Kyle Manzardo

Kyle Thomas Manzardo (born July 18, 2000) is an American baseball first baseman in the Cleveland Guardians organization.

Early life and amateur career

Manzardo grew up in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, and attended Lake City High School, where he played baseball and basketball. As a senior, he batted .594 and was named the Inland Empire League MVP after batting .471 as a junior.

Manzardo attended Washington State University and played college baseball for the Washington State Cougars for three seasons. He hit for a .272 average as a freshman and led the team with 31 runs batted in (RBIs). After the season, Manzardo played collegiate summer baseball for the Portland Pickles of the West Coast League. He hit .435 through 16 games as a sophomore before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic. During the summer, he played for the Willmar Stingers of the Northwoods League. As a junior, Manzardo batted .365 with 11 home runs and 60 RBIs and was named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball.

Professional career

The Tampa Bay Rays selected Manzardo in the second round of the 2021 Major League Baseball draft. He signed and made his professional debut with the Rookie-level Florida Complex League Rays, slashing .349/.440/.605 with two home runs, eight RBIs, and five doubles over 13 games. Manzardo began the 2022 season with the High-A Bowling Green Hot Rods. He slashed .329/.436/.636 with 17 home runs in 63 games before being promoted to the Montgomery Biscuits of the Double-A Southern League.

On July 31, 2023, the Rays traded Manzardo to the Cleveland Guardians for starting pitcher Aaron Civale.