For the Cleveland Guardians’ offense to improve next year, they need some of the young players to show progress. One player in particular who can help Cleveland’s lineup become more.
Overall, Manzardo has a solid 2025 season at the plate, logging an OPS of .768. FanGraphs’s famous ZiPS projections model is forecasting a very similar season for the 25-year-old slugger.
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Right now, ZiPS is predicting Manzardo to finish the 2026 season with a .243/.324/.445 slash line. Competition those numbers with how he finished the 2025 season, that would be a slight dip in his overall slugging percentage, but an uptick in his batting average and on-base percentage.
Yes, Cleveland would love a little more pop out of Manzardo’s bat, but if a higher batting average signals a better eye at the plate for him, the Guardians would probably welcome that addition, too.
Last year, Manzardo had a strikeout rate of 25.4%, which ranked in the 23rd percentile, and a walk rate of 9%, which ranked in the 59th percentile. It makes sense that, with the 2026 season being Manzardo’s second full season and him getting more plate appearances under his belt, his eye improves, and so does his walk rate.
Apr 10, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians first baseman Kyle Manzardo (9) rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning against the Chicago White Sox at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images
When it comes to home runs, ZiPS is projecting Manzardo to take a slight step back from his 27-homer season from a year ago, and only hit 22 balls out of the park in 2026. That said, the model projects a rise in doubles from 19 last year to 23 next season.
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Considering that Manzardo was viewed more as someone more of a gap-hitter rather than a pure power bat, this prediction of favoring more doubles than home runs makes sense.
There’s only one thing truly holding Manzardo back from being an All-Star caliber bat in Cleveland’s lineup: hitting against left-handed pitching. Unfortunately, ZiPS isn’t projecting any significant changes for the 2026 season either.
The model is forecasting Manzardo to finish the 2026 season with a .226/.303/.380 slash line against southpaws. Overall, that would be a slight uptick from where the 25-year-old finished a year ago, but still not great.
If these are the stats Manzardo does indeed finish with, the Guardians likely wouldn’t be upset with that production, but it also isn’t the jump needed to change the direction of Cleveland’s offensive outlook truly.