Guardians All-Star nods show organization’s clear strengths (and 1 flaw) 

Over the weekend, the Cleveland Guardians found out that Cade Smith, Parker Messick and Travis Bazzana were going to represent them at this year’s All-Star Game in Philadelphia. 

Although being nominated for the All-Star would be an honor no matter what the context is, all three players were nominated via the player vote. Not only are they well-regarded among baseball evaluators, they’re also appreciated by their peers. 

Of the three, Bazzana stands out as the clear surprise given he didn’t make his MLB debut until April 28, but he’s impressed in the time since that debut and has looked like a franchise cornerstone.

Perhaps the last surprising thing about the Guardians’ All-Star group was that it didn’t include an outfielder, which is a tangible reminder of Cleveland’s struggles in developing talent on the grass. 

Even if Cleveland’s outfield situation isn’t as dire as it's been in years prior thanks to Chase DeLauter, the Guardians’ lack of outfield All-Stars is still a stark reminder of Cleveland’s struggles in developing talent in the grass. 

The Guardians won't have an outfielder in the All-Star Game

Coming into the year, it seemed like the Guardians’ outfield struggles had been solved given Steven Kwan was an All-Star in 2024 and ‘25 and was one of the most productive players on Cleveland’s roster since he made his debut in 2022. 

That’s changed this season, as Kwan enters this week with a .221/.328/.278 slashline to go along with one home run and 14 RBI. Not exactly All-Star production. 

Although DeLauter and Angel Martínez both authored solid first halves, they both sustained injuries that took away any chance of them being named All-Stars. Kahlil Watson could also be an All-Star at some point, but he didn't debut until June.

But even if they were healthy, it’s hard to imagine a world where either of them would have been selected over Randy Arozarena, Cody Bellinger or Riley Greene. 

But there’s still a lot to celebrate about the Guardians' All-Star nods. At this time last year, Messick was gearing up to head to All-Star Weekend at Truist Park so he could participate in the Futures Games. 

Now he’s going to be participating in the actual All-Star Game as a part of the American League’s loaded pitching staff. 

Although Messick made seven starts last year, he’s still rookie-eligible, making him and Bazzana the fourth and fifth rookies in Guardians history to earn an All-Star nod. The Guardians are also the fifth team in MLB history to send multiple rookies to an All-Star Game. 

And then there’s Smith, who has a 2.90 ERA in 40 1/3 innings and leads MLB with 26 saves. It’s hard to believe this is his first All-Star nod given how dominant he’s been in the past three seasons. 

While he earned Cy Young and Rookie of the Year votes in 2024, he didn’t hit his stride until the second half of the season. 

The same thing happened last season, as he didn’t become the Guardians’ closer until the end of July after Emmanuel Clase was placed on paid leave. But now he’s racking up saves in bunches and is finally earning the attention he deserves. 

Bazzana (infield), Messick (starting rotation) and Smith (bullpen) are all leaders for their respective position groups. While the Guardians have some young outfielders who could eventually become All-Star staples, that’s not going to happen this season. 

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