Bradley Zimmer. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
There are three players from the 2021 Cleveland Guardians that are struggling miserably elsewhere
The 2022 Cleveland Guardians are fairing a bit better than they did in their final season as the Cleveland Indians as they are on pace for 84 wins after winning 80 in 2021.
That is due, in large part, to cutting ties with some players that had long been with the team but struggled offensively, especially in the outfield.
During the franchise’s best period (1994-2001), they were tied for the best offensive outfield in all of baseball with a 122 wRC+ with the Giants, who had Barry Bonds in their outfield. Since 2002, Cleveland’s outfielders are 26th in wRC+ at 99.
Here are three players that were with Cleveland in 2021 and who failing miserably elsewhere.
3 2021 Cleveland Guardians failing miserably elsewhere in 2022
Outfielder Bradley Zimmer (Toronto Blue Jays)
The Cleveland Guardians played Bradley Zimmer in parts of five seasons in the majors but he struggled to adjust offensively and struggled to stay healthy.
In those five seasons, he played 263 games in the majors and he hit .225/.310/.347 with an OPS+ of 77.
Cleveland traded him to Toronto on the second day of the season and he has played in 53 games for the Blue Jays and been awful at the plate. He has almost exclusively been used as a defensive replacement as he only has 73 plate appearances but in those plate appearances, he’s only hitting .109/.208/.219 with an OPS+ of 22. He has struck out in 30 of his 64 at-bats, which is not exactly a recipe for success.
In 201.2 innings in center field, he has 3 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) so, as he has before, he has been good defensively but offensively, he has been very abysmal.