Guardians catchers have 1 hit in the month of May, as Mike Zunino turns ice cold

Light the beacons. It has finally happened. Late Wednesday night, in front of thousands of witnesses, a Guardians catcher registered a hit.

Finding some more offensive production from the catcher position was one of the top to-do items for the Guardians front office this winter. Progress had been made — and then it was stopped cold.

From 2020-22, Guardians catchers ranked last in the majors in wRC+ (which measures overall offensive value compared to league average), and it wasn't close. Cleveland's 51 combined wRC+ among all its catchers, which means they were 49 percent below league average offensively, was the only one below 65.

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An important factor in all of this is that the Guardians have put more value and stock into their catchers' defensive abilities. Over the same time period, Cleveland catchers ranked sixth with 17 defensive runs saved, and Austin Hedges and others held extra value for their ability to guide the pitching staff.

But while Guardians catchers been among the league's best defensively, they haven't exactly helped the offense.

That in part led to the signing of Mike Zunino to a one-year deal in free agency. Zunino was coming off season-ending surgery in 2022, but he also has a 30-homer season under his belt in the majors while also being valued for his work behind the plate.

Guardians catcher Mike Zunino hitless in May with 21 strikeouts

He had strong start to the season, hitting .241 with an .837 OPS through the end of April, including two home runs, seven doubles, six RBIs and 11 walks. And then his bat melted.

Since the beginning of May, Zunino is 0-for-27 with 21 strikeouts. It's the worst offensive stretch of his career.

"Yeah, I mean, he's having a tough time, and we know … when things are going bad, it kind of gets exacerbated," Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters in Chicago Tuesday night. "He hit a ball the other day in Cleveland, right on the nose to kind of right-center, [but] the wind was blowing in, didn't get rewarded for it. Sometimes you need that."

Cam Gallagher hasn't fared much better, going 0-for-15 with three strikeouts and zero walks.

The Guardians entered Wednesday's game at the White Sox without a hit from their catchers in the month of May. The calendar is closer to June 1 than it is to May 1. The night didn't start any better, either. Zunino went 0-for-2, registering his 20th and 21st strikeouts of the month.

And then it happened. In the seventh inning, David Fry entered as a pinch hitter in place of Zunino, effectively making him the active catcher. Against Mike Clevinger, Fry hit a single to left field. And for the first time in the month of May, a Guardians catcher put a ball into play without having to make the quick turn back to the dugout.

Bo Naylor in line to be Guardians' long-term answer at catcher

Baseball is a cyclical game, and the Guardians know Zunino should round into form eventually. Perhaps either way, though, the longterm answer for the Guardians catchers' woes at the plate could be getting closer to making an impact at the major league level.

That would be Bo Naylor, Josh's younger brother, who made a brief cameo in the majors last season just before the playoffs. He was then added to the playoff roster, as he offered an entirely different skillset than that of Hedges or Luke Maile.

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Last year, Naylor had a rare 20-homer, 20-steals season in the minors. He's played well in Triple-A in 2023, hitting .263 with a .930 OPS with Columbus, although there are some downsides that might have given the Guardians a bit of pause to call him up just yet. In 38 games, he's struck out 39 times. He's also had trouble throwing out runners, though pitchers could be the culprit in many of those cases.

Whenever he does return to Cleveland, Naylor figures to play at least a semi-regular role. He also stands the best chance of adding a significant offensive punch from the catcher position with a long-term view in mind.

And should Zunino again find his stride with Naylor also on the roster? The Guardians would find themselves in a whole new world of having catchers be offensive weapons at the bottom of the order.

Either way, it's safe to say better times are ahead at the plate for that group once the calendar reaches June.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians catchers have 1 hit in the month of May 2023