“Frank the Tank” has started the 2008 season off in style.
On opening day, he was three for three with a three-run home run and two runs scored. He was the difference maker in Cleveland’s wild victory.
Though Gutierrez has now gone seven straight at-bats without a hit since the opener, he is showing better plate discipline and giving better at-bats than at any time before in a Tribe uniform.
After a strong showing a season ago as a semi-regular, along with showing excellent improvement this spring, Gutierrez looks ready to be in the lineup from start to finish.
The Indians picked Gutierrez up from the Dodgers in the trade that sent Milton Bradley to Los Angeles in April of 2004.
Gutierrez was just coming off of a season in which he hit 24 home runs and stole 20 bases as a 20-year old in A and AA ball. He was listed as the No. 3 prospect in the Dodgers organization.
The Indians assigned him to AA Akron to continue his development.
Funny thing happened when he came to Cleveland. He lost his power stroke and saw his batting average dip.
Gutierrez' average fell as low as .254 and he hit only 27 home runs over those next three seasons leading into 2007.
This slowed his ascent to the Major League. It was beginning to look bleak for Gutierrez and his highly touted skills.
The positive for Gutierrez, though, was that he continued giving solid defense and providing speed on the bases to warrant more time for consideration.
A gifted center fielder by trade, the Indians began moving him to right field to allow him to get time on the Major League roster. The Indians already had an All-Star center fielder in Grady Sizemore.
That move gave the Tribe added flexibility in their outfield should he be needed.
Gutierrez got his first real chance in 2006 with 136 at-bats. He did post a solid .278 average, but was definitely over-matched as he only walked three times to 28 strikeouts and only hit one home run. He was sent back to AAA Buffalo to start the 2007 season.
Lucky for Gutierrez, the Indians did not have a quality player in right field for competition. The Indians had signed Trot Nixon to be a platoon player with Casey Blake, but an injury forced Blake to third base and Nixon struggled to be even an average player.
Gutierrez got off on a tear in Buffalo hitting .340 with four home runs and seven stolen bases in 129 at-bats before his late May call-up. From May 31 on, he was virtually the everyday right fielder.
Within his first week as a regular, he hit two home runs and made an amazing catch slamming into the fence in Cincinnati to save the Indians from blowing a game in extra innings.
From there, he continued to showcase his excellent range and great arm in the outfield. Of all AL players who played more than 500 innings in right field, Gutierrez had the highest zone rating. He had a .971 rating, 60 points higher than second-place finisher Travis Buck.
At the plate he hit 13 home runs, stole eight bases, and finished with a .266 batting average in 277 at-bats.
Project that out over a full-seasons worth of at-bats and he potentially could be a 20-20 guy.
The weakness of Gutierrez was and always has been his lack of plate discipline. Even though he broke through last season, his poor strikeout to walk ratio will keep him from ever really being a consistent .280-.290 type of hitter.
However, at age 25, Franklin still has some room to grow. It may have taken four years for his talent to fully blossom, but I believe it is worth the wait.
I am excited to see this talent play every day and provide excellent defense along with some emotion on the field. He did a cool fist pump when scoring on Casey Blake’s game-winning hit on Monday.
He may never be an All-Star, but when looking back and asking, “Would you still trade Milton Bradley for Franklin Gutierrez?” The answer is a definitive YES!
2 comments Last one added about 1 year ago — Leave a Comment
Nino Colla about 1 year ago
Knowing what I know now, I'd trade Milton Bradley for a bag of peanuts, and I don't even like peanuts.
So I'm glad we got Frankie out of it.
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Bob DaBuckeye about 1 year ago
Indeed this was a great move getting a quality player for somebody we had to trade.
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