CLEVELAND -- When the Guardians moved Brayan Rocchio from shortstop to second base in late July, they didn’t doubt he could handle the switch. No, Rocchio had not played the position at the Major League level, but his experience as a shortstop generated confidence in his ability.
“He's a Gold Glove-caliber defender,” manager Stephen Vogt said recently. “It's not easy to move positions, but if anybody can, it's him”
Case in point: the ninth inning on Sunday. Rocchio made an incredible play on a ground ball to throw out Andrew Benintendi at first base, which sealed the Guardians’ 3-2 win over the White Sox at Progressive Field.
Cleveland completed the three-game sweep with the win. The Guardians improved to 78-71, marking their first time being seven or more games over .500 since May 24 (29-22). More importantly, by taking care of business this weekend, the Guardians kept pace in a competitive American League Wild Card picture.
Cleveland has gone 10-4 to start September and sits 2 1/2 games behind the Astros (81-69) for the final AL Wild Card spot.
“I didn't think anything during that play,” Rocchio said. “I was just trying to get the out at first base, because that's my first thought in the moment.”
The Guardians were clinging to their one-run lead when Chicago put runners on the corners with two outs against closer Cade Smith. Benintendi went first-pitch swinging and chopped a 96.6 mph grounder up the middle of the infield.
Off the bat, it appeared that Benintendi had no worse than a game-tying infield single. Rocchio was shaded closer to first base, and because the ball was on his side of second base, it was too far for shortstop Gabriel Arias to reach.
Rocchio covered 132 feet and made a diving stop to his right. He quickly got to his feet, spun around and snapped a throw to first baseman C.J. Kayfus. It beat Benintendi by a step.
“That's one of the best defensive plays I've seen,” Vogt said, “especially given the magnitude, situation, how fast Rocchi caught that. I just watched the replay before I came in here; I had to. It was one of the best plays in the moment.”
“You just see Superman come out of nowhere and make the play,” said catcher Bo Naylor, who went 2-for-3 with a two-run double and a solo homer to power Cleveland offensively.
Rocchio was the Guardians’ Opening Day shortstop, but lost the job to Arias when he was optioned to Triple-A Columbus on May 12, amid his tough start to the season offensively. The Guardians recalled Rocchio on July 1 to play shortstop after Arias went on the IL with a sprained left ankle.
With Arias’ return in late July, Rocchio has largely played second base (261 1/3 innings compared to 86 at shortstop since August). It’s not like he is inexperienced there; he’s played 864 1/3 innings at second over 101 career games in the Minors.
But there perhaps is something to Rocchio reintroducing himself to the nuances of the position on the fly midseason at the big league level -- and making a big play during a postseason push.
Still, you can’t exactly prepare for a play such as Sunday’s.
“That’s instinct,” Rocchio said. “You can’t practice that play.”
Naylor then added: “So basically, he’s nasty.”
It’s not just Rocchio’s glove that has stood out. In 35 games before his option in May, he slashed .165/.235/.198 over 102 plate appearances. Since he returned on July 1, he has slashed .262/.317/.390 over 234 plate appearances.
“We made the joke: When it gets a little colder, he turns into ‘Playoff Rocchio,’” Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan said this week, in a nod to Rocchio hitting .333 in 10 postseason games last year.
Rocchio said earlier this week he made minor physical tweaks, but his biggest adjustment this season has been mental.
“I wanted to get five base hits in one AB and try to take control of everything, make all the plays, and play to a superstar level,” Rocchio said through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. “I realized I had to turn it down and adjust and simplify what I wanted to do on the field.”
Monday marks the Guardians’ first off-day since Aug. 28, following a stretch of 17 games in 17 days. They will enjoy it before a big three-game series against the division-leading Tigers.
“Being able to have this day tomorrow to recover and just kind of reflect on how we grinded out these last few weeks, it's awesome,” Naylor said. “I think we really deserve the break. But in our minds, the job obviously is not finished.