Kyle Manzardo has heated up at just the right time.
With the Cleveland Guardians in need of a huge second-half push to chase down the Detroit Tigers in the AL Central, their young lefty slugger has found his groove.
Manzardo's stats over his last 15 games are phenomenal:
- .383 batting average
- 1.163 OPS
- 4 home runs
- 12 RBI
It's one of the best stretches of his MLB career.
The Guardians have gone from 15.5 games behind the Tigers a month ago to 6.0 games back as of Monday, August 11.
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They've really needed this Manzardo stretch, too, because two of the coldest players in Cleveland's lineup right now are Jose Ramirez and Steven Kwan, the usual stalwarts of the whole operation.
It's about time Manzardo got going.
He was the trade return from the Rays for Aaron Civale in 2023, and he made it to the majors by early 2024.
In his debut season, Manzardo batted .234 with five homers in 53 games, just a .703 OPS.
But after this hot stretch, Manzardo is up to 20 homers (along with 14 doubles and two triples).
His average is .244, his on-base percentage is .323 and he's got an .808 OPS.
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Manzardo is walking at double the rate that he did in his rookie season, a key development for a power hitter.
The Guardians may not catch the Tigers, but they're in the wild card running, too.
If Manzardo has another couple weeks like this one, Cleveland might be even closer when the calendar turns to September.
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