Stephen Vogt just doubled down on Guardians' major outfield mistake for 2026

There’s perhaps no Guardians player who’s in a more interesting spot this spring than Angel Martínez. 

After initially coming up through the Guardians’ system as a middle-infielder, the Guardians started playing Martínez primarily as an outfielder last season, where he had… varying degrees of success.  

But instead of shifting Martínez back to being an infielder, the Guardians seem set to continue to use Martínez as an outfielder. Which is a huge mistake. 

The Guardians need to stop trying to use Angel Martínez as an outfielder 

On Thursday, Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was asked about Martínez’s future, where he said Cleveland is still planning on using Martínez as an outfielder. 

“We’ve really seen him grow in the outfield,” Vogt told reporters. “We want him to put a majority of his focus into his outfield play.”

Last year Martínez appeared in 114 games in center field along with three games in right field and one game in left field. He also made 37 appearances at second base, which is a tangible example of the versatility that he brings to the table. 

The bad news, however, is that he wasn’t very good in the outfield. Like at all. 

Last year Martínez was worth -9 Defensive Runs Saved, which was tied for the 10th-worst mark in baseball among players who logged 800+ innings in the outfield. 

He wasn’t much better when it comes to Outs Above Average either, as his mark of -5 OAA was tied with Nolan Jones for the 11th-worst mark in baseball. 

Now part of the reason the Guardians had to keep rolling Martínez out as an outfielder was due to the fact they didn’t really have another option thanks to Lane Thomas’ injuries. 

But now the Guardians have a stockpile of young outfielders along with Steven Kwan showing a willingness to play center field. Putting Martínez out there doesn’t have to be the answer. 

Martínez is also only 24, which is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand he’s nowhere near a finished product, so it stands to reason that he could still improve in his journey to become an outfielder. 

But on the other hand, there’s a serious case to be made that putting him in the outfield is hindering his growth. 

Last year Martínez slashed .224/.269/.359 in his playing time while also finishing in the fifth percentile or worse in chase rate, expected batting average and expected slugging. It’s hard to believe that position change didn’t impact his ability at the plate. 

It’s clear that Martínez is a talented player and has the kind of skillset needed to win thanks to his arm strength and baserunning. 

But that talent was being misused with him as a center fielder, and it seems like the Guardians are destined to repeat their mistakes again in 2026.