​The Cleveland Guardians have held Chase DeLauter in high regard since they drafted him in the first round nearly three years ago. Yet, as with many young outfielders, there were reasonable questions about how his production would translate against different types of pitching. A primary concern centered on DeLauter being a pure left-handed hitter, which historically has suggested he might struggle against left-handed pitching.
That concern showed early in his professional career. In 2023 at the Minor League level, DeLauter posted a .591 OPS against left-handers. The following year, 2024, his OPS against lefties ticked up to .651, signaling some improvement but still leaving room to grow. In 2025, he displayed signs of progress against southpaws, though the sample size was small. Fast forward to his rookie MLB season, and DeLauter has begun hitting left-handed pitching more effectively than right-handed pitching.
Looking at his splits this season, the 24-year-old owns a .234/.312/.391 slash line against right-handed pitchers and a .368/.413/.526 line against lefties. He punctuated his early success against left-handed pitching with a towering home run off Minnesota Twins left-hander Kendry Rojas on a recent afternoon. The homer, a 394-foot blast off the right-field wall, came on a pitch inside and well above the zone. After the game, DeLauter explained the approach he used for that swing, noting that he was working to “stop trying to swing so hard. I mean, really just keep the hands tight, be quick to the ball, [it] gives me a little bit more reaction time.”
Regarding his overall performance against left-handed pitching this season, DeLauter attributes much of his improvement to a shift in mindset during matchups that historically might have favored him less. “Recently, like this season, I’ve been better against lefties than I’ve been in the past, and I think that’s part of flipping the mindset a little bit on them,” he said. “Understanding, literally scientifically, I’m not going to see the ball as well against lefties as I do righties, and going up there with a lot of confidence.”
The Guardians always believed DeLauter could be a potent scorer of runs against right-handed pitchers, and his early success against left-handers demonstrates that he can be just as dangerous from both sides of the plate. As he continues to refine his approach and expand his comfort against different looks, his ceiling as a versatile, full-fledged contributor only rises.
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