Gabriel Arias could see time in the outfield for the Cleveland Guardians

The Cleveland Guardians are toying around with the idea of putting Gabriel Arias in the outfield.

The Cleveland Guardians have some ideas for Gabriel Arias this spring training. The shortstop and third basemen played some first base last year and Terry Francona and company loved what they saw. So much so they’re thinking about auditioning Arias in the outfield to get him reps.

After all, Francona sees him as an everyday player. Francona spoke with Mandy bell of MLB.com and revealed that the best way to get Arias to the show even faster, is to move him to the outfield and see how he does.

Francona goes on to say;

"One, we always try to tell the truth. I think we view Gabby as an everyday player at some point in his career. If you look around right now, we got [José Ramírez], we got Amed [Rosario], we got [Andrés] Giménez. OK, what’s your best way to be able to impact the Major League club?…I think for a young kid, he has a very good understanding of that. Sometimes you get a young kid and they just want to be an everyday [player] so bad that they don’t either accept it, they can’t handle it. That’s why you see, a lot of times, veterans doing that job."

Arias could play in the outfield defensively, he has a natural understanding of that side of the game. Bell even suggests that Arias has a shot of making the club in 2023 if he’s versatile enough to play ever position in the field.

But does that mean Arias is even ready to play every day in the Majors?

Gabriel Arais is just not ready to be an everyday starter for the Cleveland Guardians

Defensively, it’s pretty easy to see if someone is ready. The issue is whether or not someone like Arias is ready offensively. He had two good years in 2019 and 2021 hitting the ball, so much so that he went from San Diego’s high-A ball to Cleveland’s Triple-A club in just two full seasons (not counting 2020’s lost season for minor leaguers).

Yet in 2022, his batting average in the minors fell 40 points, and when he got called up to the majors, he hit below .200. Now, this isn’t a sign that he can’t play in the Majors, but if we saw anything with the likes of Bobby Bradley, Bradley Zimmer, and Nolan Jones, it’s that guys who struggle in the minors will struggle in the majors, and right now Arias is a guy who’s struggling.

He may be defensively ready, but offensively he needs some polishing. Especially with his current stretch of play where he’s trying to swing for the fences. Between 2021 and 2022, he played 33 fewer games and had 135 fewer at-bats, yet he had the same number of home runs (13), but coincidently enough, his batting average dropped by 45 points, his on-base dropped by 33 points and his slugging actually dropped by 52 points.

This is how hitters ruin their swing by trying to become home run guys. Arias needs more time in Triple-A before he’s called up.