Cleveland Guardians’ 3 biggest weaknesses in the 2022 season

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows for the Cleveland Guardians in 2022.

Talking badly about the Cleveland Guardians is hard for me, as it’s like criticizing your favorite kid. They’re rarely the one that needs to be yelled at, so when you find yourself looking at their report card and see that fat “C-” right there, you aren’t angry so much as you are disappointed.

With the other two mouth breathers, you’re just hoping they don’t burn down the city. With the Guardians? You expect more from them. They do the most with the least and that’s beyond impressive. They have had the same number of playoff appearances since 1995 as the Cleveland Cavaliers, and for most of that time, only eight teams got to the playoffs in the Majors, unlike 16 in the NBA.

They’ve always found a way to be impressive.

They’re truly one of the best franchises in Cleveland and yet they’re the least popular of the three. Let’s not even talk about the Dolan of it all, as fans didn’t show up in 2017, the year after nearly winning the World Series, and when they had the highest payroll in team history. So clearly spending money doesn’t bring fans in. Yet, they persist.

They persist in greatness and I rarely have a bad thing to say about them for that reason. That said, this Guardians team, like all Guardians teams of years past, does have weaknesses. What is this clubs’ you ask? Good question.

The three biggest concerns about the Guardians heading into 2022

The outfield

This may not be a problem if Steve Kwan and Josh Naylor step up this year. They could be huge for the team, and if Myles Straw does what he’s expected to do, this team could be very good. That said, Naylor is coming off of a major injury from 2021 and Kwan is a rookie making his pro debut. He also is a guy who usually hits .300 every season of his amateur and semi-pro career. So there’s hope.

Ready to play minor leaguers

Unlike years past, there’s not a lot to say about the minor league prospects. Sure, there are always guys who end up being ready but there’s no minor league stud in Triple-A who’s weeks away from a call-up. That lack of minor league potential is going to be an issue, at least until the young guys can prove that it’s not. If key Triple-A guys get called up and do big work, then the perception will change.

Depth

If everyone is healthy, this is a playoff team. That’s a big if though. The team has very little depth at key positions and no one beating down the door to step up. Injuries to Jose Ramirez or Shane Bieber will wreck this season.