Hey, at least it’s only Spring Training
As the Cleveland Guardians begin to wrap up Spring Training 2025 in Goodyear, AZ, there is a sense that the regular season is almost here. The everyday roster gets more at-bats, pitchers throw more innings, and there is the anxiousness about who will or won’t start on the Opening Day roster. The Guardians hosted the San Francisco Giants on a picturesque Wednesday, March 12 afternoon with Joey Cantillo starting on the bump. The game finished with the Giants winning 11-2 over the Guardians.
Cantillo was looking to build off of his previous start where he threw 3 innings of work, giving up three hits and allowing two walks. However, that was not the case. His start was a tale of two stories. On the one hand, he struck out nine batters over 3 2⁄3 innings of work. On the other hand, he also gave up four runs on six hits and walked one. Cantillo saw his Spring Training ERA go from 6.00 to 7.45. He is now 1-2 in the Spring.
While it is only Spring Training where pitchers are mainly working on their stuff, there is a sense that at some point guys need to dial it in. There is no time to panic for Cantillo and the Guardians. However, we are talking about being just a tad over two weeks away from Opening Day in Kansas City.
The possible options are that Cantillo could be added to the bullpen to join the left-handed pitchers of Tim Herrin and Erik Sabrowski. If not, there is a possibility he could be going to Columbus with the Clippers to start the season.
Emmanuel Clase was the other pitcher who stood out, but not in the way people wanted. However, this is Spring Training so things can be taken with a grain of salt. He only pitched 2⁄3 of an inning giving up three runs on four hits, and struck out only one. His ERA in camp jumped up to 10.80 after the limited work. Should there be concern? Probably not, however, it is fair to be drawn aback just a little. He will be the Guardians’ closer once again so there are no issues in that aspect. The hope is that Spring Training numbers stay in Spring Training.
When it came to the offense, the Guardians only scored one run on five hits. Two of those hits came from catcher Bo Naylor, who played as the designated hitter in the game. He went two for four with a solo home run in the bottom of the second. It was his third long ball of the Spring and he looks to be poised to make his offense better than 2024. He carries a .250 average and a .871 OPS after the game today. Naylor will be the starting catcher for the Guardians and if he can get back to 2023 Bo, he will know a ton of homers in 2025.
Other hitters who stood out:
– Joe Lampe went one for one in his only at-bat
– Jose Ramirez went one for three with an RBI
– Steven Kwan went zero for three but did get a run in
– Kody Huff who started as the catcher went one for two
As previously stated, it’s only Spring Training but expect things to ramp up as the everyday MLB roster guys will be used a lot more as we get closer to Opening Day. Concern shouldn’t be creeping in right now, however, there are a plethora of things to keep an eye on for the Guardians going into the 2025 season.
The Guardians’ (7-11) next game will be on Thursday, March 13 as they travel to Scottsdale, AZ to take on the 11-8 Colorado Rockies at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick. The first pitch is set for a 3:10 p.m. Eastern start. The game was pushed up because of the possibility of imminent weather. Fans can listen to the game on WTAM 1100 or Guardians Radio Network. The probable pitchers are Luis Ortiz for the Guardians and Chase Dollander for the Rockies.