Guardians grade out among the best teams in MLB

At 40-20, the Cleveland Guardians have easily surpassed most expectations on how they were going to perform this year. There were plenty of questions about the viability of this team, considering how underwhelming their offense was last season, combined with having a first-year manager in Stephen Vogt. The Guardians have managed to bounce back offensively in 2024 and proven that hiring Vogt to succeed future Hall of Famer Terry Francona was the right decision. This has resulted in receiving a high grade in MLB Team Report Card Grades 60 Games Through 2024 Season from Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer.

The Guardians were given a grade of A-, one of five teams to receive some version of an A grade, with only Baltimore (A), Philadelphia, and the New York Yankees (A+) being the only teams being recipients of a higher grade. Rymer would note the Guardians' success against all levels of competition, not just the bottom-feeders.

"You're looking at the team with the best home record in MLB at 21-7. And lest you think the Guardians have beaten up on weak competition, they have winning records against all three AL divisions and in interleague play, to boot."

- Zachary D. Rymer

This is clear evidence of the Guardians being able to go toe-to-toe with the best teams in baseball, even though there are plenty of individuals who will continue to claim that they have not played anyone yet despite proof of that not being the case.

Even though they received one of the best grades possible and have managed to be 20 games over .500 after 60 games played, there still appears to be some doubt about the sustainability of their success.

"The Guardians are a good team, but this much success feels untenable. José Ramírez, Steven Kwan, David Fry and the hot-and-cold Josh Naylor are carrying too much weight on offense, while their Shane Bieber-less rotation notably ranks dead-last in fWAR."

- Zachary D. Rymer

The point about the rotation is valid, as they had Shane Bieber for all of two starts, and a couple of recent rough outings from their starters have made their need for a starter more pressing. However, at what pointis it going tobe accepted that their offense is good? They have played more than one-third of the season already andcontinue to beranked among the best teams in baseball offensively. If thiswasa two-week or even one-month sample size, the questions about it would be valid, but with the number of games under their belt, it no longer is. In fact, considering that they need to upgrade at least one starter in this group, there is a better chance of this being maintained or even improving as the season progresses. 

This Guardians team is good. Their offense is good and is receiving contributions from more than just one or two players. The sooner this becomes widely accepted, the better off everyone will be.