Welcome back to the Guardians Beat newsletter. My name is Tim Stebbins, and this is my first season covering Cleveland for MLB.com. |
CLEVELAND -- C.J. Kayfus had a meeting with Triple-A Columbus manager Andy Tracy on Thursday, so he was a bit confused when Tracy called him back in for another meeting on Friday. Tracy asked Kayfus (the Guardians' No. 4 prospect, No. 66 overall, according to MLB Pipeline) about his offensive approach, and then dropped some news that Kayfus had been dreaming of his entire life: The 23-year-old was headed to The Show. “He hit me with, ‘Do you think [your approach will] still work in the big leagues?’” Kayfus said. “It didn't take me too long to think about it. I was like, ‘Of course.’ When it really sunk in was when he said, ‘You think it'll work tomorrow, when you're in the lineup and playing in Cleveland?’”
The Guardians hope Kayfus’ approach will play in the Majors. They promoted him from Columbus on Saturday, after he recorded a .929 OPS over 86 games with Double-A Akron and the Clippers this season. The work and development Kayfus has enjoyed defensively this season also figures to be key. Kayfus is a first baseman by trade who progressively saw more time in the outfield in advance of his big league callup. Last season, he played 170 1/3 innings over 22 games on the grass, compared to 719 2/3 innings over 83 appearances at first. This season, Kayfus played 387 2/3 innings over 47 appearances at first, and 299 1/3 innings over 37 appearances between left and right. “Last year, I was playing once or twice a week out in the outfield,” Kayfus said. “Getting into this year, it jumped up to three to four [games]. There was a week where I played every game out in the outfield. I think that's where it really got comfortable for me, just the consistency of playing.” |
Kayfus acknowledged there could be a learning curve to playing outfield in the Majors. He’ll have to track the ball through an extra deck of seats. Beyond that, he has learned from experience that the different dimensions of each ballpark present a unique challenge. Overall, he and the Guardians are confident in his ability to handle himself out there. “He's holding his own. He's doing a good job out there,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “I think for C.J., getting him here and seeing that third deck and getting used to that, it can be daunting. It can be a little bit different.
“But [outfield and baserunning coach] JT Maguire is the best outfield coach in baseball, and if there's anybody that can help him, [it’s him].”
Kayfus hit eighth and started in right field on Saturday in his MLB debut. He snared a Matt Wallner lineout in the fifth inning, after he initially took a step forward. He retreated and had plenty of time to catch the 106.6 mph liner.
|
The Guardians philosophically lean on their entire roster; they have used 100 lineup combinations over their first 110 games this season. As Vogt noted, their lineups don’t boil down to how a guy plays one day dictating the next. Granted, there are times when it’s worth riding a hot hand, but Cleveland factors in matchups, splits, whether a guy needs rest and more. It will be up to Vogt to piece together the puzzle each day with Kayfus joining the fold. “It's going to be a timeshare with everybody,” Vogt said. “No one's going to play every day. We've got two guys that play every day [Steven Kwan and José Ramírez], and everybody else is going to share time. “It's going to be complicated, and there's going to be some times where guys are sitting after they get three hits, but that's because we play everybody. … I’m just really excited. I feel like this group of 13 is really, really talented and a good mix.” |
MLB MORNING LINEUP PODCAST |
|
|
Twins starter Joe Ryan lost track of Ramírez in the first inning on Friday, when Ramírez got a running start to second base and stole it without a throw. It marked yet another historic achievement for Ramírez; that was his 275th career stolen base.
Ramírez is only the 17th player in MLB history with at least 275 career homers and at least 275 stolen bases, and he became the first primary third baseman to pull off the feat (minimum of 50 percent of games played at the position).
Ramírez is only the second switch-hitter with 275 homers and 275 steals, along with Carlos Beltrán -- who hit 435 homers and swiped 312 bags. Before long, Ramírez will be in even more exclusive company. Only eight players have hit 300 homers and stolen 300 bases: Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders, Steve Finley and Beltrán. |
|
|
• Kayfus didn’t get to Cleveland until 3 a.m. on Saturday, but he made an instant impact in his MLB debut. Read more >>
• MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis has more on what you can expect from Kayfus in the Majors. Read more >>
• Kwan found respite from rumors ahead of the Trade Deadline on Thursday while hosting a youth baseball camp, and he discussed what his day was like amid the uncertainty. Read more >> • MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson detailed Shane Bieber’s arrival in Toronto this weekend following the right-hander’s trade from Cleveland. Read more >> |
“When you’re the home team in extra innings, it's about punchouts. You need punchouts. Cade having the efficient ninth, I asked him ‘How do you feel? You're good to go back out?’ And it was a quick ‘yes.’ Cade is quick to the plate and strikes people out. That's what you need in extra innings: [being] quick to the plate and strikeouts. He's built for extra innings.” -- Vogt on Cade Smith, who threw 23 pitches (15 strikes) and struck out three over scoreless ninth and 10th innings in Friday’s 3-2 win over the Twins |
FORWARDED FROM A FRIEND? SUBSCRIBE NOW |
To subscribe to Guardians Beat, visit this page and mark "Guardians Beat" from our newsletter list. Make sure you're following the Guardians or that they're checked as your favorite team. |
|
|
|
