Would Bo Naylor perform better? Could he possibly perform worse? Does it matter? He has struck out in nearly half of his plate appearances.

That hard contact has disappeared in 2023.Ģ021: 75th percentile exit velocity, 79th percentile hard-hit rate, 100th percentile barrel rateĢ023: 13th percentile exit velocity, 30th percentile hard-hit rate, 46th percentile barrel rate But his hard contact has translated into healthy home run totals in the past. He has always ranked toward the bottom of the league in whiff rate, so his swing-and-miss tendencies this season aren’t surprising. (Ken Blaze / USA Today)Īs for the offensive side, when Zunino was at his best, he smoked the ball and did so often. They’ve nabbed 15 percent of potential base stealers the league average is 21 percent. For as adept as the Guardians have been at stealing bases (43 in 50 attempts), opponents have been as successful against them (45 in 53 attempts). Over the years, he’s been one of the better catchers by that metric. It’s the worst DRS of his career, by far. No player in the majors at any position has a worse Defensive Runs Saved mark than Zunino, at minus-9. Austin Hedges was a clubhouse leader revered for his game-calling, not his swing.īut now the Guardians are receiving wretched offense and uninspiring defense. Roberto Pérez won a Gold Glove Award but had only one notable season at the plate. Yan Gomes once sacrificed a rotisserie chicken in a desperate ploy to reverse his offensive fortunes. It only seems that way.įor years, this club has prioritized defense and the handling of the pitching staff from its catchers, even if that results in a black hole in the lineup. Cleveland’s catchers aren’t facing all-world Bieber or automatic Clase or peak-performing Gibson every trip to the plate.

Bo & Mzzz Mad by Sid Fleischman