Spring Training is officially over! The Guards sit at a hair over .500 with a 15-16 record. Remember that we don’t take a Spring Training record too seriously, as teams are using it to experiment with positions, batting order, and seeing how the young ‘uns are doing.
Now that the Guards have released their 2026 Roster, we can look at the results from spring.
Bo Knows Hitting
Bo Naylor has been one of the brightest spots in Goodyear as his transition from the high-leg-kick in previous seasons to the toe-tap is complete. And boy has it paid off! Bo is now staying back further (aka “behind the ball”), which means he’s got more time to react to the pitch.
At the end of Spring, Bo’s hitting over .300 and looking way better with high-velo fastballs. And best of all, his newfound hitting skills haven’t diminished his performance behind the dish.
Bo’s always been an elite pitch-framer, and since teams only get a limited number of ABS challenges, his talent for ‘stealing’ pitches low in the zone will continue to be paramount. His work communicating with the pitching staff is also paying off. Bibee and Williams have both said they’re more comfortable pitching to Bo, and Manager Vogt has lauded the work Bo put in.
While Bo’s arm isn’t the canon that his brother Josh’s is, his accuracy is top-notch and his quick transfer is doing well keeping runners honest.
And lest you forget, we still have Hedgey as backup, and Fry as backup-backup, so the Guards are running into the season with catching depth. We can sub in Fry’s right-handed bat without losing defensive power.
CDL is Ready and Healthy(?)
We’ve been waiting for ages for Chase DeLauter to be healthy and ready for the majors. This power-hitting rookie has been laid up since we nabbed him in 2022 with a sports hernia, a fractured hamate bone in his wrist, and various lower body injuries. How bad has this been for his career? Well in three years he’s only managed 138 games played in the minors.
While we’re all still worried about his durability, the Guards have elected to keep him mostly in right field, where he won’t need to run quite as much, and it seems to have paid off. With two massive dingers against the D-Backs this spring, he’s looking like potent middle-of-the-order threat.
As a rookie, too, he has a great advantage against pitchers. With only those 138 games (and Spring Training), the other teams don’t really yet know how to pitch to him. If he’s going to have a breakout year, he’ll want to capitalize on things in the first half of the season.
The real test will be after the All Star break, though.
Kayfus’ Versatility
Another of our rookies, Kayfus played his way onto the radar with a versatile spring. While he spent time at his natural first base, the team experimented with him in the outfield corners to keep his advanced bat in the lineup. His ability to drive the gaps consistently made him a standout among the “next wave” of talent.
Kayfus didn’t just survive in this spring, he’s outright thrived by showing a “balanced” approach:
- Stats: He slashed .244/.367/.488 with an impressive .855 OPS over 41 at-bats.
- XBH Ability: He flashed a rare “cycle-lite” ability, recording a double, a triple, and two home runs. All he needed was a single!
- In and Outfield: While he was often seen as an undersized first baseman, his move to the outfield corners has gone surprisingly well, even if his arm is more average than power.
- Clutch Gene: He famously capped off his 2025 season in the minors with a walk-off HBP to clinch a postseason berth, and he carried that “calm under pressure” into 2026, rarely looking overmatched by high-velocity pitching.
Kwan’s Growing Pains
This year we re-introduced Steven Kwan to center (where he played in college). This transition has been a little rough. While Kwan’s performance has remained steady, after brushing off the rust and getting used to the plays in center, it’s introduced two big risks:
- Kwan was elite in left, and that is a hard void to fill
- The added ground to cover in center might impact his stamina
Many people have noticed that post All Star Break, Kwan starts to run out of steam at the plate. The last two years, he’s had some hamstring issues as well.
Hopefully his instincts will make up for any shortcomings caused by the added coverage area, but only time will tell.
Defensive Drama and Baserunning Dilemmas
Earlier in March, the Guardians suffered a few “sloppy” losses (notably a 5–4 loss to the Giants) where unearned runs and defensive lapses were the deciding factor. Cleaning up these mental errors was a major focus for Stephen Vogt in the final week of camp.
I questioned some of the choices in the run game earlier, and it remains a point of concern for me, at least.
Roster Impact & Key Situations
The official addition of Rhys Hoskins’ bat is a game-changer for the GOAT José Ramírez. By providing a legitimate power threat behind him, Hoskins has already begun to “protect” Josey! Pitchers were forced to challenge Ramirez more frequently this spring, resulting in several back-to-back home run sequences between the two.
I’m not going to talk about Clase (just know I’m still pissed off at him), and instead I want to look to the future with Cade Smith. Smith is our closer. He’s had a high strikeout rate, a decent fastball (96+ mph), and his mental fortitude will keep him steady in the tight games.
Mountain Man Hunter Gaddis starts the team on the 15-day IL, with right forearm strain, as does Andrew Walters (rehab from right lat surgery last year). George Valera, who made a name for himself in the end of the 2025 season, is also on the 10-day IL with left calf strain. Valera’s an outfielder, so DeLauter, Kayfus, and Martinez will be vying for their spot on the roster when he’s back.
Opening Day Outlook
The Guardians officially set their roster today, selecting Hoskins and naming Tanner Bibee the Opening Day starter against Logan Gilbert and the Mariners. The lineup looks significantly more athletic, anchored by the Kwan-Ramirez-Hoskins-DeLauter quartet.
Gilbert is a “high-spin” guy. This will be the ultimate test for Bo Naylor’s new timing and DeLauter’s ability to handle MLB-level velocity.