Cleveland Guardians’ Oscar Gonzalez’s start is insanely good

The Cleveland Guardians already had a rookie of the month in Steven Kwan (April), but Oscar Gonzalez is making a push for the June title.

He’s the first player in franchise history to have 25 in his first 15 games. He’s now batting .417 with a .993 OPS.

O-Gon reminded everyone that Roger Maris got his start with the Indians back in 1957, when Gonzalez became the first player since Maris to earn a hit in 12 of his first 13 career games.

Gonzalez isn’t going to bat .400 for the rest of the season, but he’s certainly been a spark plug for a lineup that needed an injection. He doesn’t strike out a lot (7 times in 61 plate appearances), and he doesn’t walk (just once), but he puts the ball in play. For a team like the the Guardians, that’s paramount for what the club is trying to do offensively as Jose Ramirez remains the only true home-run threat.

1. Speaking of home-run threats, Franmil Reyes was supposed to be danger to opposing pitchers, but got off to a terrible start and is now on the injured list with a hamstring injury. You could ask if there is a place for Reyes on the Guardians’ roster, as the lineup has been doing fine without him.

With the Guardians emphasizing contact, Reyes swings and misses a lot. Can he change his game?

Cleveland Guardians updates

2. Someone else who’s changed their approach since coming back from injury? He’s beating the cover off the ball, alas he’s played in just four games. That said, he looks different at the plate.

3. Checking in on former Guardians…Yu Chang is batting .111 in seven games (20 plate appearances) with the Pirates…Daniel Johnson, traded to the Mets earlier in the season, is batting .154 with 20 strikeouts in 39 at-bats for Class AAA Syracuse.

4. Kwan, who mentioned earlier, is back on track after a terrible May. He’s batting .379 (.838 OPS) after batting .154 in May. Credit to Kwan and the Guards’ organization for making the adjustments required to stay in the big leagues. Gonzalez will be tested, too, we’ll just have to see how he responds.

4. A reminder to vote for Andres Gimenez as the American League’ second baseman in July’s All-Star game. You can vote up to five times per day.