3 Cleveland Guardians who need to be on the main roster to start the season originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
If you’ve been following the Cleveland Guardians for any amount of time over the last decade or so, you know that the club desperately needs help offensively. Between 2016 and 2018, the Guardians were one of the best-hitting teams in the league. They finished 5th, 6th, and 3rd in runs scored across those three seasons, respectively. Since then, they’ve finished 15th or worse every single season up until 2025.
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In 2020, 2023, and 2025, they finished 24th, 27th, and 28th in runs scored, respectively, and yet, somehow, they made the playoffs in two of those three seasons. This is a squad that somehow keeps winning, thanks to solid defense and stellar pitching. Just imagine, however, if they had a top 10 offense to complement the other great elements that this team has?
After years of bad-hitting prospects and calling up guys who could only do one thing well (usually hitting home runs), it looks like the Guardians have a few prospects who can actually hit the ball in any situation. Three players are tearing it up in Spring Training and have done such a good job so far that the Guardians would be foolish not to bring them to start the regular season.
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C Kody Huff
The Guardians need help at catcher. As good as Bo Naylor is as a defensive player, he’s as bad as a hitter. It’s obvious he can’t deliver the way the Guardians need him to, and it’s probably time to find a long-term replacement. Enter Kody Huff. Huff is a career .239 hitter in the minors so far in his short career, and a career .284 hitter in college. He hasn’t shown the most consistent bat across the minors, struggling in Triple-A Columbus, hitting just .222 in 361 at-bats. Yet, in Spring Training so far, he’s hitting .364 and has a team-leading on-base percentage of .588. He’s getting on base and raking the ball with the best of them. He’s showing that with time and patience he can be an effective offensive player, and that should be enough to warrant him a full-time roster spot.
CF Petey Halpin
A center field with some pop is exactly what the Guards could use. Across the minors, Petey Halpin has hit .253, and over the last two seasons, has hit 12 and 14 home runs, respectively. Far from the big-bopper numbers someone like Aaron Judge has put up, but considering how bad the Guardians’ offense has been as of late, any pop is good news. Halpin, like the rest of the list, has upped his ante in Spring Training. He’s got splits of .353/.476/.588 and has shown some real promise. With the Guardians toying around with Steve Kwan playing in center this season, it’s clear that the team needs help in the outfield. Calling up Halpin would allow Kwan to stay in left field and play his more natural position.
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RF Chase DeLauter
When you lead the team with an OPS of 1.494, it’s clear that you’ve done something special. That’s the case with Chase DeLauter, who’s currently leading the Guardians in OPS in Spring Training. DeLauter is leading the team in hitting as well, with a wild .538 batting average so far. It’s still early, and DeLauter won’t go to the Majors hitting anywhere close to that, but his early success has shown that he’s got the potential to be a good hitter. With others like Nolan Jones struggling so mightily, the Guardians are going to need to call up some minor leaguers to start the season if they hope to avoid a terribly slow start offensively.
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