Cleveland Guardians and Their “Situationships”: Shortstop

In case you missed my article last week, ((If you click the link and then come back, you don't have to read the next sentence.)) I discussed the nuance of what the kids call a "situationship": when you wanna date and do the "things" you do when you date but you don't want all the "dating" that comes with dating, it's called a "situationship". The Guardians have more positional battles than normal this season, unsettled spots where they are going to have to have a sit-down and "DTR talk": to define the relationship. Last week I covered the first base and designated hitter spots, today I wanna discuss the shortstop position and, by extension, the infield utility spot.

Shortstop/utility infielder

Those involved: Brayan Rocchio, Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman, Jose Tena, and Juan BritoIf the first base/DH conversation was a “menage a trois”, the middle infield spot is a full-on org...maybe we just move on. What we know about the infield is that there is one open starting spot and one backup that can cover multiple positions. Last year, the team employed Amed Rosario at short for the first half of the season before moving on at the trade deadline in a move that opened up playing time for the bevy of prospects that existed behind him. Gabe Arias got the first crack at it, losing the super util role he had in covering first base, right field, and the occasional third base starts. Brayan Rocchio was eventually called up as well and Tyler Freeman bounced around the diamond. Jose Tena saw limited exposure late in the season after rosters expanded. This year feels like a full-on competition, so let's make the cases for each.Arias got the first crack by virtue of being the super sub, and the reason is obvious: Arias has ceiling for days. He's a gifted defender all across the infield with arm enough for the outfield, so we know he can field the position. For a lineup lacking oomph, Arias fills the power vacuum perfectly, with his 77th percentile average exit velocity and 78th percentile Hard-Hit%. His MaxEV of 114.4 is in the top 7% of the league, so you know when he gets around on one, it's toast. However, the whole bat-to-ball thing needs work. A bottom 4th percentile K% (32.8%) is a glaring red flag. The contact numbers are bizarre for Arias: a middle-of-the-road Zone Swing% (76.9) ((It's a raw number, but that Zone Swing% is right between Bo Bichette and Freddie Freeman soooo you know that's okay.)) is fine, but what would have been a league-worst In Zone Contact% of 70.2 shows that he's just missing stuff. We talk about contact numbers a lot with this lineup: a player like Steven Kwan could afford to lose some overall contact if it meant he got better contact on the ball. But Arias can stand to not swing at everything so that when he finds one, he can lay into it. When the league is 5% points better than you at Chase%, it's a pitch recognition thing, which doesn't always get figured out.Brayan Rocchio has long been the "future" pick at shortstop, so when he got such limited exposure at the position in 2022, it was a head-scratcher. Rocchio doesn't have the hose Arias does, but what he lacks in velocity he makes up for in being in the right spot at the right time. His nickname is "The Professor" because of his intelligence with regard to the defense. The question about Rocchio is the perceived lack of power. With only 86 plate appearances, Rocchio's HardHit% was worse than Kwan's and even Myles Straw's. But the 18 home runs he hit across Double-A and Triple-A in 2022 didn't just disappear. Rocchio had 33 doubles in Columbus in 2023 along with a .280/.367/.421 triple slash line and that will play in a lineup that needs offensive production from someone other than Jose Ramirez. Sure, if the winner of the job is Rocchio, we won't be seeing as many bombs to Legends Park or the new blue seats in right field, but we would have a floor that is greater than what has been there.If you're interested in a high floor, then Tyler Freeman is your man. The "Reverse Chik Fil A" as he was dubbed by The Athletic's Zack Meisel, since he only appeared on Sundays at third for the DHing Ramirez, Freeman presents the best worst-case scenario. Let me explain: the contact is there, with an 89.6 Z-Contact%, an 84.0 overall Contact%, and a swing strike rate of 7.5%, but the quality is lacking with just a 21.4% hard contact percentage. You know you're getting quality at-bats from Freeman, but the likelihood of a tank job is minuscule. He is the prototypical platoon backup utility infielder and is even getting work in the outfield this winter as he tries to expand his repertoire.Tena gets mentioned here because he was up last season, but nobody expects him to be able to catapult the ones above. Tena was mostly in Double-A Akron in 2022, where he accumulated 16 stolen bases, a bonkers good 11.3% walk rate, and 20 doubles in 362 plate appearances. That performance, and the graduation of Rocchio, moved him to Columbus where he exploded on the scene, matching his home run total in Akron in just 66 PAs. The quick turnaround in AAA landed him as a late look in September of 2023, but he figures to return to Columbus in 2024, ready to build on that short exposure. At 22, Tena is young for the level and could build nicely for the organization, whether it be as a depth piece or trade offering.Juan Brito joined the organization via the Nolan Jones trade, and with Jones exploding in Colorado, Brito can likely feel the eye of the fans on him like Frodo felt Sauron. At age 22, Brito will start the year in Columbus, where he ended it last year for five games, but there is much to love about the prospect. Brito hit 15 dingers across A+ and AA in 2023 and has utilized crazy pull numbers on batted balls to do it. A dizzying 53.3% of his batted balls went to the pull side, which for strictly reference purposes, was better than Jose Ramirez's 51.1% in 2023. If he continues to perform at that pace, banking on the lack of shifted infields, it's not crazy to see him be a piece for the future of the club. With Jones doing his thing in the thin mountain air, Brito Baggins carries a burden he is maybe not fit to carry.Verdict: Gabe Arias is the Opening Day shortstop, but Brayan Rocchio usurps him by June. Freeman is the Ben Zobrist super-sub, Tena moves up when Arias is dealt at the deadline and Brito gets a cup of coffee in SeptemberIt's a lot, I will grant you that, and some of this is expectation mixed with wishcasting, but it feels like a good mix of the two. Arias got the majority of the starts in September in 2023, and it would behoove the organization to see if he has unlocked some "hot tool +1s" that Deyvision De Los Santos hopefully found as well. I doubt that he has, but giving him the chances would be what the front office typically does. Rocchio can start off in Columbus with Freeman being the high-floor utility, and once Arias is spent, Rocchio will be recalled. It's a pragmatic approach, sure, but this is what the team does.