• Tyler Freeman, Guardians CF

Freeman has become a regular highlight reel for the Guardians. Even in the past two weeks, you can find highlights titled "Tyler Freeman's Amazing Slide Catch," "Tyler Freeman's Diving Catch," "Tyler Freeman's Another Diving Catch," and "Tyler Freeman's Amazing Diving Catch." Are we really good at coming up with titles that inspire people to watch cool baseball games? Maybe, but it also points to what Freeman does in center field: never boring.

Because of that—and his likely zero turnovers—Freeman seems to have solidified his place among Guardians fans. However, he's -2 in Outs Above Average. What's going on?

That's exactly what you'd expect from an inexperienced outfielder who appears to be a terrific athlete. He has above-average sprint speed (77th percentile), but his anticipation of the ball is among the weakest in the league. His slow reaction to the ball and his desperate attempt to make up for his mistake afterwards meant that a seemingly incredible catch. It didn’t look that impressive statistically because he was four feet slower than his average jump. With an average jump, the catch might have been a good running catch. With an above-average jump, he might have caught it without even running.

But it’s important to remember that Freeman had played just one career outfield game before this year, and that came in the ninth inning of a 10-0 win last summer. He moved to the outfield this winter because the Guardians had too many shortstops and they lacked confidence in incumbent center fielder Myles Straw. If the takeaway here is “who’s surprised that an inexperienced outfielder hasn’t responded at an elite level yet,” well, that’s what you’re thinking, right?

If Freeman can maintain average to slightly below average performance in his first year on turf, that will be an accomplishment in itself, especially if experience leads to greater improvement. The Guardians tried to turn Amed Rosario into an outfielder a few years ago, but that experiment ended quickly. This time around feels more opportunistic.

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• Christopher Morel, Cubs 3B

Is it still a "new position" when you've played more than any other position in the minor leagues? Probably not, but it's still a new situation for Morrell. In his first two seasons with the Cubs, he played six positions, and actually started more games at designated hitter than any other position. In 2023, he started just four games at the hot corner (i.e. third base), and even this winter, he was still considered a multi-position player, the best way to bring his dynamic hitting ability into the lineup.

However, once spring training began, it became clear that Morrell would be the team's regular third baseman, and that has been the case, with every inning he has played this year at third base. While everyone is aware that this transition is a work in progress, it has not been very effective so far, as Morrell's minus-10 outs above average (OAA) makes him the weakest defensive third baseman on the field. Unlike Betts, Morrell's performance in this stat is balanced, with "catching" and "completion" accounting for -5 each.

Further experience could lead to improvement. However, it's also possible that with options in Nick Madrigal and Patrick Wisdom in the lineup at third base, Morel's playing time could change.

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