An Encouraging Sign For Guardians' Andres Gimenez

Originally posted on FanNation Cleveland Baseball Insider
By Tommy Wild | Last updated 10/9/23

A lot has already been said about the Cleveland Guardians and their lackluster offense during the 2023 season.

Andres Gimenez probably had the roughest season when looking at everyone on the roster. He signed a seven-year, $106 million extension before the season but regressed on at the plate for the majority of the year.

He had a slash line of .234/.303/.380 from the end of March through the end of August. The most concerning stat to see was his BABIP went from a .353 in 2022 to a .270 through this stretch in 2023.

Gimenez's main issue in 2023 was against offspeed pitches. He had a WOBA of .167 against them compared to 2022 when that same stat sat at .468 (per Baseball Savant).

There clearly still needs a lot of work to be done before we can consider Gimenez one of the best hitters on the team, but there are some encouraging signs for the still-young middle infielder. Even though Gimenez had a largely underwhelming season, he did finish off 2023 with plenty of momentum for next year.

Gimenez's .333 batting average was top-10 in MLB in the month of September and he also had slugged .490 with a .859 OPS to wrap up the year. This bumped his season batting average up to .250 and his OPS to .712.

Those numbers aren't nearly where they were at the end of 2022, but still a respectable season. The way he finished out the year strong is definitely something Gimenez can build upon and get excited about for 2024.

This article first appeared on FanNation Cleveland Baseball Insider and was syndicated with permission.

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