Guardians notes: First baseman Kyle Manzardo making strides defensively

CLEVELAND — The Guardians have the same guy fielding ground balls and taking throws from infielders on the right side of the diamond. He's just a different first baseman. Kyle Manzardo, who at times last year didn't look fit to do anything other than serve as the designated hitter, has more than held his own in the field to start the season. It's been a welcome sight for manager Stephen Vogt, who may have had something to do with the turnaround. "I called him in the winter, challenged him, said, 'If we're going to be the team we were going to be, you're going to play first base a lot,'" Vogt said. "And he was excited. He worked extremely hard in the winter, worked extremely hard all spring. He's continuing to work hard. He's just trusting himself and he's done a really nice job over there at first." Due in large part to defensive limitations, Manzardo played first in only 56 of his 142 games last year, committing four errors. This season, 14 of his 20 starts have come at the position and he is error-free. The Guardians need Manzardo to continue his upward trajectory defensively, but at the plate is where he makes his money. After a slow start, he's picked up the pace offensively, entering Wednesday afternoon batting .324 since April 8. Roke and roll Brayan Rocchio entered Wednesday on a career-high eight-game hitting streak, batting .481 (13-for-27) with two doubles, two home runs, nine RBIs and a 1.295 OPS over the span. His team-leading 14 RBIs were the most in the majors from the ninth spot in the order. Clearly Rocchio is feeling pretty good at the plate, right? "I never feel comfortable," he said. "As a baseball player, you never feel comfortable with your play because this sport can humble (you). Some days you can be in the high level and some days you can be in the low level. So I gotta be simple and play the right way." "Brayan's done a tremendous job at shortstop offensively and defensively," team president Chris Antonetti said. "I think we're continuing to see his continued maturation and growth as a hitter, as a defender and as a complete player. If you look at the way he's controlling the strike zone, his swing decisions, there are some really encouraging signs there." Leave it alone Antonetti doesn't foresee any tweaking to the ABS system in the near future. "I think that specific question was actually asked of the commissioner and he answered it and said, 'I think that we're better off having it continue to be black and white because the technology exists that we can be that precise. And, if we can be that precise, we should call it that way,'" Antonetti said. "I think what gets lost a little bit is those balls that nick the strike zone. Those were pitches that weren't being called strikes last year or two years ago or three years ago. "So where it's probably changed the most is that the corners of the strike zone, those are the pitches that maybe in the past weren't getting called, but now are getting called strikes. But in terms of north, south, east and west, that's been pretty consistent so far, at least in the data that we have." El Cabro Starting pitcher Joey Cantillo says has to pinch himself when he sees seven-time All Star Jose Ramirez take the field for his team. "He's one of the best players in the world and I think getting to watch him play every day is something that I don't think any of us take for granted," Cantillo said. "And I think it's really cool. It's cool to see some of these balls that he's hitting hard fall for hits and go over the fence." Ramirez has come a long way from the 20-year-old kid who made his major league debut, Sept. 1, 2013. Antonetti remembers the day fondly. "I've joked about this in the past, that first game when he came in, I think it was (Detroit's) Joaquin Benoit that was the pitcher and (Ramirez is) kind of over there and running around," Antonetti said. "I think he took his first lead, he was like 30 feet off the base or that's what it seemed. And Tito (Francona) joked after the game that Hosey thinks he's invisible out there. He might still think he's invisible, but it's obviously served him well. "Hosey's story, I know we've covered it a lot, but he's gone on to exceed any expectations that anyone could have reasonably had for him outside of himself. Hosey's always believed in his ability to be one of the best players in the game and he's demonstrated that each step of the way." Sweet music Fans have reworked the lyrics from Chase DeLauter's walk-up song, John Denver's "Take Me Home, Country Roads." Instead of singing, "West Virginia, mountain mama," they are singing, "Chase DeLauter, hit a homer." "I'm not going to say I can ignore it. I definitely hear it, but I think it's great," he said. "I mean, I would love for that to be a thing for a long time." Next up The Guardians are off Thursday before beginning a three-game series in Toronto on Friday night at 7:07. RHP Gavin Williams (3-1, 2.12 ERA) opens the set for Cleveland, while Cantillo (1-0, 3.20) goes Saturday (3:07 p.m.). RHP Slade Cecconi starts for the Guardians in the series finale Sunday (1:37 p.m.). Roundin' third Ramirez is the first Cleveland player since Braggo Roth (1918) to record 11 extra-base hits and 11 stolen bases in the first 25 games of a season. The Guardians' .273 batting average in the sixth inning or later ranked second in the American League behind Toronto (.288) through Tuesday. DeLauter joined Carlos Santana (2010) as the only players in team history to have 15 or more RBIs and 12 or more walks in their first 22 career games. Contact Chris Assenheimer at (440) 329-7136 or cassenheimer@chroniclet.com.