Kyle Manzardo’s Power Surge Changes Guardians’ Lineup Dynamic

CLEVELAND, Ohio – When the Cleveland Guardians acquired Kyle Manzardo from the Tampa Bay Rays for Aaron Civale in 2023, they envisioned a contact hitter with moderate power potential. Instead, they found an emerging slugger who is forcing pitchers to reconsider walking José Ramírez to face him.

“Well, I didn’t see any of this coming,” sports commentator Terry Pluto said on a recent episode of the Terry’s Talkin’ podcast. “You know, I saw 20 to 25 homers and 35 to 40 doubles, which is a really good player. I mean, yeah, I did not see that he would have seven homers in just 22 games.”

Manzardo’s transformation at the plate has been remarkable. His batting average has dipped slightly from .234 last year to .210 this season, but his slugging percentage has surged from .421 to .531. This increase in power comes from Manzardo’s focused approach, where he waits for pitches he can drive instead of just making contact.

At 24 years old, his improvement against breaking balls is especially impressive. “Last year his slugging percentage against breaking balls was .170,” said podcast host David Campbell, referencing statistics from BaseballSavant.com. “This year, his slugging percentage on breaking balls is .765.”

Manzardo refers to his approach as “tunneling pitches,” where he identifies and anticipates swings at pitches he can drive. “When that breaking ball is hanging there, he’s crushing it. There’s your tunneling thing,” Pluto noted.

Pluto also highlighted that power often develops later in players. He mentioned stars like Manny Ramirez and Jim Thome as examples. “The signs were there late last season when Manzardo came back after a stint at AAA Columbus,” Pluto said. “He did hit five homers in, I think, 80 at-bats, and he looked like a different hitter.”

Manzardo’s emergence has already shifted the dynamics of the Guardians’ lineup. “I’ll tell you one thing… Some of these teams are hesitating now to walk Jose with Manzardo behind them,” Pluto stated.

The trade that brought Manzardo to Cleveland is being seen in a more favorable light by each passing day. “They’re going to look back at that trade of Aaron Civale for him; it’s just one of the better ones they’ve made in recent times,” Pluto concluded.