Guardians’ Angel Genao Making the Most of MLB Opportunity

It's not uncommon for a young player to be promoted, make their debut, get a taste of what playing Major League Baseball is like, and head back to the minors 

Nothing was guaranteed for Angel Genao when the Cleveland Guardians promoted him last week, especially without a clear-cut everyday role in a crowded infield.

However, the organization's No. 2 overall prospect is making the most of his first MLB opportunity, both at the plate and in the field, and continues to earn himself more playing time.

Genao's bat always had the potential to play at the big-league level, but he's exceeding expectations. 

Through the switch-hitter's first 31 at-bats, he has a .834 OPS, and his 10 hits over that stretch are the fourth-most on the Guardians. 

The underlying metrics also favor Genao. His .335 xwOBA is above league average, and Genao continues to hit the ball hard with an average exit velocity of 92.5 mph and a hard-hit rate of 51.7 percent.

It's a very, very, very small sample size. However, if Genao keeps swinging the bat like this, especially with Cleveland's offensive woes as a team, the Guardians will be forced to make some tough lineup decisions to make sure he's playing just about every day.

Travis Bazzana is going through a bit of a rookie rut, Brayan Rocchio has come back down to earth after a stellar first half of the season, and even Jose Ramirez hasn't looked the same since returning from injury.

Cleveland needs to be riding the hot hand, and clearly Genao has it right now.

Manager Stephen Vogt even noted how he's been impressed with the way the 22-year-old has carried himself since the promotion.

"I've been really impressed with Angel since he's been here. His presence, it feels like he's not big-eyed," Cleveland's skipper said. 

At the end of the day, it's important to remember that Genao isn't a finished product. There are certainly some areas where the rookie still needs to improve.

For example, Genao's ground-ball rate at the Minor League level was always a concern, and that continued through his first big-league stint with a ground-ball rate of 58.6 percent. His chase rate of 33.3 percent also needs to come down to sustain this early success.

With all that in mind, Genao has proved over the last week that he has what it takes to hit big-league pitching, is making an immediate impact, and is showing Cleveland that the organization needs him in its long-term plans.