Martínez proving himself in unexpected midseason position battle

CLEVELAND --We’re so used to position battles taking place solely in Spring Training, but the Guardians may have one brewing in the middle of the season.

The longer Angel Martínez is in the big leagues, the more he’s proving that he’s earned a chance to prove that he can stay. And given his defensive versatility, he’s someone who could fill a utility role -- a position that’s currently filled by Gabriel Arias.

Maybe this type of decision was already being considered. But given the performance by each of them in the Guardians’ 4-2 loss to the Giants at Progressive Field on Friday night, an even brighter light shined on Martínez.

Let’s first explain the situation.

With outfielder Will Brennan on the injured list, the Guardians have carried an extra position player on the roster over the last week. At first, it was José Tena who got the call, but once center fielder Tyler Freeman started dealing with a sore right wrist and the team knew he’d need a couple days off, Cleveland turned to Martínez, who has some experience in the outfield, unlike Tena.

Martínez had just made his debut the week before. After going 0-for-3 in his first game, he settled right in the next day, going 2-for-4. As soon as he got the call to come back up, he picked up where he left off, going 2-for-4 with a walk against the White Sox on Thursday. Then, on Friday, he went 1-for-2 with a double and three walks against the Giants. And in both of these last two games, he was slotted in the two-spot behind Steven Kwan and ahead of sluggers José Ramírez and Josh Naylor.

“Just the quality of at-bats,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said when asked of what he’s learned of Martínez in this short time. “He doesn't seem rattled, he doesn't seem scared. He's up there, has a plan, sticks to his plan. I think that's really what's impressed me is somebody who's first stint in the big leagues, a younger player, sticks to his plan really, really well and he had, in my eyes, five quality [plate appearances] tonight. So really, really good.”

Brennan is expected to return to the Guardians before the All-Star break. Maybe the easiest assumption at first was that Martínez would go back down to Triple-A Columbus to clear space for Brennan on the active roster. But with Martínez’s professionalism in this short sample size, the Guardians will have to think twice before making that decision.

At the same time, Arias hasn’t been able to gain momentum offensively as much as we would like. His bat became a big talking point last year when he went 9-for-108 (.083) against left-handed pitching. He was determined to go into the offseason and fix this issue that had never been present throughout his Minor League career. Although his splits aren’t as drastic this year (in fact, he’s hit lefties better than righties), overall, his production hasn’t been up to par.

Arias ran into more success in June than he had leading up to it, but it still wasn’t enough to offset what is now a .222 average and a .608 OPS. Entering the night, he owned a .136 average and .497 OPS when batting with two outs and runners in scoring position. In late and close plate appearances, he owned a .046 average and .171 OPS in 22 at-bats.

The fans voiced their collective frustration by letting out a roaring “boo” when Arias grounded into an inning-ending double play after a stagnant offense had shown signs of life with a Josh Naylor homer and back-to-back singles to start the fourth inning.

But this loss was more than an 0-for-2 night from Arias, who was pinch-hit for in the sixth. The Guardians' entire lineup went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

The last week has been uncharacteristically unsteady for this offense. The Guardians have dropped six of their last nine contests, averaging just under four runs per game in that span. So, if Martínez can help bring a spark, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cleveland gives him more of an opportunity to do so.

“I think seeing [the young players] so excited about every moment, it kind of reminds us how special it is to be here,” Kwan said. “When they get going and they get their extra-base hits and they’re fired up, we can’t help but to get fired up, too.”