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3 things we learned from this Cleveland Guardians postseason

By Joseph Koetters |
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 18: Oscar Gonzalez #39 of the Cleveland Guardians smiles on from the dugout before game five of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 18, 2022 the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - OCTOBER 18: Oscar Gonzalez #39 of the Cleveland Guardians smiles on from the dugout before game five of the American League Division Series at Yankee Stadium on October 18, 2022 the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images)
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Winning 92 games in what was supposed to be one of the most toss-up divisions in baseball definitely seems like a win for Cleveland Guardians. Being tied for the third-most wins in the American League after finishing two games below .500 the year before is a major step forward. The pitching looked great, the young talent held its own, and José Ramírez is locked in for a few more years.

Aside from the unfortunate results and the ultimate elimination from the playoffs, there are a few things that make this season a success for the Guardians. Let’s dive into three things that we learned from this postseason.

The Young Pitching Is as Solid as It Gets

All season long, the Guardians were carried on the backs of Shane Bieber, Cal Quantrill and Triston McKenzie, all three under the age of 28, and all three pitching at least 180 innings this year. The pitching held its own in the playoffs, holding the Yankees to 12 runs among the three of them across four games. For the reputation that the Yankees had, this is very impressive and surely gives your team a chance at winning given Cleveland’s current lineup.

While this strategy might have proven advantageous in a five-game series, for sustained success, something needs to be added. The Guardians are just not the team that can rely on 2-3 home runs a game and just outscore every team they play. Instead, they showed how important pitching and small ball was to their plan. As solid a trio as Bieber, Quantrill and McKenzie are, they need at least one more solid rotation piece to pull it all together. Not only will the team feel confident in a competent fourth starter, but it will take some of the wear and tear off of those three guys, especially with how young they are.

An addition along the lines of Sean Manaea, Andrew Heaney or old friend Corey Kluber could move the needle for the Guardians moving forward in 2023.

The Young Talent is MLB-ready

The young talent of the Cleveland Guardians broke onto the scene in a big way. Steven Kwan took the league by storm with his great on-base percentage in only his first year in the league. Accompanying him was emerging second baseman Andrés Giménez, who batted .297 in 146 games. Both Giménez and Kwan are under 25 and seem to have made a lasting impression with the Guardians.

Also making a big splash (whether good or bad) at the end of the season was first baseman Josh Naylor. Naylor had 122 games logged with a 117 wRC+, which points him 17% above the league average. Naylor also comes in only at the age of 25. Six of the seven players on the Guardians with the most amount of games played this year were under the age of 28 (Ramírez was first on that list at age 29).

While this young talent might be exciting, the Guardians are a few veteran bats away from guiding these young stars into solidified positions for the future. Lucky for Cleveland, there are a few names that might provide a boost.

Small Ball Only Gets You So Far

The Guardians’ brand of baseball all season has been to get on base and string together enough hits to win games, and that proved to be true as they ranked second-to-last in home runs this year with 127 (behind only the Detroit Tigers with 110). This method might have gotten them to the playoffs, but it is clear that this is not a sustainable method in the long run.

A common factor between the four teams in the Championship Series was that they were the top four teams in home runs during the postseason, all into the double-digits. Granted, these teams played more games in the postseason but in the regular season these four teams ranked first, fourth, sixth, and 24th in home runs across the league.

There is nothing wrong with adding a little balance to a team that seems to have a solid foundation already in place. There are many pieces that look to be somewhat realistic free agents next year that could add a much-needed power boost, such as J.D. Martinez and Anthony Rizzo.

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