

Is it time to move on from Zach Plesac?

By James Mastrucci

Cleveland Guardians v Oakland Athletics
Cleveland Guardians v Oakland Athletics / Thearon W. Henderson/GettyImages
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It was not a good outing for Zach Plesac Monday in Oakland. Plesac was not able to get out of the second inning as he allowed six runs on seven hits while only managing a single strikeout. This terrible performance has lead to legitimate concerns about just how long he will remain in a Guardians uniform.

Maybe this is a bit of a kneejerk reaction to come to this conclusion after just a single start. However, this is the continuance of two previous years of poor performance. Plesac looked like he was throwing batting practice to the Athletics as they knocked him around with ease. For someone who needs to command his pitches due to a lack of velocity, middle-middle is not where his pitches should be ending up, yet they did time and time again. And like a certain local lawyer, they made him pay.

Esteury Ruiz? Made him pay.

Jace Peterson? Made him pay and chased him from the game.

When will be enough when it comes to Zach Plesac?

One would think it is now. The fact of the matter is that Plesac's first two seasons being the outlier and the next two being the reality.

2019-2020: 171 IP, 3.32 ERA, 4.44 FIP, 1.088 WHIP, 7.6 K/9

2021-2022: 274.1 IP, 4.49 ERA, 4.59 FIP, 1.258 WHIP, 6.6 K/9

This regression is a big problem. The concern here is that with more volume, data, video, etc. on Plesac the more hittable he has become. Although a professional hitter of any kind does not need any video or data to hit a low 90's fastball that sits in the middle of the plate.

There is one potential obstacle for Guardians fans hoping to see Plesac jettisoned from the rotation sooner rather than later, the injury to Triston McKenzie. With Cleveland already down one starter it may prevent the team from making an early decision on Plesac. Willingly taking on a second moving part in their rotation may not be in their best interest at this time. The Guardians are known for making calculated decisions combined with being risk averse and this does not seem to suit this roster management philosophy.