The Feisty, Competitive Cleveland Guardians Are Back In The Playoffs

Can you win a World Series with a payroll that ranks 28^th out of 30 teams, a future Hall of Fame third baseman, an injury-riddled starting rotation, a rookie manager, a catcher hitting .205, a shortstop hitting .209, and one of the greatest bullpens ever, anchored by a closer having maybe the greatest season any closer has ever had?

The 2024 Cleveland Guardians are prepared to make their case.

Don’t ask how. Just enjoy the “wow!”

That is what baseball fans in Cleveland have done in this impossibly improbable season in which the whole of their team somehow greatly exceeded the sum of its parts.

The Guardians this year went into the final weekend of the season as American League Central Division champions, with a record of 92-67. It is the sixth time in the last eight full seasons that Cleveland has won 90 or more games.

The difference this year is that the manager is no longer future Hall of Famer Terry Francona, who, at the end of last season, stepped down after 11 years as Cleveland’s manager. Six of those years ended with trips to the postseason, including the World Series in 2017.

Talk about a smooth transition.

In his first year on the job, new Cleveland manager Stephen Vogt has followed in Francona’s footsteps by guiding the Guardians to another trip to the postseason. Vogt made it look as easy as Francona did. The Guardians went into their regular season-ending three game series with Houston with a record of 92-72.

“This team has been really good all year,” said Vogt. “We said from the beginning that we could play with anybody, and we went out and proved it.”

Leading the way was Guardians’ third baseman Jose Ramirez who has had a sensational, MVP-caliber season. Two doubles and two home runs in Cleveland’s last three regular season games would give Ramirez a 40-40-40 season in home runs, doubles, and stolen bases. Cleveland’s offense is built around Ramirez (38 home runs, 115 RBI) and first baseman Josh Naylor (31 homers, 108 RBI).

MORE FOR YOU
Samsung’s Update Mistake—Bad News For Millions Of Galaxy Phone Owners
Google Play Store Warning—Do Not Install These Apps On Your Phone
Netflix’s Best New Horror Movie Is An Instant Classic

But Cleveland’s season has been built around a its pitching staff, specifically its bullpen, which is as anonymous as it is great. The leader, of course, closer Emanuel Clase, who is having the greatest season ever by a Cleveland closer, and arguably the greatest season ever by any closer.

Clase this year broke Jose Mesa’s franchise record for saves in a season, which had stood for 30 years. Clase went into Friday night’s game with 47 saves, 13 more than any American League pitcher.

In 73 appearances, Clase has a 0.61 ERA, with 66 strikeouts and 10 walks in 73 innings. Right-handed hitters are hitting .185 against him, left-handed hitters: .117.

However, Clase is only the tip of the iceberg that is Cleveland’s bullish bullpen. Vogt and Cleveland pitching coach Carl Willis have an embarrassment of riches when they go to their bullpen. The names may not be familiar nationally, but the results have been spectacular.

The five most used relievers in the Guardians bullpen this season, who are the bridge from the starting pitcher to Clase, have a combined won-loss record of 28-5:

Cade Smith: 73 innings, record: 6-1, ERA: 1.94, strikeouts per nine innings: 12.3. Hunter Gaddis: 77 innings, record: 6-3, ERA: 1.59, strikeouts per nine innings: 7.9. Tim Herrin: 74 innings, record: 5-1, ERA: 1.95, strikeouts per nine innings: 9.2. Nick Sandlin: 67 innings, record: 8-0, ERA: 3.86, strikeouts per nine innings: 10.8. Eli Morgan: 31 innings, record: 3-0, ERA: 1.52, strikeouts per nine innings: 7.4.

Such bullpen depth has been essential for the Guardians’ success this season because the starting rotation has, due to an endless run of injuries, been an ongoing work in progress. No fewer than 14 pitchers have started games for the Guardians this season.

That includes the two starts made by 2020 Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, whose season ended after two starts due to Tommy John surgery.

The loss of Bieber was a devastating blow to the rotation, but the Guardians’ pitching factory managed to overcome the loss of their ace, and subsequent losses of other starters who were pressed into service, only to be, in multiple cases, pressed out of service due to a plethora of injuries.

Through it all the rookie manager and his staff were able to weather the injury storm. The front office, meanwhile, was able to acquire veteran starters pitchers Matthew Boyd (2-2, 2.72 ERA in eight starts) and Alex Cobb (2-1, 2.76 ERA in three starts), each of whom could become contributors during the postseason.

Indeed, it has been an all-hands on deck kind of season for the resourceful Guardians, and the best may be yet to come.

“A 162-game season is long,” said Vogt. “You never know what is going to happen with the ups and downs and back and forth.”

The Guardians will soon find out.