ESPN's bold predictions at two-week mark have Stephen Vogt, Guardians in rarefied air

There’s no denying the Cleveland Guardians’ hot start to the season has generated plenty of buzz throughout Northeast Ohio. 

Turns out that start has added some extra buzz nationally as well. 

Earlier today, ESPN’s MLB team published a story with their hottest takes through the first two weeks of the season. And the Cleveland Guardians were smack dab in the middle of it. 

It started relatively lukewarm in that Buster Olney predicted Stephen Vogt will win American League Manager of the Year for the third straight year. While that sounds crazy in a vacuum, it makes sense given how he continually finds a way to do more with less. 

But that take seems ice cold compared to Tristan Cockcroft’s prediction that, not only will the Guardians win the World Series, but José Ramírez will win MVP and Chase DeLauter will win Rookie of the Year. 

Quite a prediction. 

Guardians hot start has thrust them into national spotlight 

It may seem hard to believe, but the Guardians’ eight wins are tied for the most in the American League and trails only the Dodgers for the second-most in baseball. 

Normally that wouldn’t be a big deal for a team coming off back-to-back division titles, but the Guardians aren’t your average team. 

Instead of building on a roster that rattled off a historic comeback last season, Cleveland’s front office largely stood pat this offseason outside of a couple additions to the bullpen and Rhys Hoskins. 

While the offense has taken a second to wake up, Cleveland’s been able to stay in pretty much every game it's played in this season thanks to some lights out pitching led by a strong showing from the starting rotation — starting with Parker Messick. 

Despite starting the season as the No. 5 starter in Cleveland’s rotation, the 25-year-old Messick has allowed just one run through his first two turns.

On top of that, Gavin Williams has racked up strikeouts in bunches (even if he’s still allowing too many walks), Joey Cantillo’s picked up where he left off last season and Tanner Bibee’s pitched better after shaking off an Opening Day injury scare. 

And although the offense doesn’t look like a group of world beaters, they’ve still done just enough to help pick up some wins. 

DeLauter introduced himself with authority by hitting four home runs in the Guardians’ first three games, while guys like Hoskins and Angel Martinez have picked up the slack in the time since. 

In the end, any kind of run from the Guardians is going to be built on the back of that recipe of good pitching and timely hitting. 

They’re never going to have the sport’s biggest payroll or a roster filled with established stars, but any team that has Vogt on its top step is going to be a contender.

This year marks 77 seasons since the Guardians last won a World Series. We know that at least one national pundit thinks it won’t get to 78.