GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Guardians have become known for having a contact-first offensive approach. They don¡¯t swing and miss. They don¡¯t strike out. They put the ball in play. And yet, they struggle to score runs.

Now, it¡¯s time to add impact.

¡°We have the bodies to be able to do more than we¡¯ve shown,¡± Guardians hitting coach Chris Valaika said. ¡°We have to break that mold because the hallmark of the organization has been drafting good decision makers, high-contact bats -- so we have to add to more of that impact potential that we have.¡±

To do that, they¡¯ll need to rely on more than just one guy. Here¡¯s what Valaika had to say about how a handful of hitters entered camp this week:

The player: Myles Straw
The skinny: Over the last two years, Straw hit .229 with a .580 OPS (67 OPS+) and one home run. To reclaim his job in center, he¡¯s going to have to prove these struggles are behind him.
The quote: ¡°He came in more physical -- he¡¯s heavier, he¡¯s stronger, he¡¯s continued the adjustments that we made over the offseason. ¡­ He knows that he¡¯s going to have to compete for his job, and come in and show us something and [be] the player we all know he can be. ¡­ I think he¡¯s more confident because of that body composition that he has. He¡¯s seeing the results, he¡¯s seeing how the ball is coming off of his bat. I think that we¡¯re going to see a better, more intentful version of Myles this year.¡±

The player: Gabriel Arias
The skinny: Arias is the favorite to win the shortstop job, but there¡¯s concern about his bat, considering he went 9-for-108 (.083) against lefties last year.
The quote: ¡°He just needed reps. I think for a lot of those young guys, they fall into a trap sometimes of chasing results, trying to force their way into playing the next day, not having a result. It¡¯s the elephant in the room, the lack of success he had against left-handed pitching. I think that just compounds. ... Him going to winter ball and playing was good.¡±

The player: Andr¨¦s Gim¨¦nez
The skinny: Gim¨¦nez was the MVP of Cleveland¡¯s 2022 season and earned himself an offseason extension, but when 2023 rolled around, he couldn¡¯t find his rhythm offensively until the final month of the season.
The quote: ¡°As tough as it was on him, kudos to him that he fought through that year. I think there was a lot of pressure and a lot of expectations coming off the year he had previously, getting the contract. ¡­ We got the player we all know he could be later in the year, and he¡¯s made some really good adjustments this winter, so hopefully [we¡¯re going] to see that carry over from the last month into the season this year.¡±

The player: Deyvison De Los Santos
The skinny: The Rule 5 Draft pick is the perfect fit when it comes to Cleveland¡¯s new impact-first approach. The problem is he¡¯s only 20 years old and has never played above Double-A. In order to keep him in the organization without offering him back to Arizona, the Guardians need to keep him on the active roster for the entire season.
The quote: ¡°I think there¡¯s definitely some obstacles. ... But the way he¡¯s carried himself here, [Jos¨¦ Ram¨ªrez has] really embraced him and kind of put his arm around him. There¡¯s not a better guy in the game to mentor you. I think how [manager Stephen Vogt] decides to deploy him if he is with us, I think it¡¯s just gonna be a lot around the messaging that, ¡®You¡¯re here for a reason, you have a lot of impact potential that we can live with some of the swing and misses, and some of the growing pains that you might go through jumping Triple-A.¡¯¡±

The player: Kyle Manzardo
The skinny: Manzardo has the potential to be a difference maker for the Guardians this year. But he¡¯ll have to fight for a spot on the Opening Day roster, likely with De Los Santos. He¡¯ll need a strong offensive showing this spring to prove he can make the transition on Day 1.
The quote: ¡°He looks like Wade Boggs to me. He¡¯s been awesome in the box. ¡­ Haven¡¯t seen him a ton in camp with just all the moving pieces, so I¡¯m gonna try to lock in on him a little bit more.¡±