Stuart Fairchild is a new outfielder for the Cleveland Guardians.
He and Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt go way back, though.
Fairchild made his MLB debut in 2021, and his first action in a big league game was as a pinch-runner… for Vogt.
That was for the Arizona Diamondbacks, and five years later, the duo finds themselves reunited.
“I mean, that’s offensive that I got pinch ran for,” Vogt told reporters last week. “[I’ll] make him take a lap for that.”
It’s definitely one of those quirks that pops up in baseball every once in a while. It’s pretty cool.
We’ll have to see if Fairchild can actually make the Guardians’ roster, which could depend a lot on that speed he’s been known for.
Fairchild has played in MLB for the Diamondbacks, Mariners, Giants, Reds and Braves.
In his career, he’s a .223 hitter with a .689 OPS. He struggled to a negative WAR in 2025 in 28 games with the Braves.
Fairchild was originally a second-round pick of the Reds in the 2017 MLB Draft out of Wake Forest. He’s from Seattle.
Fairchild has played every outfield spot in the majors more than enough to trust him at whatever spot the Guardians want him.
He did steal 10 bases in 2023 and 13 bases in 2024, so that’s a bit in his skillset, too.
His bat will have to be good enough to have a chance, though.
Vogt certainly knows that Fairchild can run.
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