The Cleveland Guardians are beginning to see serious returns on the young players they acquired in exchange for established stars in recent years.
One of those young players is infielder Andres Gimenez, acquired in the deal that sent Francisco Lindor to the Mets.
While the Guardians also landed a more established player in Amed Rosario as part of the Lindor swap, Gimenez might have had the higher upside, and after a tough 2021 season, Gimenez is now beginning to harness his immense potential.
Josh Naylor -- acquired from the Padres as part of the Mike Clevinger trade -- made history on Monday night with an RBI double, a grand slam and a three-run bomb, but Gimenez also got himself in the home-run column with an opposite-field shot.
For Gimenez, it was his third homer in 80 plate appearances this season. The 2-for-5 night brought his season line to a sizzling .351/.363/.571, with 17 RBIs and a pair of stolen bases.
Those numbers probably aren't sustainable, but Gimenez doesn't have to hit this well to still be immensely valuable.
Monday's two-hit game continued what has been a torrid recent stretch at the dish for the 23-year-old middle infielder. Over his last 15 days, he's hitting .354/.367/.563 with two homers and 11 of his 17 RBIs.
Indeed, he's come alive of late and seems to be staking his claim as an everyday player, though he does sit sometimes against left-handed starters. But maybe he shouldn't -- the free-swinging lefty was hitting well against southpaws through his first 15 plate appearances against them.
Like Gimenez, Lindor has gotten off to a much better start this season, including some clutch hits for the Mets. The development has been a relief for Mets fans who agonized over his mixed performance in his debut season in New York.
But Gimenez seems to be on stardom's doorstep, and he might soon emerge as the best player involved in one of the more notable trades in the histories of both franchises.
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