5 players that the Cleveland Guardians should start worrying about

By Chad Porto | May 18, 2022

Apr 28, 2022; Anaheim, California, USA; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Myles Straw (7) makes a diving catch off a ball hit by Los Angeles Angels right fielder Taylor Ward (3) in the first inning of the game at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

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Cleveland Indians (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)

Oscar Mercado

You really shouldn’t be surprised Oscar Mercado is on this list. Sure, Mercado had a semi-impressive 2019 but clearly, that was more hype than hope. Since then he’s hitting just .198, and a lot of the time he looks like he’s slow to the swing. He simply doesn’t seem capable of hitting major league pitching.

Right now he’s getting a break due to the Guardians not wanting to play Josh Naylor in the outfield, and that’s apparently the new trend going forward. I would like to see Naylor back out there, only to conquer the beast that is fear, but I get why the Guardians don’t want him patrolling out there anymore.

Due to that, there isn’t another player ready to take Mercado’s spot. That fantasy trade idea of landing the Pirates’ Bryan Reynolds would be awesome but he’s struggling right now too. Richie Palacios is the front-runner to replace Mercado full-time, but another name-making waves currently is Oscar Gonzales in Triple-A. If the Guardians call him up, that may be the end of Mercado on the big club.

At 27 we know what Mercado is and isn’t and it seems like he isn’t an everyday starter.

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