CLEVELAND, Ohio – When the Guardians traded Andrés Giménez to Toronto earlier this season, fans questioned whether Cleveland had given up on a once-promising infield cornerstone too quickly. Now, a pattern is emerging with Brayan Rocchio that has Terry Pluto drawing parallels between the two middle infielders.

In the latest Terry’s Talkin’ podcast, Pluto made a comparison between Rocchio this season and Giménez.

Pluto has said on multiple occasions that Giménez is the best defensive second baseman he’s ever seen in person in his decades covering baseball.

“When they first moved Giménez from short to second, I figured he looked good,” Pluto said. “I thought he would be good, because my theory generally is shortstops can play second base. It’s not that hard. It’s much harder the other way.

Podcast host David Campbell highlighted just how similar their offensive production has been: “If you look at just this season, Terry, Rocchio is having a better season…just flat out like in pretty much every way, except maybe steals…Rocchio’s got a higher OPS this season, .637 to .627. He’s got a higher slugging percentage, .348 to .322.”

After a promising start that earned him a long-term contract with the Guardians, Giménez’s offensive production mysteriously collapsed, ultimately leading to his departure from Cleveland.

“It’s amazing to me how, you know, Giménez had that big year. I think it was in ’22 where he hit like .280 and I don’t know, 17 homers and that it was very comparable to what Jose Ramirez did at the same age,” Pluto said. “That’s what inspired them to give him that long-term contract where they bought out a bunch of free-agent years.

“…And then all of a sudden he just couldn’t hit anymore.”

Rocchio, at 24, is hitting .237 with a .637 OPS, while Giménez at the same age in 2023 hit .252 with a .638 OPS.

Will Rocchio continue to develop and avoid the regression that plagued Giménez?

Complicating matters further is Cleveland’s pipeline of middle infield prospects. With middle-infield talents like Juan Brito and Travis Bazzana pushing to be promoted from the minors, the Guardians could face some decisions about who to prioritize for the future.

“Rocchio played hardly any second at all until this year,” Pluto said. “He has adapted very well and I think he’ll continue to get better.”

If you have a question or a topic you’d like to see included on the podcast, email it to sports@cleveland.com, and put “Terry’s Talkin’” in the subject line.

You can find previous podcasts below.

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