6 Bright Spots from the Cleveland Guardians 2023 season

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The Cleveland Guardians' season came to a close with the 162nd game of the year. While they were not able to return to the postseason and have a chance to make a postseason run, there were still some bright spots for a team that clearly has a bright future.

1. The Emergence of the Rookie Pitching Trio

Even though it was a few injuries combined with poor performance that resulted in their MLB Debuts coming a little earlier than expected, the future of the Cleveland Guardians rotation appears to be in good hands moving forward with Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Logan Allen.

The most impressive and consistent of the bunch was Bibee. The 24-year-old right-hander would strike out 141 batters in 142 innings, finishing with a 2.98 ERA and 1.176 WHIP in 25 starts. Bibee's year was cut short due to a hip injury, but there were not many games remaining on the schedule.

Allen would finish his rookie campaign with a 3.81 ERA and 1.396 WHIP in 125.1 innings, striking out 119 batters along the way. If there is one area that Allen needs to work on it is issuing free passes. Allen would walk three or more batters seven times and four batters twice in his 24 starts. Even though this is clearly an area in need of some improvement, it appears that the Guardians finally have a much-needed left-hander in their rotation moving forward.

The third and final pitcher of this group to debut was Gavin Williams. Williams' 16 starts were the fifth-most on the Guardians this year, just barely eclipsing the 13 of Aaron Civale who was dealt at the deadline. Williams struck out 81 batters in 82 innings and would allow 30 runs during that span, resulting in his 3.29 ERA and 1.256 WHIP. Like Allen, Williams needs to limit walks as his career progresses. Williams would walk four batters in five starts this season, a rate which can lead to high pitch counts in short outings having an impact on the rest of the pitching staff.

2. Bo Naylor Appears Ready to Take Over as Cleveland's Full-Time Catcher

It took longer than anyone would have liked, but Bo Naylor looks like he is ready to be the Guardians' regular backstop as soon as next season.

Finishing with a slash line of .237/.339/.470 in 67 games, the younger Naylor would collect 13 doubles and hit 11 home runs while driving in 32 runs, resulting in a weighted runs created plus of 124 in his brief time in the majors. Bo was clearly the best-hitting catcher that the Guardians employed this season, even though the team employed the services of six other catchers at various points.

The final 28 games of the season were truly impressive for Naylor, slashing .321/.434/.670 with an OPS of 1.113 in 99 plate appearances. Naylor would hit eight doubles and seven home runs during this span, and a ridiculous 200 weighted runs created plus.

It is unrealistic for Bo to continue what he was able to show over the final month and a half of the season, but he should be able to settle in somewhere in the middle of the slash line department while seeing his wRC+ stabilize. The Guardians should begin next year with Naylor as their everyday catcher while finding a decent backup to give him days off as needed.

3. The Team Turned The Page on the Shortstop Position

After some will they or won't they, the Cleveland Guardians decided to move Amed Rosario ahead of the deadline. While the return of Noah Syndergaard was incredibly underwhelming, it was not about inserting the man known as "Thor" into their rotation but rather opening up the future of the position to their internal options.

What must be understood is the full picture of the decision to part ways with Rosario. Rosario was not going to be here long term. It was clear that his defense was impacted by the shift ban, and he was not doing enough offensively to make up for it. Additionally, this was not a team that was truly in contention, despite technically being in the mix ahead of and after the deadline. This Guardians squad was very flawed, and hanging onto Rosario, as well as others, would not likely result in a postseason appearance.

After dealing Rosario, Cleveland deployed four different players at shortstop the rest of the way. Gabriel Arias led the way, with Brayan Rocchio, Tyler Freeman, and Jose Tena following in order. The Guardians are going to need one of these players to stake their claim as their future shortstop as they look to return to contention next season.

4. Josh Naylor Establishes Himself

The Cleveland Guardians have been waiting for someone to emerge and take pressure off perennial MVP candidate Jose Ramirez, and it appears that person is Josh Naylor.

After a few seasons of displaying potential, Naylor took a step forward in his age 26 season, slashing .308/.354/.489. Naylor would hit 31 doubles and 17 home runs while driving in 97 runs in 121 games, leading to an impressive 128 weighted runs created plus.

An ill-timed injury right at the trade deadline saw Naylor hit the shelf for the entire month of August, ultimately resulting in limiting his total production for the season, in addition to sinking the slim chances the Guardians had to contend for the postseason. While it is not entirely on Naylor, his oblique injury could not have come at a worse time.

Looking ahead, Cleveland is counting on Naylor to build off his impressive 2023 and prove that he has truly developed into an impact bat in their lineup. Additionally, Naylor has two arbitration-eligible years remaining, and it would be wise for the Guardians to work toward signing him to an extension. Having another player signed to a multi-year deal would allow the team to operate with financial commitments in place, resulting in the front office adding other players through free agency and trades accordingly.

5. The Front Office Recognizing Genuine Chances of Contention

The lack of notewrothy additions to the major league roster prior to and at the trade deadline drew plenty of criticism. Contrary to the belief of local sports talk radio, which have proven to have a remedial knowledge of the game of baseball, this was the correct move.

A front office being able to properly evaluate their talent and genuine chances of contention is not something that every organization can claim to have. For example, look at how the aggressive nature of the Los Angeles Angels turned out. While it is not an exact comparison, as they are doing anything and everything they can to keep Shohei Ohtani, their acquisitions blew up in their face almost immediately. This resulted in the Angels placing the players they traded for on waivers, three of which ended up in Cleveland. Los Angeles did receive some praise at the time for their aggressiveness, but that changed after dropping seven straight games to begin the month of August. There is very much a reality that Cleveland would suffer the same fate if they took a similar route as the Angels.

There is one more thing to consider. Cleveland has not had the best success rate the past few seasons when trading away prospects. Adding more names to the already existing list of names that fans complain about is not something that anyone wants.

6. Terry Francona's Curtain Call

There was only one way that Terry Francona deserved to go out in his final home game as the manager of the Cleveland Guardians. The stars aligned on an emotional Wednesday night on the corner of Carnegie and Ontario as the Guardians held on for a slim 4-3 win, allowing Tito to leave Progressive Field to a much-deserved standing ovation in his final home game.

While this outcome appeared destined to happen, it was not exactly a guarantee. Cleveland was just 10-14 during the month of September and entered the contest on a three-game losing streak. There was a very real possibility that the Guardians were not going to be able to come through on such a momentous occasion.

It was clear that the Guardians' players understood the gravity of the moment. Francona came to Cleveland at a time when they were attempting to reestablish themselves as a competitive organization. Being able to rally together and end their three-game losing streak in order to give the winningest manager in the history of Cleveland baseball the send-off he deserves. Francona exited Progressive Field with a win and this was truly the only way this game could have ended.