5 Guardians who must prove their worth in 2025

Cleveland Guardians v Chicago White Sox
Cleveland Guardians v Chicago White Sox | Nuccio DiNuzzo/GettyImages
4 of 5

4. Logan Allen - Starting Pitcher

After a productive 2023 season, which saw Logan Allen finish with a 3.81 ERA and 1.396 WHIP, the Cleveland Guardians were hoping that he would be able to build upon that in 2024. Unfortunately, that was not the case, as Allen struggled in his 20 major league starts last season.

Allen would post a 5.73 ERA and 1.582 WHIP in his 97.1 innings of work last season and even saw his strikeouts per nine innings drop from 8.5 to 7.3. The then 25-year-old lefty would give up more home runs (22-16) in 2024 despite throwing 28 fewer innings than the year before. Allen allowing long balls at a higher frequency is very concerning and could be an indicator that things may not get much better any time soon.

Like the previously mentioned Triston McKenzie, Allen would be sent down to Triple-A due to his performance. Allen would return in August to make two starts for the Guardians but would not make another major league appearance for the rest of the season.

The Guardians could certainly use Allen if he can correct his issues from last season, but there is a reason why they chose other options down the stretch last season, and that was due to not being particularly encouraged by what he had to offer. Ideally, Allen can pitch closer to what he was able to as a rookie, but there is a very real chance that 2024 is a better indicator of his true talent level.

Schedule