I am doing a series where I offer up three fantasy baseball questions for every MLB team. I look at under-the-radar stats, playing time projections, projected roles, and off-season news to try and highlight the issues facing you in your 2025 fantasy baseball drafts. We’ll do this thing in divisional order, and this time around I’ll consider three questions for the 2025 Cleveland Guardians.
3 Fantasy Baseball Questions for the 2025 Cleveland Guardians
Can Kyle Manzardo Win the Rookie of the Year?
The good news, is that the Guardians are going to give Kyle Manzardo every chance to be successful. He’s slated to bat third for Cleveland this season and there’s little competition from a DH perspective. To take things a step further, Carlos Santana and his one-year contract also aren’t going to stand in the way of Manzardo if he’s producing.
Starting with the bad, our concern is whether or not Manzardo becomes a platoon option. Last year, Manzardo only had 20 plate appearances against southpaws and hit .211 with no home runs and three RBI. That’s been an issue to this point in his career. Between that and Manzardo’s health issues in 2023, he’s looking to regain some of his luster.
When Manzardo was on the field in 2023 though, he was successful to a point. He did hit just .236, but Manzardo had 17 home runs and 55 RBI in 97 games. Last year, it was a bumpy ride at the big league level as he hit .234 in 156 plate appearances with just five home runs and 15 RBI. That’s quite different than his 20 home runs in 83 Triple-A games last year while driving in 49 runs.
Manzardo has shown the ability to make strong contact with the ball. He doesn’t have an overabundance of strikeouts and a double-digit walk rate also helps. There’s a chance for Manzardo to make a real impact this year.
Will Emmanuel Clase Remain Elite?
It was a rough postseason for Emmanuel Clase. His struggles were a far cry from the success of his last three years, but it was just a small stretch. The body of work says that we should continue to trust Clase as one of the best closers in baseball. We are also conditioned not to overreact to small sample sizes. But based on the cost of closers and the investment required, we need to be sure. And we also can’t overstate how volatile the position can be.
In the past four years, Clase has appeared in between 71 and 77 regular season games. At some point, that has to catch up with a pitcher, right? For as elite as Clase is, the last two years have been rough from a strikeout perspective. After previously striking out more than a batter inning, he’s decreased to 7.93 and 7.99, respectively, in the last two years.
Not to state the obvious, but there’s also no place to go but down from Clase’s 0.61 ERA last year. It came with a 2.47 xERA, and even that is pretty elite when it comes with 40-plus saves.
There’s been a lot of stress on Clase’s arm over the past few seasons, and at some point he has to slow down, right?
Can Gavin Williams Move to the Top of the Rotation?
In each of the last two seasons, Gavin Williams had made just 16 starts. Between his 3.29 ERA in 2023 and his minor league success, the right-hander has generated a fair amount of optimism. Unfortunately, his health didn’t do him any favors last year, but Williams appears to be fully healthy heading into 2025.
Williams has put up prolific strikeout numbers throughout his career, and even at less than full strength last year, he still struck out more than a batter per inning. Walks are going to be a concern for Williams, 3.79 per nine innings last year, but he’s also shown the ability to pitch out of trouble.
At first glance, Williams’ 4.86 ERA isn’t optimistic, but his 3.67 FIP paints a better picture. Williams has the potential to take the next step toward the top of Cleveland’s rotation, but he does need to stay healthy.
For more of the great fantasy baseball rankings and analysis you’ve come to expect from FantraxHQ, check out our full 2025 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit! We’re here for you all the way up until Opening Day and then on into your championship run.
