Straw changes routine, adds bulk in hopes of '24 success

PEORIA, Ariz. -- Swing changes can be made. Mechanics can be tweaked. Repetitions can help develop better habits. All of these things can lead to improved results at the plate for a hitter. But Myles Straw wanted to do even more.

He took time out of his offseason to visit Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika in Columbus to make those changes to develop the habits needed to, hopefully, get on base more frequently in 2024. But on his own, he decided to go to a new gym and found a way to put on 10 pounds of muscle.

“Nothing against the guy before, but I feel like definitely the guy that I [worked with] this year had a better routine,” Straw said. “He works with more athletes. So I feel like it was just a good spot. Plesac was there and he kind of showed me that spot. So I got there and it was great. I’ll probably be going there the rest of my career, for sure.”

Straw understands that his job is on the line. Although he signed an extension with Cleveland prior to the 2022 season, his production has been subpar over the last two years. He’s an excellent defender who can cover tremendous ground in center field, but when his average hasn’t reached .240, his OPS hasn’t eclipsed .600 and there hasn’t been more than one homer hit in either of the last two seasons, there needs to be a change.

Only two changes are possible: Straw proves there’s more in his bat than he’s shown, or he’s replaced by someone else. He’ll be looking to prove the former is possible. That’s why more needed to be done than just trying to get his mechanics into a better place. He wanted his body to be able to support this type of change, so he went out and found a way to make that happen.

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As the old baseball adage goes, Straw may be in the best shape of his life to fight for his job. Now, he just needs to maintain it.

“Ten pounds, it sounds silly, but for me, 180 to 190 is a big difference. Especially if I can move the same way,” Straw said. “I feel like that speed is still there and I just feel like I added a little bit more power, hopefully. … It’s a lot going through these spring games and having to get your workouts in and all that stuff. It can be pretty tiring. Just got to maintain that and keep going.”

Fry to focus on catching
He was at first, third, catcher, left and right last season, and even was ready to mop up games on the mound when situations became dire. David Fry was the ultimate utility man, and his versatility could benefit him once again in 2024. But his approach to this spring is a little different. As a former catcher who also bounced around defensively, manager Stephen Vogt understands the best way to approach this kind of role: Focus mostly on catching.

“Catching, there’s so much preparation that goes on,” Fry said. “Like getting the relationship with the pitchers, getting them ready for outings and stuff. It’s like, go over to first base, no problem. But if you’re playing first and then it’s like, hey, go over to catch, there’s a lot more that goes into that.”

That was the same explanation Vogt gave on Sunday morning. He wants Fry to be most prepared behind the dish and rely on his natural defensive abilities to handle a transition to any other position without as much practice there. Maybe at some point in the near future, he won’t have to move around as much. But for now, he’s embracing his role as the 26th man.

And yes, that still includes pitching.

“[Pitching coach] Carl [Willis] said we need to work on my velo this season,” Fry joked.

From teammate to manager
Tyler Beede was in a clubhouse with Stephen Vogt in San Francisco in 2019. The two spent just one season together, but in that time, Vogt made a lasting impression like he usually does. Since then, Beede has had the same answer to the question, "Who's your all-time favorite teammate?"

"It was Stephen Vogt, top five always," Beede said, who threw 1 2/3 innings in Cleveland's 8-4 win over the Mariners on Sunday. "I think the humor is well-known throughout the league. He's a guy who's got the skits that he can put on the referee skit. So he's just a fun, personable, family-oriented guy who really cared about the guys in the locker room."