Three Positives From the Week of August 2nd

As I watch the Guardians slide down the W-L column, my drive to write these gets smaller. However, these are the times when focusing on the positives is most important! So somehow, some way, I’ve dug up three positive moments from the week that was.

Called up to make his Major League debut on August 5th, Angel Genao has already been making a huge impact at the plate – literally and figuratively. In just five games, he is hitting .368/.429/.526 with a home run and a walk. This includes his very first game in which he became the first player in franchise history with four hits in his debut. While the rest of the team hasn’t quite been there to pick him up, he hasn’t let that get to him and is continuing to produce every time he steps up to the plate. Yes, it’s only been five games, but it’s clear that the kid has talent and has worked hard to get to Cleveland. He could be a key contributor in getting this team to the postseason.

When last week’s positives came out, I wrote about the team’s acquisition of Craig Yoho and Blake Perkins. Little did I know, that was not the only big move the Guardians would make prior to Monday’s trade deadline. After the Yoho/Perkins trade, the Guardians received outfielder Jo Adell from the Los Angeles Angels for catching prospect Jacob Cozart. Think they’d be done after that? You’d be wrong. They then traded Juan Brito and Alejandro Rivera to the Cincinnati Reds for Nathaniel Lowe. To round out the day, the team said goodbye to Will Dion, Josh Hartle, Nick Mitchell, and Kendeglys Virguez to make room for pitcher Foster Griffin from the Washington Nationals (imagine the shock that came with the “Griffin to Cleveland” notification). While we have yet to see many positive effects from these trades, it’s still very exciting to have some new faces on the team without having to give many up.

In just his second season (first full season) Parker Messick has been lights out. A 2.72 ERA across 23 starts has been exactly what this team has needed in Tanner Bibee’s up-and-down season. He has struck out 136 hitters across 136.2 innings and has gone six or more innings nine times this season. With a bullpen as rocky as the 2026 Guardians’, this is a much-needed statistic. Here’s hoping he can continue to go late into games as the season progresses, especially if he is needed in a playoff situation.