MARCH 21, 2022•CLEVELAND.COM
Cleveland's big league arms are on the way in spring training games: Guardians takeawaysExpect to see pitchers from big league camp start to take the mound this week in Arizona.
Stephen Piscotty - Wrist fully healedPiscotty's surgically repaired left wrist has fully healed and he's participating in spring training, Alex Simon of The San Jose Mercury-News reports. "It was a long, weird offseas...
ImpactPiscotty had to do a lot of his post-surgery rehab away from the team due to the lockout, but the team's medical staff put him in touch with the right people before the lockout began. Piscotty has a good chance to win the starting right field job, at least for the first month while Ramon Laureano is serving the rest of his suspension.
MARCH 21, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Franmil Reyes - Will see some time in right fieldReyes will get time in right field during spring training, Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon Journal reports.
ImpactReyes enters 2022 as the Guardians' obvious choice for designated hitter. With the National League adopting the DH as well, there's no guarantee he'll be needed to play the field very often. Instead, this move keeps the 26-year-old familiar with the outfield -- the Guardians have weaknesses in the lineup at both corner outfield spots. Bradley Zimmer and Oscar Mercado are most likely to open the season in those positions, but Reyes' strong bat figures to be an everyday presence in the lineup after he hit .254/.324/.522 with 30 home runs, 85 RBI, 57 runs scored and four stolen bases in 115 games last season.
MARCH 21, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Pitching coach Carl Willis on Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale and more: Guardians takeawaysCarl Willis, in his second tenure as Cleveland's pitching coach, has been impressed with what he's seen in the early part of this shortened...
MARCH 21, 2022•CLEVELAND.COM
State of the Cleveland Guardians' bullpen: How will they assemble the relief corps?We know the name of the closer. We know a few of the candidates who will get opportunities to protect leads. But many questions remain.
MARCH 21, 2022•THEATHLETIC.COM
Cole Irvin - Unveils cutter in spring debutIrvin allowed an earned run on five hits and a walk over two innings in a Cactus League tie with the Guardians on Sunday. He struck out one.
ImpactThe veteran scuffled to a 10-15 mark last season after a solid start, dropping eight of his last 12 decisions but still posting a serviceable 4.24 ERA and 1.33 WHIP. Irvin did pitch to some contact Sunday as his final line indicates, but he was pleased with his use of a cutter he rolled out for the first time in game action after learning it by watching YouTube videos of the Brewers' Corbin Burnes, Martin Gallegos of MLB.com reports. Irvin also adjusted the grip on his slider this offseason and worked on explosiveness, which seemed to pay dividends Sunday when his fastball hit as high as 94 mph after averaging 90.8 mph in 2021.
MARCH 21, 2022•ROTOWIRE
Nick Allen - Makes impression SaturdayAllen went 1-for-2 with a triple and a run in a Cactus League loss to the Reds on Saturday.
ImpactIt was encouraging for fantasy managers to see Allen, who's already considered an elite defender at shortstop, flash with the bat against big-league pitching with his leadoff triple in the fifth inning. The 23-year-old was impressive last spring with the bat as well with a .300/.344/.400 slash line in 31 plate appearances. After following it up with an even more impressive .319/.374/.471 tally at Double-A Midland, Allen struggled some against Triple-A arms at Las Vegas (.243/.302/.301 in 151 PAs), but a strong enough spring at the plate could conceivably see him latch on to a roster spot.
MARCH 21, 2022•ROTOWIRE
