After Thursday’s off day, the Cleveland Guardians will face the Milwaukee Brewers in a three-game series starting Friday. This series will certainly be worth watching because of the competition in Milwaukee, but the Guardians could make the series’ opening game must-see TV.
The Brewers will put former Guardians pitcher Aaron Civale on the mound for the first of three games in Milwaukee. Cleveland traded Civale to Tampa Bay last season as part of its soft sell at the deadline, and he was signed by the Brewers this year. With Civale’s former and current teams meeting this weekend, the Guardians have a chance to do something incredibly epic. Call up the player Civale was traded for, Kyle Manzardo, and have him start.
Manzardo is currently playing with the Columbus Clippers, Cleveland’s Triple-A affiliate, after a brief stint in the major leagues that didn’t go particularly well. The 23-year-old first baseman managed just a .207/.241/.329 batting average with 10 doubles in 87 at-bats. While he was able to hit double-digit doubles, his failure to hit a home run during that time was very concerning. The Guardians had hoped to pair Manzardo with Josh Naylor at first base and have the two share the designated hitter position when needed, but those plans obviously didn’t work out, so Manzardo returned to Triple-A.
It’s been a night and day difference for Manzardo in the minors compared to his time in the majors this season. In 68 games, Manzardo has hit 17 doubles and 16 home runs while posting a .269/.399/.550 batting average in 298 at-bats. This is a much better representation of his ability and future hitting power than the 30 games in Cleveland earlier this year.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise to anyone that Manzardo struggled in his first major league appearance. In fact, it should have been expected. Many players have trouble adjusting to the difference between minor league and major league pitching, and Manzardo was no exception. But now that he has experience as a major league pitcher and time to work on the issues that have been holding him back, it’s the best time to give him another chance with the Guardians, and it seems more than fitting to face the player he was traded for last season. Cleveland just needs to bring Manzardo back up and watch the magic happen.
