The Road to The Show™: Guardians’ Manzardo

Each week, MiLB.com profiles an elite prospect by chronicling the steps he's taken toward achieving his Major League dream. Here's a look at Guardians’ second-ranked prospect Kyle Manzardo. For more stories about players on The Road to The Show, click here.

It took a little while for Kyle Manzardo to find his footing after being dealt from Tampa Bay to the Guardians at this year’s Trade Deadline.

At the time Manzardo, who now ranks as MLB Pipeline’s No. 58 overall prospect, was the highest-ranked prospect to be traded in-season in 2023. He was also on the injured list with a shoulder issue and ended up missing about six weeks of action.

Following a rehab assignment in the Rookie-level Arizona Complex League, the 23-year-old returned to Triple-A, staying in the International League with Columbus. The power-hitting lefty played 10 games with the Clippers before homering, batting .256 over that stretch. But he finished with six long balls in his final 11 games of the regular season and had an identical .256 average in that span.

That remarkable consistency, coupled with his in-game power, is indicative of his well-rounded offensive skill set. In those 21 games with Columbus, Manzardo had as many extra-base hits as strikeouts and nearly as many walks.

“Not only we, but the industry holds Kyle in high regard,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti told MLB.com after the deal, which sent right-hander Aaron Civale to the Rays. “We think he can develop into a really good offensive player. … Those guys are not easy to acquire, so we made the choice in this case as we surveyed the landscape that this was the right path forward for us.”

Kyle Manzardo ... for the third consecutive game!

MLB's No. 58 prospect (#Guardians) slugs his fourth homer in the past three contests for the @CLBClippers. pic.twitter.com/0Z5ZdmTmBm

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 21, 2023

Manzardo was born in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which is not a town known for being a hotbed for producing baseball prospects. In fact, the Gem State has produced just 32 Major Leaguers. Angels infielder Michael Stefanic, the 2023 MiLB full-season batting champ with Triple-A Salt Lake, is the only Idaho-born player to appear in a Major League game this season.

After playing for his father's club at Lake City High School, Manzardo moved onto college ball at Washington State. He saw everyday playing time as a freshman and showed signs of a breakout in his sophomore season before it was shut down by the pandemic. After a stop with the Willmar Stingers in the Northwoods League in the summer of 2020, he significantly boosted his Draft stock in his final season at Washington State in 2021.

Manzardo posted offensive numbers that were similar to his marks with Columbus. He had more extra-base hits (31) than punchouts (29) while batting .366/.437/.640 over 47 games. He was the first WSU position player to be named a First-Team All-American since John Olerud in 1988 and went on to make more school history at the Draft in July.

The Rays selected Manzardo with their second-round pick, No. 63 overall. He was the highest WSU draft pick since Scott Hatteberg went No. 43 overall to the Red Sox in 1991. He signed with the club for a reported below-slot bonus of $747,500 and finished the season in the Rookie-level Florida Complex League.

Manzardo quickly proved ready for professional pitching. Over 13 games in the FCL, he batted .349 with a 1.045 OPS and, again, more extra-base hits (eight) than strikeouts (seven).

During the 2022 season, Manzardo became one of the fastest rising prospects in the Minors. He opened the year with High-A Bowling Green but spent nearly a month on the injured list from April to May. He left the South Atlantic League with a .329/.436/.636 slash line, 17 homers and 55 RBIs before a promotion to Double-A Montgomery in August.

The higher level didn't seem to faze Manzardo, who finished the Southern League regular season with a .323 average and .978 OPS.

Manzardo continued to see the ball well in Spring Training, as the Rays played their Grapefruit League games in their home stadium, Tropicana Field. He got into 13 games, collecting nine hits in 27 at-bats (.333), including a pair of homers and nine RBIs.

He got off to a strong start with Durham but cooled significantly before suffering the shoulder injury while fielding a pick-off throw on July 6. He was batting .238/.342/.442 overall, but hit .200 with a .646 OPS in his last 40 games before the trade. He also had persisting struggles against southpaws throughout the year, finishing with a .159 average and .595 OPS.

Defensively, Manzardo has progressed at first base since gaining more strength and agility at the professional ranks. He's unlikely to move off the position anytime in the immediate future.

Manzardo's strong finish with Columbus was an encouraging sign for the Guardians. He's begun making up for lost time with Peoria in the Arizona Fall League, which opened its season Monday. Manzardo probably has a little more to prove at Triple-A before he could crack the big league roster. But all signs indicate that he should make a push for his first call to The Show next season.