Grading the Cleveland Guardians Opening Day roster by position

Utilities

"Designated hitter (1): Franmil Reyes Utility (2): Owen Miller, Ernie Clement"

Overview:

Getting Franmil Reyes in the Trevor Bauer deal was a godsend. He’s got power and consistency, but like with Bobby Bradley, Reyes strikes out too much. He averaged well over one strikeout per game last year. That’s a stat line he needs to significantly cut down on. He’s easily the team’s second-best hitter and may be forced into action in the outfield if guys don’t do what is expected of them.

The utility guys may get a lot of reps if the infield fails to inspire. Owen Miller was hitting .400 at one point in Triple-A before getting called up and struggling his butt off. Ernie Clement didn’t fare much better, hitting just .230 in limited action last year. He did hit .467 in spring training and while that’s not a number you can expect Clement to actually reproduce, if he can hit .250 or better he may very well be able to take a lineup spot away from one of the incumbent middle infielders.

Grade: B

Owen Miller, Ernie Clement, and Franmil Reyes are still young enough to take the next leap but if anyone is going to, it’s Owen Miller. He’s shown he can play at a high level but getting used to major league pitching is going to be something he has to do at a much quicker rate than what we saw in 2021.