Guardians’ middle-infield duo forge brotherhood over baseball

NEW YORK — Roughly six months ago, when the Guardians’ everyday roster was mostly sorted out, Andrés Giménez was beaming with pride. Not because of his own role on the team, but because of who was to his right.

Giménez had long since earned his starting second baseman role after an All-Star season in 2022 and winning the Platinum Glove in ’23. But Brayan Rocchio was less established. Rocchio had gotten a taste of the big leagues last year, but he hadn’t settled in. However, he came into Spring Training competing for the starting shortstop job, and he earned it by posting a .711 OPS in 48 Cactus League at-bats.

So, for the first time, Giménez and Rocchio knew that they’d be side by side every day.

“It’s been a huge opportunity for both of us coming from Venezuela and sharing this,” Giménez said in April. “It’s special for me, especially because he’s a young guy. He wants to learn. He wants to improve. For me, it’s a huge opportunity to help him out.”

A brotherhood was formed.

“I think they do everything together. It’s really fun,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “I’ve played and seen some people, middle-infield combos, they’re close. They know each other. They know what they’re thinking. They know where they’re going to be. They know what they’re going to do. It’s a close relationship.”

Giménez took Rocchio under his wing and helped him learn through his first full Major League season. There were times when the rookie made some blunders. There were times Rocchio’s bat was ice cold. There were times he delivered the big hit and was in the center of a walk-off dogpile. Through it all, he leaned on Giménez’s guidance.

“He’s like my brother here in baseball,” Rocchio said, with the help of team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “He helped me from the first day in Spring Training to here, how to play the game hard every day, including the bad days, so that’s super special for me.”

Neither of them exploded offensively this season. Still, they remained in the lineup. Giménez can often make up for his bat with his glove, so even when he’s struggling at the plate, there’s never a doubt that he’ll be in the lineup. However, Rocchio is a rookie, still trying to prove he belongs. So when he’d make some critical errors in the field during stretches that his bat had gone quiet, it was easy to wonder whether he’d be the permanent fixture at shortstop.

But there was a reason the Guardians never gave up on him.

There was a lot of promise in that leather. The more reps Rocchio got at shortstop, the more the kinks were getting worked out. It’s a glove that (along with Giménez’s) saved the team on a handful of occasions during the American League Division Series that helped make sure the Guardians reached their first AL Championship Series since 2016.

“We talk about getting the ball to the Venezuelans,” Cleveland designated hitter David Fry said with a laugh. “We want to get the ball to Rocchio and Giménez.”

But Rocchio was known for his bat when he was one of the team’s top prospects, too. They just needed to give him enough time to prove that it can translate to the Majors. He just waited for the ALDS to show it.

The 23-year-old shortstop has logged at least one hit in each of the first five playoff games. He went 6-for-16 (.375) with two doubles, an RBI and two walks when Cleveland needed offense the most.

“He’s showing in the postseason what he’s capable of doing,” Giménez said. “So I’m really happy for him.”

Only Steven Kwan recorded more hits (11) than Rocchio in the ALDS. Lane Thomas also had six hits. The rest all looked up to Rocchio’s mark.

This time, it was Rocchio who set the example. As Giménez watched his middle-infield partner settle in at the plate, he followed behind him with a 2-for-4 game in the winner-take-all Game 5 on Saturday afternoon. Now, they’re both heating up just in time for the ALCS.

“The first four games, I tried to do a little bit more of what I can do on the field,” Giménez said. “Game 5 was just try to be myself, try to be calm at the plate and get a good pitch to hit.”

A middle-infield bond is always special, but Giménez and Rocchio both admitted this is different. This is like a big brother/little brother relationship. And it’s only getting stronger through the playoffs.

“Sometimes I’m mad with him. Sometimes he’s mad with me,” Giménez joked. “But at the end of the day, we just want to push each other. … For me, it’s really special.”