Guardians outfielders (L-R) Steven Kwan, Angel Martinez and Jhonkensy Noel celebrate their 5-0 win over the Milwaukee Brewers at Progressive Field on Monday. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
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Hey, Hoynsie: The AL Central may get criticized, but the standings show its strength. Why does this division get disrespected? — Carl, Las Vegas.
Hey, Carl: Entering the weekend, two of the top three teams record-wise in the AL, Detroit and the Guards, are in the AL Central. Four of the top six teams record-wise were from the Central as well.
Payroll is the reason the AL Central doesn’t get its props. They don’t have a team among the top 10 payrolls, which puts them in the role of the scrappy little brother — they’re good, but not good enough.
Critics add that for the last two years each of the top four teams in the Central have inflated their records against the lowly White Sox
Hey, Hoynsie: It seems like Gabriel Arias displays more power and overall success when he drives the ball to the opposite field. But then it’s like he forgets and reaches to pull outside pitches. Can he stay focused? — Bob Maistros, Lake Worth, Florida.
Hey, Bob: This is the best version of Arias that the Guardians have seen since his big-league debut in 2022. I agree he’s hit the ball well to right field. But he’s not always going to get a pitch in that location, so I don’t mind if he tries to pull a few.
Guardians’ outfielder Nolan Jones.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Hey, Hoynsie: I think it’s time for the Guardians to move on from Nolan Jones. This is his second go-around with the Guardians and it doesn’t look like it’s getting any better. — Mike, North Royalton.
Hey, Mike: Jones is struggling for sure. If he had options, they could send him to Triple-A Columbus, but he’s out of options.
The Guardians traded for him right at the end of spring training. I’d be surprised if they cut ties with him so quickly, but they’re going to have to make a move when Lane Thomas is ready to come off the injured list.
Hey, Hoynsie: Are there any updates on how Tyler Naquin is doing as he moves from outfielder to pitcher? — Jeff Prusator, Tiskilwa, Illinois.
Hey, Jeff: Naquin, throwing a fastball, cutter and changeup, has appeared in three games for the Guardians’ team in the Arizona Complex League. On Wednesday, he threw 27 pitches in 1 1/3 innings. His velocity has topped out around 95 mph.
Hey, Hoynsie: I think Jhonkensy Noel is likely to go down when Lane Thomas comes off the injured list. I am in favor of Big Christmas going to Columbus if he gets to play everyday. The Guardians can always bring him back. —Ed Brandyberry, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania.
Hey, Ed: Noel definitely needs more playing time to not only develop his power, but to help the Guardians. As opposed to the last couple of years when the Guardians faced one left-handed starter after another, this year they’ve played only seven games in which the opposition has started a lefty. That has hurt Noel’s playing time.
Guardians right-hander Andrew Walters.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Hey, Hoynsie: Is Andrew Walters coming up to Guards soon? — Kirk Brady.
Hey, Kirk: I would say no. Walters, who pitched so well as a rookie going down the stretch and in the postseason last year, was placed on the Triple-A injured list in mid-April with inflammation in his right forearm and elbow.
Walters was activated about a week ago. The Guardians have been pleased with his stuff and the fact that he’s hit 97 mph. But I think they’d like to see him get back in a regular routine at Columbus before considering him for Cleveland.
Hey, Hoynsie: The Guardians, to me, seem to have trouble catching balls near or at the outfield wall. I’ve seen several of Cleveland’s outfielders fumble somewhat catchable balls. — Tom Miller.
Hey, Tom: Two points to remember: No. 1, outfield walls are hard and they always win when an outfielder collides with them.
No. 2, in the Guardians’ starting outfield, two of the three positions are often filled with infielders moving to the outfield. When that happens, balls that should be caught, sometimes don’t get caught.
Steven Kwan and Will Brennan are the only fulltime outfielders on the 26-man roster. Lane Thomas is injured.
Hey, Hoynsie: I find it very off-putting that the Guardians now post the OPS (onbase + slugging percentage) for players instead of their batting averages on the scoreboard at Progressive Field. It’s an an obvious effort to not display batting average because so many of them are poor. — Roger Hird.
Hey, Roger: The scoreboard shows both: OPS within the player’s lineup and batting average in the main graphic at the center of the scoreboard. What’s wrong with blending old school and new school stats?
OPS shows a hitter’s ability to get on base and hit for power. Here’s a cheat sheet on OPS. The average OPS in the big leagues is about .750. An .800 OPS is above average and a .900 to 1.000 OPS is the All-Star to elite level.