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Guardians’ big picture question? Who should play short? Travis Bazzana? – Hey, Terry!

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Guardians’ big picture question? Who should play short? Travis Bazzana? – Hey, Terry!


CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Guardians are in first place in the Central Division as the pressure rises with summer temperatures. Here are some questions from fans. One of the topics was what to do about shortstop:

Hey, Terry: I think manager Stephen Vogt was hired with a long term goal. He was to evaluate young talent this season, deciding who to plan around and what pieces might be needed for a run either in 2025 or 2026. The fast start has put the front office in a quandary. Your thoughts? – Phil

Hey, Phil: This is the type of discussion the Guardians have been having for months after the team started so fast. I doubt the front office expected this 62-41 record. Former manager Terry Francona called it “threading the needle,” which means trying to win now and develop players at the same time.

Will they trade some prospects? Yes. But they are not going to trade any of their elite young players – unless it brings back an impact player who will be under team control beyond 2025. I could be wrong, but I don’t expect a huge move from the Guardians. Some small deals? Yes.

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Hey, Terry: Wouldn’t Amed Rosario look good at the bottom of the order? He could play SS or outfield & be an improvement. What say you? – Marvin

Amed Rosario was with Cleveland for 2 1/2 seasons. He was traded to the Dodgers on July 27, 2023. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Hey, Marvin: The Guardians traded Rosario to the Dodgers on July 27, 2023, for Noah Snydergaard. Rosario would be a free agent after the 2023 season. They had no plans to re-sign him. They wanted to open short for young players such as Gabriel Arias and Brayan Rocchio to claim the position.

I always liked Rosario because of his hustle and good attitude. But he was below average defensively at short. I wrote a recent column about how the hope was the Guardians would have an answer to their shortstop question by now – but they don’t.

As for Rosario, he batted .265 (.675 OPS) with Cleveland and .256 (.709 OPS) with the Dodgers in 2023. He became a free agent. Very few teams were interested. He signed with Tampa Bay for $1.5 million. With the Rays, he’s batting .310 (.748 OPS) with two homers and 26 RBI. He is a super utility man, having played 17 games in the outfield, 17 at second base, 10 at third and 10 at shortstop.

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Cleveland Guardians battle the San Francisco Giants at Progressive Field

Andres Gimenez is a brilliant second baseman. Does it make sense to move him to shortstop? John Kuntz, cleveland.com

Hey, Terry: I’m hoping to see Travis Bazzana at second base next spring and Andres Gimenez at shortstop. – Alan

Hey, Terry: Gimenez was a fine shortstop when Cleveland traded for him (in 2022), but they really needed a good second baseman. I think Bazzana will be on the team next year, playing second base, and Gimenez at short. They don’t want to say that right now without Bazzana on the team yet. – Doug from Houston

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Hey, Terry: If the Guardians believe they are a serious World Series contender, then maybe (just maybe) put Bazzana at second now and find out if he is up to it. Of course the risk is losing a year of player control. – Bill

Hey Alan, Bill & Doug: The temptation is to confuse the baseball draft with drafts in football and basketball, where top picks in the draft play right away and make an immediate impact. That simply doesn’t happen in baseball, especially with hitters.

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If Bazzana actually reaches the majors as a full-time player in 2026, that will be fast. It means he rushed through the minors in 1 ½ seasons. I recall Francona saying most players need between 1,200 and 1,500 at-bats in the minors to be MLB ready. The stats are about 85% of players who make the majors go back to the minors at least once. If Bazzana even makes the majors by the 2025 All-Star break, it will be a huge surprise.

Akron RubberDucks infielder Juan Brito watches the ball soar to the outfield after a hit

Juan Brito with Class AA Akron in 2023. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Hey, Terry: What about Juan Brito at Class AAA Columbus? He has over 1,400 minor league at-bats. I like Jose Tena, too. – Doug from Ocala, Florida

Hey, Doug: Brito was my favorite prospect heading into 2024. He was the Guardians’ Minor League Player of the Year for 2023, according to Baseball America. Brito is hitting .253 (.814 OPS) with 14 HR and 59 RBI with Class AAA Columbus. He is mostly a second baseman. He does have 1,423 pro at-bats.

Brito is only 22, making him one of the youngest players in Class AAA. He started slowly, but he’s hitting .287 (.980 OPS) since June 1. He is the guy who could go to spring training in 2025 and impress, perhaps leading to Gimenez moving back to his original shortstop position.

That said, Gimenez is the best second baseman I’ve ever seen … period. Robbie Alomar had that distinction in my mind until I watched Gimenez.

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Cleveland Guardians vs. New York Mets, May 21, 2024

Tyler Freeman has impressed with the glove in center field. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Hey, Terry: Another option at shortstop could be Tyler Freeman. He is a right-handed hitter so desperately needed in a left-handed dominant lineup. He is a great athlete who deserves a more permanent spot in the lineup. It’s so tough to play part time. Shortstop is his natural position. – Michael

Hey, Michael: Having watched Freeman play short, I consider him so-so at best with the glove. I’ve been far more impressed with him in center field. Freeman has played a lot. He entered Friday with the fifth most at-bats on the team.

Freeman is hitting .223 (.670 OPS) with seven HR and 32 RBI. He is a right-handed hitter, but he’s batting only .221 vs. lefties. I don’t see him as the answer for short.


Check out Terry’s new weekly newsletter that he’s writing exclusively for subscribers. Learn more and sign up here.


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’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville

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’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville


LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Make that a trio of commitment in the Class of 2027 this week for the Louisville football program.

Cleveland (Oh.) Brush defensive end Munir Lewis announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He’s the third commit in the last four days for UofL, Bradenton (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Kaleb Exume committing on Sunday and Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day two-way athlete Brooklyn Maxey doing so on Monday.

Lewis chose Louisville out of a top seven that also consisted of Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Purdue. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin plus several others, and made multiple visits to UofL’s campus – including this past Friday for the spring game. He’s set to return for an official visit this May.

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The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end is regarded as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 50 edge rusher in the Class of 2027, and the No. 592 recruit in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.

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Lewis was an explosive force for Brush as a junior this past season. He collected 55 total tackles, 13.5 for loss, nine sacks, four pass breakup, a forced fumbles and over 20 quarterback pressures. He helped Brush finish the 2025 season with a 6-4 record.

Lewis is the 12th commitment in Louisville’s 2027 recruiting class, which is on pace to be the best in school history. he joins a class that not only ranks as the best class in the ACC, but the No. 8 class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Four of their commitments are regarded as four-star prospects by the composite.

He’s also the latest in a budding pipeline to the state of Ohio, which has been championed by Executive Director of Football Personnel and Recruiting Vince Marrow. Five of Louisville’s 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle are from the Buckeye State, with three hailing from the Cincinnati area and the other two coming from Cleveland.

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American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

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American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open  | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission


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American Cornhole League is bringing the heat to the boards in Cleveland with $150,000 on the line. Join us on April 24-26, 2026, for elite competition where amateurs and pros collide. Whether you’re a backyard ringer or a seasoned veteran, this is your chance to…



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Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26

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Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26


Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.

Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.

Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.

Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview

So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.

On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.

That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.

Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet

Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)

Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.

Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)

While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.

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