Former WSU star and second-round pick Kyle Manzardo’s rookie season in the MLB is over after the Cleveland Guardians were eliminated in the playoffs by the New York Yankees.
Despite lacking a true position, the OF/DH/1B hit his way to the big leagues. In AAA Columbus, Manzardo reached base at a .398 clip, while slugging .548. He hit 20 home runs, 20 doubles and 49 RBI in 83 games, which was good enough to earn a call-up to the big leagues.
Manzardo struggled in his first stint in the majors. After being called up in May, Manzardo struggled to hit above .200 and could not unlock his power stroke. After making twenty starts and slashing .207/.241/.329, he was sent back to the minor leagues without hitting his first major league home run.
However, the Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, native fought his way back, continuing to hit in AAA and earning himself a September callup after rosters expanded.
In his second stint with Cleveland, Manzardo found his footing. It started on his first game back with the team, when he hammered his first career home run. In the month of September, he started 18 games, hitting .270, with a .333 OBP and a .540 SLG. He hit five home runs, knocked in eight runs and had an OPS+ of 141 (a stat where 100 is average, making Manzardo 41% better than the average hitter in Sept.).
He ultimately finished with a .234 AVG and a .703 OPS, putting him right about average with a 97 OPS+ and 0.0 bWAR. Manzardo knocked in 15 runs and scored 11, while smacking five home runs and 12 doubles.
The rookie made 38 starts, but only started two games on the field. Outside of two games at first base, Manzardo was the Guardians Designated Hitter in 36 of his starts.
He played even better in the postseason, where he slashed .316/.316/.526, hitting a home run against the Yankees, a double and two RBI.
Manzardo certainly did not have a perfect rookie season, but he has proved enough that he should be on the Opening Day roster in 2025Â and could compete to be the starting DH in Cleveland going forward.
