Fans of the Cleveland Guardians are in for a treat with Brayan Rocchio

The Cleveland Guardians faithful are in for a treat with Brayan Rocchio.

The Cleveland Guardians have called up versatile infielder, Brayan Rocchio to fill in for Jose Ramirez. Ramirez, sadly, had to leave the team following the passing of his beloved grandmother. To fill in for Ramirez as he grieves, the Guards called up top prospect Rocchio.

Rocchio is just 22-years-old and will fill in mostly at third base for right now. While this may make some believe that he’ll be sent back down to the minors when Ramirez returns, it’s important to note that he’s as good at third base, as he is at shortstop and second base. He’s one of the more versatile defenders on the team. Even though he does have a tendency or two to cause a few more errors than you’d usually like to see.

And while he lacks any real power, Rocchio has a good bat and makes great contact. He was hitting .338 in the minors when they called him up and over the last few years, has dramatically cut down on his strikeout rate. He dropped his strikeout rate from 24% in 2021 to just 14% in 2023.

He can work a pitcher into getting a walk, but that isn’t his biggest asset, nor is his speed a huge factor in his game. He’s not going to get you 40 stolen bases, but he’s not a slouch on the basepaths. He’s a very good hitter, who can hurt pitchers, just not with home runs.

In his first game with Cleveland, Rocchio already showed off his adaptably at the plate, going 1-2 as a late-game replacement.

Brayan Rocchio cant save the Cleveland Guardians’ offense on his own

There isn’t one player in baseball who can carry an offense by themselves, but some can give you the illusion that their arrival changed everything around them. In actuality, when a game changer arrives, he’s only able to be such because his teammates raise their game as well and start producing.

Rocchio isn’t going to be the type who can hit home runs and energize the whole lineup with his dynamic play. No, Rocchio is a very solid hitter, who will work counts to get solid at-bats. He’s not the guy who’s going to drive in three RBI in a game, but he may just score three runs in a game.

He’s not the guy to power the offense forward, he’s more of a piece of the core that will help those big boppers do the most damage possible.