Gavin Williams looks sharp in final appearance before regular season begins

With Cactus League play in the books, the Cleveland Guardians and Arizona Diamondbacks squared off in their first of two exhibition games at Chase Field. The final result does not matter that much since the game does not officially count for anything, but there is one performance in particular that should garner plenty of attention. The final preseason appearance of Gavin Williams.

Williams was looking to head into the regular season on a good note and his performance against the Diamondbacks would definitely qualify as that. The 25-year-old struck out five Arizona batters in 5 innings of work while giving up just five hits along the way.

Usually, performances coming before the games actaully count can be disregarded for one reason or another, but with Opening Day coming on Thursday, both teams were fielding their best players for a good portion of the contest. This gives this outing a little more validity than some of the previous ones taking place a few weeks ago at spring training facilities.

It has been a strong spring for Williams, showing that he has put his disappointing 2024 season behind him. In his five starts, Williams has allowed just four runs on 13 hits and four walks while striking out 26 batters in 17.1 innings. The 2.08 ERA in these appearances is more than likely an unrealistic goal for Williams in 2025, but his overall body of work more closely resembles how Williams pitched in 2023, in addition to how he was expected to pitch last season before he suffered an injury in spring training that sidelined him until the middle of the year.

Should Williams be able to carry over this level of performance into the regular season, it would alleviate many of the concerns expressed regarding the Guadians' starting rotation and their overall talent level. Having a second pitcher performing at a high level, assuming Tanner Bibee continues to be Cleveland's ace, would give the Guardians a 1-2 punch at the top of their rotation that very few teams can claim to match. It could even help propel the Guardians to even more success in 2025, but that is something to discuss further at a different time. For now, Williams looks ready to dominate on the mound, and hopefully, he will be able to deliver.