5 Cleveland Guardians players who need to step up in the second-half

The Cleveland Guardians are back to action this weekend and these five names need big second halves.

The Cleveland Guardians are back to action this weekend but it’s not all sunshine and rainbows after a few days off. The Guards are in the thick of a Divisional Title, battling it out with the Minnesota Twins and staying off the Chicago White Sox.

They’re currently out of the AL Wild Card, but that could easily change in the coming weeks, as they’re only a few games out of the second spot. And while the team has succeeded in recent weeks in getting over .500 off the backs of several key players, the team is going to need more than that.

They’re going to need a few more names to step up, and these are the five guys that the Guardians have to see improvement from if the team is going to make the postseason.

Five Cleveland Guardians who need to step up in the second half

Zach Plesac

The narrative around Zach Plesac for some is that he’s having good outings but no offense. That’s partly true, but he’s also the most inconsistent of the first four starters of the Guardians rotation.  Some nights he’ll go seven innings, and give up three hits, other games he’ll go three innings and give up seven runs. Plesac has got to be more consistent, and return to his form of past years.

Franmil Reyes

The tape on Franmil Reyes is out there. He swings at junk and strikes out way too much. Off-speed and breaking ball stuff on the edges is his nightmare fuel. I’m not even sitting here advocating for him to be better, I’m just asking him to stop striking out as much. Lay off chasing junk. Normally I’d be mad at a guy striking out while looking, but in Reyes’ case, I’d prefer that, as it would at least show he’s gaining some patience.

James Karinchak

James Karinachak is back from injury and he’s been fine. The hard-throwing set-up/closer from 2021 had a dynamic start to last season but as his arm fatigued he lost his confidence and began getting lit up. Then the injury came, which basically took him out of action for a full year. Now, Karinchak is back but he clearly needs time to reacclimate. If he can return to 90% of what he was in May of 2021, he’s going to be a mighty addition.

Austin Hedges

I don’t have a lot of faith in Austin Hedges, but then again I haven’t had a lot of faith in anyone at catcher who wasn’t Victor Martinez or Yan Gomes. So now I just have to hope Hedges can get to .200 for a batting average and not make things worse offensively.

Myles Straw

The struggles of Myles Straw haven’t been as damning against the team, as he’s been bailed out by the fact that Steven Kwan can hit leadoff. That doesn’t mean Straw is off the hook. Yes, he’s still getting on base because he’s a patient hitter, but he has to be more consistent. If he can settle back in at the top of the lineup, or as the number two hitter, then that gives the lineup more flexibility. Flexibility with this lineup will ensure success, but that won’t come if Straw keeps hitting 9th in the lineup.