The Cleveland Guardians made the decision to call up top prospect Angel Genao on Tuesday, and the team was immediately rewarded.
Genao put together a historic debut for Cleveland, going 4-for-5 with one RBI. With this performance, Genao became the first player in Guardians history to record four hits in his big league debut.
The previous record was three, which nine other players accomplished, including outfielder Chase DeLauter on Opening Day this season. It was a debut to remember, giving the Guardians another young player to build around.
Cleveland Guardians’ Newest Superstar?
Following the game, Genao was given some high praise by DeLauter himself.
“He’s gonna be a superstar,” said DeLauter. “I’ve seen him do his thing for a couple years. He’s gonna be a superstar.”
DeLauter and Genao came up through the Guardians’ farm system together, so he’s seen a lot of his game. But to call him a potential superstar after just one game shows how special the rookie is.
Genao had put together a nice spring for the Guardians, but the team elected to keep him in the minor leagues. But after getting his chance in the big leagues, the infielder is hoping to stay the course.
“[It was] more than I could ever imagine,” Genao said. “Obviously, the last piece was to get the win for the team, but thank God for giving me the opportunity to have this.”
Others on the roster praised the rookie for his performance, with many of them being speechless following the impressive start to his career. Veteran infielder Nathaniel Lowe offered more names for the talented infielder.
“Four in your first is insane,” Lowe said. “He probably feels like Superman. We’re super happy for him, and hope he can contribute going forward.”
The Guardians likely understand that Genao won’t perform this well for the rest of the year, but his debut was historic. Cleveland will watch him closely moving forward, giving him the time needed to showcase his skills at this level.
But if he can even help spark a playoff run for this team, the call-up will be more than worth it.
Guardians Postseason Outlook
With the Guardians looking to make the playoffs, bringing up a talent like Genao makes sense. Cleveland currently holds a record of 57-58 on the season, with the team sitting three games back of the first-place Chicago White Sox in the American League Central.
The Guardians are just 3-7 over their last 10 games overall, so the team is hoping for some sort of spark. Cleveland has been quietly battling in the division all season, and the hope is for this unit to get back to the postseason.
The roster is full of young talent, mixed with a few veterans, so if they can get some postseason experience, it could be huge for future contention. But the Guardians won’t get ahead of themselves, and instead are looking at a day-to-day situation for the playoff race.
The AL is weaker than normal this season, potentially offering Cleveland a chance to surprise if they can get hot down the stretch.
Guardians’ Angel Genao Given ‘Superman’ Label After Historic Debut