The Cleveland Guardians need to determine who will be their two-hole hitter for the 2026 season.
The Cleveland Guardians weren’t an offensive juggernaut last season, and that’s no secret. However, some spots in the lineup struggled more than others.
Even though the Guardians had two All-Star caliber hitters hitting in two of the top three spots in the lineup, that being Steven Kwan and Jose Ramirez, the position right in between them left a lot to be desired.
The Guardians had 12 different players hit second for them a year ago, and as a team, logged a slash line of .197/.260/.334, which comes out to an OPS of .594. Of that group of players, Angel Martienz (47 games) and Daniel Schneemann (39 games) saw the most time hitting second.
This issue is something Stephen Vogt is well aware of, and something he’ll keep an eye on during spring training in order to find a solution to it.
“The two-hole was an issue for us last year. We were well aware of that,” admitted Cleveland's skipper.
That said, Vogt believes the team does have several contenders who could help provide some protection for Kwan and Ramirez in the lineup.
“We feel like we have a number of candidates. George [Valera] really did a nice job in the two-hole for us last year. There are a number of people we're going to try,” continued Vogt.
Sep 28, 2025; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) and center fielder Angel Martinez (1) celebrates after scoring against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesValera is an intriguing prospect to have hitting second, between Kwan and Ramirez. He has enough power to scare away pitchers from giving him too many pitches in the zone, and could really jump-start the top of the order.
The Guardians see that potential, too. That’s why Valera was hitting second for the Guardians in the postseason, and even hit an early home run in Game 2 of the ALWS.
However, there are still some concerns with Valera’s swing-and-miss and chase rate that Cleveland must be mindful of.
Vogt warned not to read too much into the spring training lineups and who was hitting second in Cactus League action.
“Spring training is tough, too, because they're getting two, two at-bats and getting them out [of the game], and a lot of times we try to get the guys who need to get off their feet quicker up in the order,” continued Vogt. “Spring Training batting orders are not indicative of what it could look like in the regular season.”
Even though Cleveland’s skipper says not to look too much into the team’s spring training lineups, he’s clearly thinking about who could be the answer there once the season starts.
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