What's the Guardians' Plan for Angel Martinez This Spring?

Angel Martinez is one of the more interesting players on the Cleveland Guardians' spring training roster. 

The team had already gotten a pretty good look at him at the big league, and yes, he’s shown flashes of potential during his first two seasons, but there are also clear areas that still need development.

Still, there could be a path for him on the Opening Day roster.

Something that Martinez has going for him is that he’s one of Cleveland’s most versatile players, not just in the field, but in the batter’s box as well. Martinez has the ability to play the infield and outfield, as his switch-hitting is something the Guardinas' heavy left-handed hitting roster will covet.

Stephen Vogt recently discussed the plan for Martinez this spring, given how much he can do for the Guardians.

“I think Angel’s versatility, obviously, is what allowed him to play a lot,” Vogt said.

“We've really seen him grow in the outfield, and the ability to come on to the dirt and play infield is still a skill we want him to keep. But we wanted to put the majority of his focus into his outfield play.”

Even though Martinez has spent the majority of the time in center field, the Guardians also want to get him reps in both the corner outfield spots, too. Even though Martinez has played a lot of outfield, there are still some areas he needs to work on, such as his jumps. 

This versatility that Martinez has still makes him a candidate to break camp on Cleveland’s Opening Day roster. The ability to move all around the diamond is something Vogt covets as a manager, and it could also help get other players opportunities and make in-game substitutions easier, too.

In terms of the offense, Martinez could really help the Guardians as switch hitter. He logged an OPS of .791 against left-handed pitching a year ago, and that’s an area where Cleveland is severely lacking.

Vogt also noted that Martinez has come into camp after putting on some muscle, too, which could open up the chance he could add some pop to the Guardians’ lineup.

The plan this spring is clearly to have Martinez stay in the super utility role, with a focus on the outfield. will likely find playing time this spring and into the regular season thanks to his versatility, but with all of the players Cleveland wants to get looks at this season, it’ll be up to the 24-year-old to keep his job on the team. 

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