Chase DeLauter is giving the Cleveland Guardians exactly what they’ve needed lately: loud contact and a real jolt of power.
The rookie has been on a tear again, with three home runs in the Guardians’ last six games. That’s a familiar kind of burst for DeLauter, who made an immediate splash at the end of March by launching four homers in his first three regular-season games as a big leaguer. A few days after that, he added another blast in the Cleveland home opener to help extend the lead.
Power has always been part of DeLauter’s offensive profile, but he hasn’t exactly carried the label of a pure power hitter. After that April 3 homer, he went a month before leaving the yard again on May 3.
Now he’s in the middle of another stretch where the ball is jumping off his bat. Asked Friday whether he felt like he was getting back into one of those power grooves, DeLauter kept it light: “I don’t know. I don’t want to jinx it.”
He was more direct when talking about his approach at the plate.
“I mean, I'm just trying to hit the ball hard.”
Then he explained how his thinking has shifted after that early homer binge.
I think having a couple early ones [home runs] like that at the start of the year kind of got me thinking, see how many I can kind of get rolling, and that wasn't really a recipe for success. So I think now it's just hit the ball hard, man, and whenever it leaves with that, I can't control it. So wherever it goes, it goes.”
The results have backed up that simpler mindset. DeLauter’s season average exit velocity sits at 90.8 mph, with a hard-hit rate of 44 percent. Since the start of July, though, those numbers have jumped to an average exit velocity of 98.7 mph, a hard-hit rate of 58.8 percent, and a max exit velocity of 110.4 mph.
That surge is even more notable considering DeLauter is only a few weeks removed from returning from the injured list after a fractured rib. An injury like that could easily sap a hitter’s swing speed, especially given where it happened.
Instead, the Guardians’ rookie has looked unaffected - and in some ways even better. His power numbers since coming back have actually outpaced what he was doing before the injury.
If this keeps up after the All-Star break, Cleveland will keep getting the kind of pop that can change a game in a hurry.
In Other News...
Guardians Just Made The Outfield Pick Fans Have Been Waiting For
The Guardians spent the opening rounds of the MLB Draft reinforcing the mound, taking pitchers Liam Peterson and Logan Schmidt before turning their attention to the outfield with Houston's Tre Broussard in the third round. Cleveland made one selection in each of the first four rounds, and Broussard stands out as the kind of player this organization has increasingly valued: a polished college bat with speed, contact skills and room to grow into a useful big-league piece.
Broussard brings a track record of getting on base and putting pressure on defenses, including a strong stolen-base success rate over two seasons at Houston. The Guardians still have to get all of their picks signed, but Broussard is the one who naturally invites the long view, especially for a club that is always thinking about how it will keep the outfield pipeline moving in the years ahead. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Are Headed For A Roster Squeeze Nobody Can Ignore
The Guardians are staring at a roster puzzle that is becoming harder to ignore as Ramrez and Martnez move toward returning from the injured list. Cleveland has leaned on its depth in the outfield, but the calendar is tightening and the club is going to have to make room somewhere, with the current mix of young players and prospects all trying to stay in the conversation.
Arias has given himself a real opening with a much better stretch at the plate, which matters because this is no longer just about filling innings or covering for injuries. If he can keep that momentum going, he has the first chance to claim a spot, but the Guardians also have other names waiting in the wings, including ngel Genao and Ralphy Velzquez, which keeps this from being a one-move problem. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians Pitching Depth Just Took Another Hit Fans Feared
Khal Stephens rise through the Guardians system had been one of the quieter pitching storylines to follow, especially for a club that has made a habit of finding arms and turning them into something useful. Now the young right-hander is facing a much longer road after a right ulnar collateral ligament repair, a setback that will keep him sidelined for a significant stretch and remove another option from a staff that already had little margin for error.
For Cleveland, the timing only adds to the pressure. Recent trades have already thinned the organizations pitching stock, and the loss of Stephen leaves even less room for a normal wave of injuries or short-term absences to be absorbed cleanly. If the Guardians need help in a hurry, they may have to lean on internal depth such as Logan Allen, Austin Peterson or Yorman Gmez, which is exactly the kind of contingency plan teams prefer to avoid this early in the season. [Read more 🡒]