Latest news with #KyleManzardo
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kyle Manzardo's go-ahead RBI single
Kyle Manzardo puts the Guardians ahead on an RBI single to center field in the top of the 10th inning
New York Times
4 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Matt Shaw, Brice Matthews and more top fantasy baseball waiver wire options
The season is flying by, and after a week off for the All-Star break, there's a fresh list of the most-added hitters on Yahoo. We have a bunch of once-hyped prospects making some noise. Kyle Manzardo has been tapping into his strength and earning regular playing time in the process. All his value is in his power, so there will be peaks and valleys, but he's at a high point right now. Matt Shaw looked like a potential star at the start of the year, and he's been exactly that for the past week, with power and speed. I buy the speed more than the power for now, though he had both in the minors, so that could change. Advertisement Brice Matthews is swinging for the moon every time he's up. When he connects, he does damage, but the swing-and-miss issue did not magically resolve itself upon his MLB promotion, and I foresee some ugly slumps unless he can make some changes. Angel Martínez is the other player I'm not too interested in here. He hit home runs on three consecutive days earlier this month, but nothing in his profile suggests he's suddenly a power hitter. He's productive enough for 14-teamers. It's nice to see Colson Montgomery start his MLB career with a good stretch. He was among the top prospects in the league in 2023, but fell apart last year and wasn't showing much in Triple A this year. The tools are still interesting, especially his excellent bat speed. I don't know what to expect of him for now. In 12-teamers, I'm looking elsewhere, but deeper than that, he's an interesting dart throw. It wasn't that long ago that Royce Lewis looked ready to become one of the premier third basemen in the league. It might be a lazy comparison, but he has looked like teammate Byron Buxton: monster ability, but can't stay healthy. Lewis' contact quality has been excellent this month, and we're getting another glimpse of who this guy can be. Mickey Moniak continues to rake against righties. I love players like him in daily leagues. As for the veterans, the Ramón Laureano comeback tour continues. The 12% barrel rate dates back to last season, and now he's combining that with a 12.2% swinging strike rate, which aligns with his career rate. I believe he can keep this going through the end of the year. Christian Walker's clunker of a first half was odd, but he's been hitting the ball harder in July, and I think we'll see something closer to Arizona Walker for the rest of the year. As for Nolan Schanuel, this is your weekly, 'He's fine, I guess.' He's Luis Arráez if you traded a little of the elite contact ability for a little power and put him at first base. Advertisement Onto some other lesser-rostered players. Like a pitcher that won't stop tinkering, I'm keeping the clusters but won't split them based on rostered percentages. All players are under 40% rostered, and I'll work in plenty of sub-20%-rostered names. Ramon Laureano (OF, BAL), Mickey Moniak (OF, COL) See above. Knock Moniak down a cluster in weekly leagues. Chandler Simpson (OF, TB) Simpson has loads of speed, and now he's hitting leadoff. He's also a good guy to trade if you don't have much to gain from his steals, because someone will be desperate for a player like him. Trent Grisham (OF, NYY) You may have noticed that I prefer high-quality play with inconsistent playing time to daily 'meh.' Grisham has an excellent eye and solid power, and lately, he's been leading off in New York. I'm tentatively optimistic that he'll keep this up and earn four to five starts a week. You can put him in Cluster 1 and probably at the top if he's a regular. Austin Hays (OF, CIN) I am interested in the hot streak, which is backed by a 13.6% barrel rate, and the park helps, too. Ryan O'Hearn (OF/1B, BAL … for now) He's cooled off from great to good. Expect solid production against righties and a new uniform soon. Tyler O'Neill (OF, BAL) He's a power gamble. If he's fully healthy, he can do a lot of damage, but we need to see him play more. Jesús Sánchez (OF, MIA) Power, some speed, decent average — I keep looking at Sánchez and seeing a potential second-tier star. I haven't seen his name in trade rumors, but his value shoots up if he leaves Miami. Even if he stays, he's still a solid option. Gavin Sheets (OF/1B, SDP) I was tempted to drop him to Cluster 3 because he had a rough July. His expected stats say he's solid and just had some bad luck with BABIP. Jac Caglianone (OF/1B, KC) He's tough to rank because a .150 average in a bad lineup is not something you'd look at in a 20-teamer, but the power is real, and the x-stats say he's a like Brandon Nimmo (the 2025 version). For the balance of this year, the variance is high, but he's a prime target if you're rebuilding in a keeper league. Advertisement Angel Martinez (OF/2B, CLE) See above. Jonathan India (2B/3B/OF, KC) Another mainstay on Team Fine. He'll score runs from the leadoff spot, and that's about all you're getting here. Matt Wallner (OF, MIN) Wallner is a righty masher who has tapped into his considerable power recently. There are too many potential names to list in this cluster, but here are a few that might help. John Rave (OF, KC) Rave could be a great source of speed and had decent power in the minors. Victor Scott II (OF, STL) Scott's another speedster. Lars Nootbaar's injury helps secure the playing time for now, but that could change if the Cardinals trade for an outfielder. Daulton Varsho (OF, TOR) A good IL stash if you can manage the low average. The Jays might manage his playing time on his return, but the outfield is a relative soft spot for Toronto. Colt Keith (1B/2B/3B, DET) Keith's in a mini-slump, and the playing time has been inconsistent, but I'm still a fan. Noelvi Marte (3B, CIN) He has plenty of speed and raw power, plus good contact ability. He's still just 23 years old, and I wasn't expecting to write this, but we may be seeing a re-breakout. Matt Shaw (3B, CHC) See above. Kyle Manzardo (1B, CLE) See above. Ryan McMahon (3B, COL) The career-high barrel rate is great, but all he's giving you is power at this point. He's been atrocious on the road, which could be bad news if he's traded, but he also won't have to deal with the Coors hangover effect (pitches move differently at altitude, and it's hard for Rockies hitters to adjust on the road). Brett Baty (3B/2B, NYM) He's breaking out! He's on the bench! He's playing second! He's playing third! He's the Mets' next star! He's getting traded! It's been a chaotic year for Baty, but I think he's finally figuring it out and living up to his potential. Advertisement Caleb Durbin (3B, MIL) Good speed and average with non-zero power. He's borderline in 12-teamers, useful in deeper formats. Josh Bell (1B, WAS) Bell has quietly had a great summer. He could get traded, but he's a solid value as long as he has a regular role. Brady House (3B, WAS) At the other corner in Washington, House has some speed, and you can dream on more. Jorge Polanco (2B/3B, SEA) The good version of Polanco is reemerging, as he's been hitting the ball harder lately. Josh Smith (SS/3B/1B, TEX) Smith is the definition of roster spackle. He plays everywhere and makes decent contributions across the board. Tyler Freeman (SS/OF, COL) The guys in Colorado with power are the ones who seem like they could go off and hit 50 homers, but maybe it's the speed and contact guys who can make use of the inflated BABIP that we should be paying attention to. Freeman has cooled off a bit but still offers good value against righties, even with minimal power. Carlos Correa (SS, MIN) He's settled into being an oatmeal guy — a solid, if boring hitter — but he's caught fire recently, even if you wouldn't know it from his counting stats. Kody Clemens (2B/1B/OF, MIN) Wow, I had no idea that Correa (30) is just a year and a half older than Clemens (29). The younger Twin has found some power this year, nearly doubling his barrel rate to 13%. If he can hang onto that and get better BABIP luck, he'll become a pretty nice contributor. Brice Matthews (2B, HOU) See above. It's not a sustainable profile, and I doubt Matthews fully course-corrects in the next two months, but there's still value to be had here. Jeff McNeil (2B/OF, NYM) McNeil's back to boring production. Great contact and on-base ability play just fine in that lineup. Troy Melton (SP, DET) Melton has really good stuff and was using it to run a strikeout rate above 30% in the minor leagues before his first MLB start. He gave up six runs to the Pirates (four on a Spencer Horwitz grand slam), but also struck out seven. It's unclear if he will be a regular in the rotation going forward, but if I'm the Tigers, I'm finding a way to get him MLB innings before the playoffs. He's a good high-upside play, just know that the downside is he's back in Triple A next week. José Soriano (LAA), Landen Roupp (SFG), Brandon Walter (HOU) I've mentioned Soriano and Walter multiple times before. Soriano has been great overall, but he's also had some rough starts, and not against the teams you'd think (recently he cruised past the Phillies, Astros and Braves, but got roughed up by the Rangers and Nationals). Roupp and Walter have great control and enough stuff to get strikeouts and avoid blowups. I'm a fan of both. Advertisement Dean Kremer (BAL), Colin Rea (CHC), Jack Leiter (TEX), Cam Schlitter (NYY), Slade Cecconi (CLE) Don't expect a strikeout per inning here, but you'll mostly get solid outings from this bunch. Rea and Cecconi are the ones I trust the most, while Schlitter and Leiter have better stuff to work with. It's unclear if Schlitter will remain in the rotation once Luis Gil returns. As for Kremer, I tuned him out for a while, but he's useful in deep leagues if you need some reasonably solid innings. Dustin May (LAD), Janson Junk (MIA), Charlie Morton (BAL), Emmet Sheehan (LAD), José Quintana (MIL) Deep leagues only here. Sheehan finally had a bad start, but he still looks like a solid value. The rest have middling stuff but enough of a mix to keep hitters off balance most of the time. Quintana is a good bet to snag wins, and Morton gives you some relative strikeout upside. Junk has excellent control and a pitcher's park — he can help keep your WHIP and ERA low. Bryan Abreu (HOU), Randy Rodríguez (SFG), Cade Smith (CLE), Griffin Jax (MIN), Dennis Santana (PIT) Abreu and Rodríguez are bullpen aces. Smith and Jax have been more wobbly than usual this year, but they still have excellent stuff and a chance to inherit the closer role if either team trades their ace closer. The same is true for Santana, who will likely take over in Pittsburgh if David Bednar goes elsewhere. (Photo of Matt Shaw: Griffin Quinn / Getty Images)
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Kyle Manzardo's two-run single
Kyle Manzardo drives in two with a single to left field, putting the Guardians ahead 2-1 in the 4th inning
New York Times
16-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Guardians second-half storylines: Trades, prospects and José Ramírez
CLEVELAND — Remember Cody Bolton? No? He made a two-inning appearance for the Cleveland Guardians in late April, a few weeks after the club claimed him off waivers from the Seattle Mariners. It's easy to forget certain names and faces during an unrelenting marathon of a baseball season. Late last season, as Guardians manager Stephen Vogt was reflecting on the accomplishment of a division title, he noted how many players contributed throughout the journey. He even mentioned pitcher Wes Parsons. Go ahead, look it up. Yep, Parsons tossed four scoreless innings for the Guardians in April 2024. Then he disappeared. No one would blame you if it slipped your mind. That's the nature of a 162-game race. Advertisement The All-Star break grants everyone — well, aside from the All-Stars — a chance to catch their breath, to ruminate on the first half and to ponder what's to come. This is the week to pause and to recall that Dom Nuñez spent a week on Cleveland's roster, or that Will Wilson pitched two innings, or that Triston McKenzie broke camp as a member of the big-league bullpen. As for what's next, well, here are three storylines to monitor in the second half: Oh, the irony of Kyle Manzardo's slugging a key three-run homer off Aaron Civale in the Guardians' final game before the break. Cleveland swapped out Civale for Manzardo at the trade deadline in 2023, a season reminiscent of the 2025 season. They dealt Civale at his peak for a consensus Top 100 prospect. Civale could be traded again this month; he's already been traded twice since the Guardians traded him. In 2023, they hemmed and hawed about whether to buy or sell or stand pat. They were hovering around the .500 mark, and they feared a daunting second-half schedule. Ultimately, they traded Civale, Josh Bell and Amed Rosario in a series of moves that upset many in the clubhouse and preceded a late-summer slumber. Here they are again in a similar scenario. The Guardians might be one of the more fascinating teams to follow over the next two weeks. As they bid to reassert themselves in the wild-card race, they encounter perhaps the softest stretch of their season schedule. They took three of four against the Chicago White Sox last weekend, and now they'll host the Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, play the Kansas City Royals in Kansas City and then welcome the Colorado Rockies to Progressive Field before the July 31 trade deadline. Many teams are trying to crack Cleveland's code and gain a better sense of its trade deadline motivations. They might have to wait. It would be much clearer if the club didn't rebound from a 10-game skid with a 6-1 trip through Houston and Chicago. The Guardians have Shane Bieber on the mend (which could come in handy with Luis Ortiz's future in jeopardy, another storyline to monitor). They have Chase DeLauter and C.J. Kayfus on the cusp. They believe there's more output for Manzardo, Lane Thomas and Nolan Jones to supply. They also stumbled through an inconsistent first half with a rancid offense. Advertisement Most of all, teams want to know whether they can pry away closer Emmanuel Clase or left fielder Steven Kwan. That seems doubtful, especially Kwan. The Guardians could seek a taker for impending free agents such as Carlos Santana or Thomas. They could also seek upgrades in the outfield, middle infield or bullpen. They're in a strange spot, where it might not make sense to push hard in either direction. There's a case to be made for buying and selling. There's a scenario in which they do neither. How they fare coming out of the break might factor into the equation. So much conversation has surrounded DeLauter, his health and his extended stay in Columbus, but there are plenty of other prospects to keep tabs on the rest of the summer. If the Guardians move Santana at the deadline, that would clear a spot for Kayfus, who has earned a look. The team would prefer him at first base instead of promoting him to try to handle right field, where he's been a work in progress. This has turned into something of a lost season for Juan Brito because of injuries, but there's still hope he can return from a hamstring strain, knock rust off at Triple A and then get a taste of the majors before the end of the season. Travis Bazzana, last year's No. 1 pick, is working back into game shape in Arizona after missing nearly two months with an oblique strain. Can he play his way up to Triple A before the end of the year? Will Parker Messick earn a start or two to get familiar with a big-league routine? The Guardians would love an opportunity to call upon him later this season for a doubleheader, the way they welcomed Doug Nikhazy to the majors in April. Will catcher Cooper Ingle force his way to Triple A? It's a long shot, but is there a way for him to snag a September call-up so he can shadow Austin Hedges and spend time with a coaching staff full of former catchers, as Bo Naylor did in 2022? Advertisement Do we agree Aaron Judge and Cal Raleigh are the clear-cut favorites to finish first and second in the AL MVP race? OK, cool. How about third place? Ramírez emerged as an everyday player in 2016, and here are his MVP finishes each year since: 17th, third, third, none, second, sixth, fourth, 10th, fifth. That's seven top-10 finishes in the last eight years. It's six top-six finishes in the last eight years. It's three top-three finishes in the last eight years. Can he add to each of those totals in 2025? Here's his primary competition: Even as he speeds toward his 33rd birthday in September, Ramírez is on pace for a career-high 50 stolen bases. He's flirting with a .300 average. He's on pace for 30 homers. He rarely strikes out or gets nabbed trying to steal. He has rebounded from a rough start to the year defensively. In other words, he's up to his usual tricks. In all likelihood, he'll find himself somewhere in the middle of most voters' ballots, as he always does.
New York Times
14-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
How the Guardians can climb back into contention in the American League
CLEVELAND — As of Sunday evening, FanGraphs assigned the Cleveland Guardians a 10.7 percent chance of snagging a playoff berth. Those are the 11th-best odds among the 15 teams in the messy, crowded American League. So you're saying there's a ch— it's not going to be easy. Only the Chicago White Sox and Athletics are really, truly out of the wild-card race. The Orioles have been mired in the AL East basement for a while and, rightfully, seem like soon-to-be sellers, but even they're only a few games behind the Guardians. Advertisement There's time to make a move, though. So, let's ignore those playoff odds for a moment and chart a path back to legitimate contention for the 46-49 Guardians. Oh, well, that seems easy enough. The Guardians own the 28th-best OPS in the league, ahead of only the White Sox and Pittsburgh Pirates. Beyond All-Stars José Ramírez and Steven Kwan, their next most dependable hitter is … Kyle Manzardo? After that, um, Nolan Jones, maybe? Carlos Santana? This shouldn't be so difficult to answer. The lineup has been begging for some fresh blood for weeks. For this exercise, that can't remain the case. The Guardians have been playing at a self-designed disadvantage. Even if Chase DeLauter and/or C.J. Kayfus endure a rocky transition to the majors, they'd still offer more of a threat at the plate than, say, Will Wilson or Johnathan Rodriguez have (assuming DeLauter checks out OK this week once he's evaluated for wrist soreness). The upside, on the other hand, is that the Guardians have better answers to the prompt above. If they have to move on from Santana to create space for a big league-ready prospect, that might be beneficial both in the present and future tenses. Santana has a .688 OPS and 40 birthday candles to blow out next spring. Steven has the second half in his crosshairs.#GuardsBall | #GuardiWWins — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) July 13, 2025 So, find a role for DeLauter or Kayfus, and start plotting how Juan Brito can help in September. Give daily opportunities to Manzardo and Jones, and anyone else finding a rhythm. Pray that Lane Thomas can get healthy and find his old ways. And, hey, don't be afraid to get a head start on the offseason to-do list and survey the market for a controllable hitter this month. After all, it's not like they're magically going to arrive at spring training in 2026 with nine everyday starters ready to form an offensive juggernaut. Advertisement This is a front office that, no matter the team's position in the standings, likes to entertain such a trade. In 2021, for instance, as they shipped out César Hernández, Jordan Luplow and Eddie Rosario, they tried to convince the Pirates to hand over Bryan Reynolds. Instead, they acquired Myles Straw. Whoops. It's looking like a mid-August return for Bieber, who is scheduled to start in the Arizona Complex League on Tuesday. If he avoids further setbacks (and assuming he opts out of his 2026 option), the Guardians will pay him $14 million for, oh, about eight starts. If they can tack on some postseason assignments to his workload, they'll deem it a sufficient investment. The rotation has carried this team for weeks, and that must continue. Since June 1, Cleveland's rotation ranks fifth in the majors in ERA. Slade Cecconi has flourished. Gavin Williams has taken steps forward. Tanner Bibee, the de facto ace entering the season, has the highest ERA in Cleveland's rotation, though he has expressed confidence in recent weeks that his output will improve the rest of the way. If Bieber can deliver anything close to what Matthew Boyd provided last year upon his return from Tommy John surgery — and if Luis Ortiz doesn't set foot in Progressive Field again in 2025 — a quintet of Bieber, Bibee, Williams, Cecconi and Logan Allen should be solid enough. In this scenario, there's no Emmanuel Clase trade, because the Guardians need to lean on their bullpen the way they did last season. Contenders have been inquiring about his availability, and the Guardians could mull whether it's worth flipping him for some future lineup help. But in this exercise, the club can claw back into the race in part by delaying a potential Clase trade until winter, when he'll still have three years of team control remaining. Advertisement No, instead, the Guardians would keep Clase for the summer and fall and trust that he, Hunter Gaddis and Cade Smith can repeat their dominance from a year ago in the second half. Of course, those are unfairly lofty expectations; the 2024 bullpen was historically proficient. This is where the loss of Andrew Walters to season-ending surgery, Franco Aleman's Triple-A struggles and Tim Herrin's inconsistency are proving costly. All three were intended to provide mid- or late-inning insurance this year. Instead, there's been a lot of Matt Festa. Cleveland's lineup isn't talented enough to fuel the team to frequent lopsided wins, so if the Guardians are going to get on a roll, they'll be regularly summoning their top relievers to protect narrow leads. They need more than three consistent relievers for that sort of task. Nic Enright and Erik Sabrowski deserve more opportunities to gain entry to Stephen Vogt's circle of trust. Paul Sewald, now healthy, will factor into the equation. This team, however, could still use another arm in high-leverage situations, whether a more efficient Herrin or Joey Cantillo, or even an outsider. (Don't look up Trevor Stephan's Triple-A stats if you have a sensitive stomach.) It wouldn't be the worst idea to scour the relief market and see if anyone piques their interest, either a rental who wouldn't cost anything substantial, or a long-term option (think the Royals' acquisition of Lucas Erceg last summer) who could stick around if Clase is dealt over the offseason. They rebounded from their 10-game skid with a strong road trip through Houston and Chicago to close the half. Now it's time to flex their muscle against what should be inferior competition. They have three against the Athletics, four against the Orioles, three at the Royals and three against the Rockies to close out July. Can they go 9-4? There are winnable series in August, too, against the Twins, White Sox, Marlins, Braves, Diamondbacks and Rangers. And, sure, those same teams are noticing the Guardians on their schedules and thinking, 'Hmm, here's a chance to win a series against a feeble opponent.' But all the Guardians have to do is follow this foolproof plan, and they'll make those clubs feel foolish for underestimating a team that toyed around in the first half only to turn it on when it matters most. They'll force them to watch as they speed past the Royals and Rangers and Twins and Angels and Rays and Mariners and anyone else standing between them and a ticket to October. What could go wrong? (Top photo of Steven Kwan (38) and José Ramírez: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
