Has Junior Betances’ arrival sparked the Guardians’ young lineup?

CLEVELAND, Ohio —

In baseball, where patience is both virtue and necessity, few stories demonstrate the power of persistence quite like Junior Betances’. After 27 years working in the Cleveland organization’s minor league system, Betances finally got the call every baseball lifer dreams of — a promotion to the big leagues as the Guardians’ new assistant hitting coach.

His arrival, following Jason Esposito’s departure to Vanderbilt, coincides with an offensive awakening for a Cleveland team that has historically struggled to produce runs. The timing might not be coincidental.

“Junior Batances was the hitting coach down in AAA in Columbus or part of the hitting coach staff down there in Columbus,” Joe Noga noted on the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast.

What makes Betances uniquely valuable isn’t just his technical knowledge — it’s the deep relationships he’s cultivated with many current Guardians players throughout their development.

“This is a guy who is very comfortable with a lot of the guys on this roster right now,” Noga explained. “Brayan Rocchio, we asked him about having Junior Batances up and, and Rocchio just smiled, shook his head and he said, ‘That’s my guy.’ You could tell that there’s a really good comfort level there and even with veterans like José Ramírez. Junior Betances was the guy who Ramírez chose to throw to him in the Home Run Derby the first time he participated in 2023.”

This level of trust and familiarity is particularly significant with Cleveland’s Latin players, a core component of the team’s success. Paul Hoynes highlighted Betances’ extensive work in this area: “Betances can relate to the Latin players. He ran the Dominican Academy for a few years. He was head of the Dominican operations down there.”

When Betances received the news of his promotion, his reaction spoke volumes about his dedication to the organization and his craft. Despite having just driven home to New Jersey for the All-Star break, he was ready to turn around immediately.

“When he got the call after getting home, like at 4 o’, clock, they said ‘We’re going to bring you up to the big leagues. We want you to be part of the coaching staff.’ But they told him to take the next three days off.

“Junior said, ‘Hey, if you need me, I’ve been waiting 27 years for this call. If you need me right now, I’m getting back in the car and driving right to Cleveland,’” Hoynes recounted.

That enthusiasm has seemingly transferred to the players. In the three games since Betances joined the coaching staff, the Guardians’ offense has shown notable improvement. Angel Martínez, in particular, has thrived, collecting six hits in 14 at-bats against Oakland, including three for extra bases.

For a team that has relied heavily on pitching and defense throughout the season, an offensive spark could be the missing ingredient in a potential playoff push. Betances’ connection with players like Rocchio and Ramírez might unlock another level of production from Cleveland’s lineup.

• BETTING: The total for Tuesday’s matchup between the Guardians and the Orioles is set at 8.5 on Caesars. Our complete list of the best Ohio sportsbook promos will help you find a sportsbook to use.

After nearly three decades of developing talent for the big-league club, Betances is finally getting his opportunity to impact the Guardians directly. If the early returns are any indication, his 27-year wait might prove well worth it for both him and the organization.

Note: Artificial intelligence was used to help generate this story from the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast by cleveland.com. Visitors to cleveland.com have asked for more text stories based on website podcast discussions.

Podcast transcript

Joe Noga: Foreign welcome back to the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast. I’m Joe Noga, joined by Paul Hoynes. Hoynsi. Good weekend for the Guardians as they get back to it after the All Star break. They take two out of three on this home stand from the the Athletics, the, the A’s came in and the Guardians. One on Friday, one on Sunday. I had a little stumble on Saturday, but really got good, solid starting pitching all three games if you think about it, particularly from Slade Saccony and Gavin Williams. Let’s, let’s talk about slate. Saccony first nearly throwing the first complete game of the season, the first nine inning complete game of the season for the Guardians on Friday. He went into the ninth at around 90 pitches. I just, you know, couldn’t successfully navigate that ninth.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, he was at 90 pitches going into the ninth. They had a comfortable lead and, you know, Vogt said to let him go. He thought, you know, that he was in command. But you know, that Oakland team, Joe, you know, you can say what you want about them, but they might not have a home, but they can hit. And with Brent Rooker and Nick, I mean those, those guys are dangerous. And even the catcher, langoliers is. He can put the bat on the ball. They can, they can put some runs up and that’s what they did in the ninth inning and really kind of, you know, ruined Saccony’s line. He ends up giving up six earned runs on eight hits and eight in the third innings. For eight innings he was dominant.

Joe Noga: Yeah, you kind of forget. And he was going out there and really having quick innings, really being efficient, which was, you know, what, what they’ve sort of been looking for from him so far this season and his last couple of starts, he’s really been giving them the ability to go deep into games. And you like seeing this out of your starters. Saccone, you know, pretty confident guy. And after the game, you know, he was, he was really pleased with, with his performance and, you know, you can’t blame him.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, when you said, you hit the nail on the head when you said efficiency, Joe, a lot of quick outs, a lot of ground ball outs. He didn’t have his first strikeout to the seventh inning. So that tells you what kind of early outs he was getting. Just, I mean, I don’t think we’ve seen the best of this guy, Joe. I think he’s just going to keep. He’s had 11 starts with Cleveland and it’s, he’s been progressively, you know, shown improvement in all signs. He Said, you know, he got to the previous start. He, he got through eight innings, you know, after, you know, kind of running into trouble in the eighth inning to, you know, his last time on, on, you know, Friday night, he gets to the ninth inning, had some problems, so we’ll have to see if he can correct that and, and get, you know, get a complete game. Because he said that’s been his goal, Joe. It just tells you how, how much the game has changed. He goes, this guy dreams of getting complete games. I mean, but Bob Feller, if he didn’t get a complete game, it was, it was a disappointment.

Joe Noga: Well, and, and really, if you looked at, if you looked at his line, if you looked at the, the number of pitches he had thrown per inning and just the way he was navigating the innings and not getting a strikeout, you know, two strikeouts, I think total for the, for the entire night. Yeah, it was, it was a throwback sort of feel to that outing. You know, pitch to contact, put the, let him put the ball in play. And, you know, you get as deep as you can in a game. I really did feel like a sort of a throwback outing. A force laid saccony on Friday night and, you know, Logan Allen wasn’ all that terrible in the loss on Saturday. He was again able to get into the sixth inning. The starting rotation really is doing the job that you want to see out of a starting rotation in terms of trying to preserve this bullpen a little bit.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, they’re doing a really good job, Joe. You know, it started, you know, on this right after the 10. Well, it’s been going on for about a month, month and a half. They’ve been getting solid starts and especially in this streak where they’ve won eight of their last 10. You know, Logan Allen did a nice job. He only gave up three runs and five and a third innings, eight hit one, one walk, four K’s. And like you said, it was the eighth time he’s gotten into the sixth inning, eighth consecutive start, he’s where he’s gotten into the eighth inning. So he’s doing his job. You know, he just got burned a little bit in that one inning. In the fourth where the A’s put together five, four or five straight hits and the first three were doubles, which, you know, led to a big inning and kind of put him on his heels a little bit.

Joe Noga: Yeah, the, the tough thing for Logan Allen is, you know, he’s got to be pitching with, in the back of his mind that when guys like Shane Bieber are ready to go and ready to come up. You know, his spot might be the one that’s, that’s sort of exposed on the, in the, in the rotation. Joey Cantillo’s throwing pretty well. He’s, he’s not giving them the, the length yet that they’re expecting, but he can get there. We’ve seen that out of him. So, you know, you never know who’s going to be the guy to go when Shane Bieber is ready to rejoin the rotation. We’ll talk about his situation here in a little bit. But that’s got to be weighing on Logan Allen at some point. Every time he goes out there, he’s got, he’s got to make an impression.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah. You know, I think it’s probably like Allen and Cantillo. They, you know, these guys aren’t silly, I mean, aren’t stupid. They know what’s coming. They know Bieber’s on his way. So, you know, and they’re pitching like a Joe. They’re pitching, you know, like they want to keep their jobs. And that’s what, that’s the way it’s supposed to work. That’s the way competition is supposed to work.

Joe Noga: So we get into Sunday and Gavin Williams says, well, slate’s Coney. You’re trying to go for, for a complete game here. Hold my, be going to go out there and basically just, you know, shove for seven innings of just really, really well pitched baseball using a complete five pitch mix, using, you know, two, three different kinds of fastballs. He’s, he’s getting quick outs, he’s getting efficient outs just like Saccony did. That was as good as we’ve seen Gavin Williams there on Sunday. Just the way he was able to, to keep things under complete control.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, just a great curveball, Joe. I thought really, really effective. And when he’s effective, you know, he, when he gets in trouble, to me, you know, it’s, it’s when he only has his fastball or you know, the, the cutter and the fastball and that’s all he’s throwing. But like you said, he had every pitch working yesterday and really, you know, really did a great job against a really difficult lineup to pitch to. I mean, you know, we saw what they did on Saturday night, the A’s and you know, they still, they still, you know, hits, you know, they still put up some extra base hits. But he, you know, he, he tamed, he tamed the A’s. He did a nice job against them.

Joe Noga: Any concern at all, Cade Smith did give up, you know, some contact there in his inning. Gave up a run and just, you know, came in in the eighth inning. What have we seen out of Cade Smith? Are we at all worried about him?

Paul Hoynes: You know, I think that that back is still lingering. You know, they can say what they want, you know, but, you know, the back spasms have to be a bit of a concern. You know, they shut him down for, you know, three or four days. He came back and he really, you know, he hasn’t been that dominant guy since. But, you know, they had a big lead yesterday, so you can, you know, you kind of, you know, move on and on. But we’ll have to, you know, keep a close eye on Cade, see how, you know, the next three or four outings go. The guy I’m concerned about, Joe, is Hunter Gattis. We haven’t seen him since the first game of that doubleheader just before the break in against the White Sox when he had the cramp in his hand. He hasn’t pitched since. So that’s. That’s a name we’ll have to check out. But they’ve been very, very coy about his condition.

Joe Noga: Yeah, and not exactly the. The same kind of dominant season that Hunter Gattis had last year, but again, the bar was set so high with so many of these, these relievers that you really didn’t expect him to come back and be as, as dominant as they was he was last year. Guardians won eight of their last 10 games. They’re still 11 games back in the division, four and a half games out of the third wild card spot, four teams ahead of them in the third wild card chase. So, you know, with. With the Orioles coming in starting tonight, this is another opportunity here. Four games against a team like the Orioles that’s been struggling all year, but again, another team that can put runs on the board. So you have to be very careful. You know, what’s the outlook for this series and where they are in terms of the standings.

Paul Hoynes: That’s really an important series. I think it’ go along, you know, it’s going to have something. Some influence on what the front office does. You know, we’re talking to Mike Chernoff to over the weekend. He says the next two weeks are critical as to whether the Guardians are going to be buyers or sellers or whether they’ll try to do a little of both. Big series against the. The Orioles. The Orioles are a little different team since the Guardians last played them in April. They fired the manager, you know, so. So we’ll see, you know, like you said, joe, that’s another good offensive team. So the Guardians are going to have to, you know, get good pitching and they’re going to have to score to keep pace with them. And you know, they’ve been doing a good job of that during this, you know, this 10 game stretch. They’ve scored I think four more runs in the nine of the last 10 games. So, you know, that’s a good sign.

Joe Noga: Yeah, it’s a good sign that the runs are coming across the plate. It’s a good sign that they’re having quality at bats. One of the reasons for that might be the presence of Junior Batances finally getting the call up to the big leagues after what, 27 years? In the 27 years, yeah, Junior Batance is the hitting coach down in AAA in Columbus or part of the hitting coach staff down there in Columbus. With the departure of Jason Esposito to Vanderbilt, that left open the door for Botanzas to get the call. And this is a guy who, he’s very comfortable with a lot of the guys on this roster right now, Brian Rocchio, we asked him about having Junior Batance is up and, and Rocchio just smiled, shook his head and he said, that’s my guy. You know, you could tell that there’s a really good comfort level there and even with veterans like Jose Ramirez. Junior Batanzis was the guy who Jose Ramirez chose to throw to him in the Home Run Derby the first time he participated back in what, 2023. So you know, there are connections all over the place and this has got to be great for Junior to be up and be a part of the big league staff.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, when we talked to him after he got called up over the weekend, you know, he had, he lives in New Jersey and you know, the, the All Star break fell on the same day as for Columbus for the Triple A Columbus, as it did for Cleveland. So he did driven home and when he got the call after getting home, like at 4 o’, clock, you know, on, on that Monday, he got a call from Cleveland, said, hey, you know, you’re going to, we’re going to bring you up to the big leagues. We want you to be part of the coaching staff. He goes, but here, take the next three days off. And, and Junior said, hey, if you need me, I’ve been waiting 27 years for this call. If you need me right now, I’m getting back in the car and driving right, right back to Cleveland. So he was excited.

Joe Noga: He had to drive the Pennsylvania Turnpike, the poor guy. You get the call up to the big leagues and your first, Your first thing you have to do is drive the Pennsylvania Turnpike all the way home back up here to Cleveland. That’s, that’s. That is a punishment that I wouldn’. Anybody having done so. So many times it always seems to rain when you, when you ride the Pennsylvania. Yeah. The guys that he’s worked with and at the levels that he’s worked with them at, I guess, is sort of one of the reasons why. It’s one of the reasons why they, they chose Grant Fink, because Fink’s in sort of the same boat in terms of the, the relationships that he has with the young players on the staff.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah. And, you know, Batance is, you know, really can relate to the Latin American players. You know, he ran the Dominican Academy, Cleveland’s Dominican for a few years. He was head of the Dominican operations down there. So he knows all these guys. You know, he worked. He was, you know, coaching Angel Martinez over the winter last year at the Academy. So he’s got a really good relationship with especially the Latin American players. And I’m sure every, you know, every player that’s come up to the system, he’s talked to. So, you know, this is a good, this is a good fit. We’ll have to see if it produces results, but it’s well deserved for Batance’s.

Joe Noga: For first three games, they’ve, They’ve. They’ve scored quite a few runs. So it’s got to help there. Jonathan Rodriguez, one of the, One of the pupils, I guess, of junior botanist in the minor leagues and in the system. Jonathan Rodriguez had a rough weekend in terms of defense out in right field. Probably not as rough as Tyler Soderstrom, the left fielder for the, the Athletics. This is a guy who was a catcher and a first baseman, and now he’s out there trying to sort of hold things down in left field for them, and you could tell that he, he looked like a fish out of water right now. Who, if I made you choose right now, who would you choose to put out in the outfield if you’re making up a lineup? Jonathan Rodriguez or Tyler Soderstrom?

Paul Hoynes: I put you out there, Joe.

Joe Noga: Well, I don’t know, man. Both knees are gone, so it would be a pretty rough. Rough.

Paul Hoynes: No, I, I’d have to put Rodriguez out there. I put Rod. He’s. At least he. That’s his. That’s his normal position. But, man, in that ninth inning Saturday night, he looked like he was on ice skates out there.

Joe Noga: Yeah. And, and soderstrom sort of misplaying a couple of balls we saw over the weekend. David Fry’s bases clearing double sort of skips away from him and he’s on his hands and knees sort of crawling after the ball. But I go back to Friday night. Soderstrom catches a fly ball in the outfield and starts jogging off the field thinking it was the third out of the inning. And Jose Ramirez takes advantage of.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I haven’t seen that since. Alex Cole did it for the Guardians when he was playing center field at Old Cleveland Stadium. He thought there were, he thought there were three outs against, against Kansas City and the Kansas City runner scored from second base. So Mike Hargrove was not pleased after that play.

Joe Noga: That is, that is a lonely feeling coming all the way back into the dugout at the end of that inning. And I’m sure, you know, somebody said he’s lucky he didn’t flip the ball into the stands, otherwise the run scores automatically. It’s just, you know, pretty tough. All right, let’s get into some injury news. Obviously, Stephen Kwan missing the entire three game series against the Athletics, you know, his hometown team from when he was growing up and the team that he, he sort of always wanted, wanted to play for. Quan had an injection after Wednesday’s, you know, he had an injection Wednesday after playing in the All Star Game. What did you learn when you talked to him about sort of the, the position of the team and why he played in that game and then got the injection knowing he’d have to miss a few days?

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, Joe, I think, you know, they gave him permission to go to Atlanta and play in the All Star Game. You know, they felt he’d earned that. And Quon wanted to go. I mean, you know, he wanted to play against the best players in the world. He wanted to, you know, be in that locker room for the second straight year. He, you know, assured the Guardians that he wouldn’t take any unnecessary risks. He didn’t take bp, he didn’t shag. He tried everything he could to, you know, kind of nurse that wrist through, you know, through the All Star Game. I think what he had two at bats. I mean, this thing has been hurting him since May 26, Joe. I don’t think two at bats were going to make it any worse. So, you know, this is something they’ve managed. And you had a memorable All Star game. He drove into tying run, stole a base. He played a big part in that game. And you know, the unfortunate thing was the timing. The next day he gets the shot you know, in the wrist to ease the pain and swelling and he doesn’t play over the weekend, but it doesn’t really hurt him that much. Martinez had a great series in the, in the, in the leadoff spot. But still it sounds like, at least from what I read yesterday, it sounds like he might be able in back in the lineup tonight against the Orioles. Right, Joe?

Joe Noga: Yeah, that’s, that’s what Stephen Vogt told us after the game was to expect that, that Quan will be in the, in the lineup on Monday night. He, he said he came in, you know, on, on Sunday morning, set a field, things were feeling great, went out and you know, participated in all the activities that he needed to participate in. So I think that’s, you know, a big positive step and I, I would expect to see him in there. It’s funny you bring up Angel Martinez and hitting in that, that leadoff spot. Stephen Vogt seems very comfortable, especially with Martinez swinging from the right side of the right hand side of the, and putting him in that leadoff spot and, and he’s been hot. You know, he did have the solo home run in the eighth inning sort of when the game was already out of reach yesterday. And, and vote pointed to, you know, the, the double early, the leadoff double early was from the right side of the plate. And then he had two more hits from the left side of the plate including the home run and the RBI single. It’s, it’s really, you know, I think 11 of Martinez’s last 14 hits since July 6th, they’ve gone for extra bases. He’s, he’s really putting in the work from the left hand side of the plate to sort of make things more of a threat there. I, I just think like you said, I, he had six hits and 14 at bats during that three game series. So Martinez said he’s, he’s comfortable up there. He doesn’t, doesn’t mind. It does. There’s not a lot of pressure on him batting in the leadoff spot and it’s something we could see, see a little more of if, if and when Stephen Kwan isn’t available to hit up there.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, you know, he’s really making his presence felt. Joe. He’s not a rookie, but you know, but he’s, he’s really, you know, this is, this is his second year and you think of him as a rookie, but he’s not and you know, he’s an, he’s really, really a smart ballplayer, I think, and he’s getting better each time and he’s improving, you know, from both sides of the plate. You like him in center field, you like him, you know, at second base or third base. Valuable guy.

Joe Noga: Yeah. And athletic wherever he goes. Runs real well. So a big, a big plus. We heard from Chris Antonetti prior to yesterday’s game that number one draft pick, the 27th overall selection, Jace Laviolette, the outfielder from Texas A and M, the guy who was tough as nails, broke his hand in the SEC tournament on a when he was hit by a pitch. Had surgery that night and played the next day. And while, while toughness is a great quality, it doesn’t necessarily bode well for you continuing your season after you get drafted. Laviolette unlikely to play at a minor league affiliate. So like Travis Bazzana last year, wound up playing through the end of the season for Lake county and leading them to a division championship there. Jace Laviolette will not make an appearance at a minor league affiliate. According to Antonetti, he had a follow up procedure after the end of his college season and they’re still sort of determining what’s going to happen in terms of his rehab. He should be reporting to the Arizona facility out in Goodyear to do physicals and sign contracts and things like that sometime this week. And they’ll have a better idea of what a timeline is for him to get on the field. But if this kid is able to do what he did in college at Texas A and M, then he’s going to be worth the wait.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I gotta meet this guy, Joe. But he breaks his hand and they say rub a little dirt on it and come back tomorrow. That’s, that’s a ball player right there. So we’re gonna have to, we’re gonna have to just check this guy out.

Joe Noga: Yeah. Well, introduce yourself to Lord Tubbington, which is his nickname, and make sure that you shake his right hand and not his left hand because that’s the, the one that, that’s not broken. So yeah, I, I, I, it’s exciting because not only does he come with the big frame and the, the big numbers, but he’s got a big personality and that’s going to be fun to sort of get to know. Jace La Violette, a guy that we wish that we were able to get to know. Chase Dilaudor a little bit more. Our daily Chase Dilauto update. He’s going to be seen by hand specialist Dr. Thomas Graham down at Dayton, likely on Tuesday, according to Chris Antonetti. Just another frustrating sort of setback for Dilaudor, who you know now that they say he’s ready to come up and, and contribute at the major league level. Once again, an injury is holding him back.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, he just can’t stay in the lineup, Joe. You know, he’s been trying to play, tried to play with this wrist injury for a couple, for two weeks before the all star break, but the last two games before the break, they had to shut him down. Then, you know, he travels to Iowa with the Clippers. Can’t play in that series because of the risk. Now they’re getting him examined. So what keep your fingers crossed is this guy deserves a good break. You know, he, he, he needs some good news here. Hopefully it’s just, you know, a shutdown for, you know, a week or, you know, a seven day stretch on the AAA l to get that whatever’s going on in there, out of there and hopefully he’s back on the field before, you know, and, you know, maybe around the 1st of August. So, you know, but he, he needs some good news.

Joe Noga: Yeah, I, I have a feeling, you know, maybe there’s an injection like Juan got in his future and you know, a couple of down days and then maybe if he responds, you can reset the timer and get him back up here or get him up here. Speaking of getting back up here, Shane Bieber will start at a minor league affiliate here in Ohio, likely Lake county on Tuesday. I don’t think any of the affiliates have any games on tonight on Monday. So Beavers next start, probably Lake county tomorrow, if not, then possibly Columbus. But I think they had said that they wanted to keep him sort of closer. Trevor Steffen had his rehab window sort of extended. They can do that with guys who have Tommy John surgery. They can do 10 day extensions. So he’s breached the end of his 30 day rehab window where they sort of have to make a decision on him. They applied for an extension and they can keep doing that in 10 day increments as long as they all the parties agree, the player, the players association, the team and the league. So keep an eye on Trevor, Stefan. He’s close, but he’s not as close as maybe, you know, we thought he was.

Paul Hoynes: Yeah, I didn’t feel bad for Trevor. I mean, this is like vote says, everybody’s elbow is different. Everybody comes back from Tommy John at their own pace. You can’t, you can’t rush that.

Joe Noga: Yeah. Speaking of vote, did you get one of those vote bobbleheads on Saturday? Would you, Would you?

Paul Hoynes: I did. It was. Yeah, I liked it. I liked it. Yeah. I’m keeping it in the box. You know, I’ve been.

Joe Noga: Well, it’s good. It’s going to lose all of its value if you pull it out Wednesday. You don’t want to. You don’t want to do that. All right. That’s going to wrap up today’s edition of the Cleveland Baseball Talk podcast Wednesday. I will welcome the Orioles in tonight and report back about the series opener tomorrow.