The Guardians announced Tuesday that they’ve optioned infield prospect Tyler Freeman to Triple-A Columbus. The former No. 71 overall pick and top-100 prospect made his big league debut last season but hit just .247/.314/.286 through his first 86 trips to the plate. That came on the heels of solid but still diminished production in his first run at Triple-A, where he slashed .279/.371/.364 on the season.
Freeman fits the Guardians contact-first archetype, drawing praise for a 60- or 70-grade hit tool on most scouting reports and fanning in just 9.3% of his Triple-A plate appearances to date. However, he’s also lacking in power and faced an uphill battle to make a roster where Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez have the middle infield locked down.
Add in a disappointing .147/.231/.147 showing in 39 plate appearances this spring, and the decision to option Freeman doesn’t come as much of a surprise. He’ll get another run through the Triple-A level and could still factor into the Cleveland infield before long; Rosario is a free agent following the season, though Freeman will have to contend with fellow prospects Gabriel Arias, Brayan Rocchio and Jose Tena for time in the Guards’ infield mix.
For now, with Arias remaining in camp, it appears he has the inside track on winning a utility job to begin the season. The 23-year-old is seen as a true option at shortstop but has more swing-and-miss issues than most Guardians hitters and hasn’t drawn walks at a particularly high clip in the minors. Arias slashed .240/.310/.406 in Triple-A last season but stumbled with a .191/.321/.319 showing in a tiny sample of 57 big league plate appearances during last summer’s debut. He’s had a big spring showing (.350/.395/.425, 43 plate appearances), and given the strength of his glove, he’s a natural candidate to fill a utility role in the infield, where he can sub in at multiple positions.
While sorting out the bench is a key process for Cleveland decision-makers this spring, the amount of emphasis on who breaks camp with the team can often be overstated. In all likelihood, Freeman will get his share of chances this season, as will Arias, Richie Palacios and others. Injuries are inevitable, and being left off the Opening Day roster is no more a signal that a player will spend all season in the minors than making the Opening Day squad is a free ticket to a full year of service time.
A greater priority for the front office could be trying to lock down some long-term deals with key young players. Jason Lloyd of The Athletic asked president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti about this very topic recently, and while Antonetti obviously wouldn’t delve into specifics, he somewhat “coyly” expressed optimism about getting at least one such contract worked out. Antonetti’s comments don’t necessarily mean a deal is likely, but they’re at least an ostensible acknowledgement that the club has been having conversations with some of its young core. Lloyd speculatively suggests that left fielder Steven Kwan, right-hander Triston McKenzie and Gimenez are the likeliest candidates for such a deal, but it’s not clear whether substantive negotiations have occurred with any of those three, specifically.
That said, extensions for the Guardians were a huge point of emphasis this time last season. Beyond locking up superstar Jose Ramirez on a long-term deal that could keep him in Cleveland for the majority of his career, Antonetti & Co. worked out five-year deals with center fielder Myles Straw and closer Emmanuel Clase in the days leading up to Opening Day 2022.
There’s also one unfortunate health update out of Guardians camp this morning. Manager Terry Francona revealed this morning that right-handed relief prospect Nick Mikolajchak has been diagnosed with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow (Twitter link via Mandy Bell of MLB.com). Francona didn’t provide a specific grade of strain or a treatment plan, as the team is still gathering information and determining the next steps for the 25-year-old righty.
Mikolajchak had a huge 2021 season in Double-A, where he pitched to a 3.18 ERA with a gaudy 35.8% strikeout rate against a 5.7% walk rate. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen noted this spring that a late-2021 shoulder injury might’ve impacted Mikolajchak in 2022, when his velocity was down and his walk rate was up — though he still pitched to a sharp 3.04 ERA in his first stint at the Triple-A level. Francona offered praise for the 2019 eleventh-rounder’s spring performance, when he posted 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball with six hits, one walk and four strikeouts.
Wowzers even!
Wow squared!
Saratoga vs kiddhoff… a titanic struggle… like a grizzly bear vs a lion… I’d pay to see it!!!
Then I’d really like to see the face off!
Maybe we are the same person.
Omg!!! It never crossed my mind!!! Damn family getting me this phone!! I never had these problems with my flip phone!!!
Omg!!! It never crossed my mind!!! Damn family getting me this phone!! I never had these problems with my flip phone!!!
All the responses are from people I’ve muted, or replies to them. Must be “Wow” and replies.
Me too.
They so desperately want to be the new “rave reviews” and they will no doubt fail in that endeavour!
Long suffering… for what it’s worth was a big fan of Andre Thornton and Rick suttcliffe was a class act.. tossed me a ball at old cominsky park and Rick manning was nice enough to sign it.. hope you get to experience it like I finally did in 04… love Tito and forever grateful to him…
At a first quick glance I saw “Guardians” & “Freeman”, and my heart stopped. False alarm, Tyler Freeman. Whew, life goes on as before.
So….you thought they got Freddie Freeman?
How did Myles Straw get a Five year contract? That’s what you call going out on a limb!
No, you call it the “last straw”…
It seemed like a good idea at the time. CF was a revolving door for years leading up to his acquisition. Elite glove and speed, but his production at the plate last year was horrific. I thought they’d send him down at some point, but they never did. That extension is not looking good a year later.
I was Uber frustrated that they didn’t send him down. It doesn’t look like a good contract based on last season. Now this season is a different story. Even with his abysmal season, he is still a .247 career hitter. If he hits his career average, he’s a core player with his speed and especially his Gold Glove defense. The jury is still out.
He’s entirely moveable on that contract due to the floor his elite D and base running provide. They’d probably rather not have the commitment at this point but it’s hardly a boat anchor. I don’t think they’d have any issues giving him away.
Shame about Mikolakchak. Think he can be a player this season.
to play devils advocate, Josey needed extra seasoning, carrasco too. glad they didn’t throw in towel. after dans begged for dfa’s.
let’s hope he’s more josey then laporta
Just trade him already. Another promising player screwed up by the Cleveland organization.
Yeah, the team that won the AL Central with 92 wins and took the Yankees to the fifth game.