PROSPECT: Kyle Manzardo, 1B, Cleveland Guardians
ANALYSIS: In a rather surprising move, Kyle Manzardo is now a member of the Cleveland Guardians after being acquired in the Aaron Civale deal. When the deal happened, I didn't think it changed his ETA or 2023 rest-of-season outlook much. However, Cleveland then proceeded to deal Josh Bell to the Miami Marlins which makes Manzardo's path to the Majors much easier.
On top of that, Josh Naylor is dealing with side tightness. This is all a perfect storm that could have Manzardo up sooner rather than later, especially if Cleveland wants to overtake the Twins in the AL Central.
You might look at his surface stats in Triple-A and see an underwhelming .238/.342/.442 slash line and wonder why I'm so excited about his potential promotion. Honestly, ignore those surface stats.
VERDICT: There have been some family issues that would be hard for any player to play through. Look at what Manzardo did last year and use that as your expectation for him moving forward. This is a player that can post a high AVG/OBP with more than 25 homers annually as well.
Here's new Guardians acquisition Kyle Manzardo taking Dylan Bundy 455 feet deep on a cold April day in Syracuse earlier this season 👀pic.twitter.com/HzM2ACyEoy
— Billy Heyen (@BillyHeyen) July 31, 2023
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