These three under-the-radar players are fueling the Guardians’ resurgence

At this point, it’s clear that the Cleveland Guardians are (somehow) postseason contenders.

It may not have been true two months ago (or even two weeks ago), but the Guardians have worked their way back into the thick of the postseason picture thanks to some big wins over other contenders that have been fueled by strong all-around play.

While stars like José Ramírez and Kyle Manzardo have stepped up with some strong play, they’ve also gotten some strong production from some of the unheralded players on their roster. 

Here’s a look at three players who have helped fuel the Guardians’ 6-1 record over the last week. 

These three under-the-radar players are fueling Guardians’ resurgence

LHP Joey Cantillo

While we really could have put any of the team’s young starters in this spot, we went with Cantillo, who tossed eight scoreless innings yesterday and has allowed just one run over 14 innings across the last seven days.

Cantillo’s done a little bit of everything this year, as he opened the year in the bullpen before moving to the rotation after Luis Ortiz was suspended as a part of MLB's investigation into sports betting. 

The Guardians then sent him to Triple-A in the hopes that he could focus on hammering the strike zone, and he’s done exactly that since being recalled. 

Cantillo posted seven strikeouts in his win over Boston last week before recording five strikeouts in his eight inning start against the Royals yesterday. That said, 72 of his 92 pitches went for strikes against the Royals, and he routinely threw first-pitch strikes. 

The Guardians have moved to a six-man rotation to help take less stress off the team’s young starters and Cantillo is the poster child for the success that’s come with that move. 

DH David Fry

This year was always going to be a transitional year for Fry, who can’t play in the field after undergoing Tommy John surgery in the offseason. And that theme has been on display for most of the year, as he has a .173/.236/.321 slashline through 60 games this year. 

But he’s looked better over the past week and has gone 3-for-8 with a double, two RBI and a walk. He also hit his seventh home run of the season earlier in the Guardians’ series against the Red Sox. 

So much of Fry’s value came in his versatility and his ability to destroy left-handed pitching, and, although we haven’t seen much of that for most of the season, it looks like he’s starting to turn a corner. 

All three of Fry’s hits over the past week have come against left-handed pitchers, and his two-hit effort against the Royals on Wednesday marked his fourth multi-hit effort this season. 

Fry’s going to play a huge part down the stretch as a designated hitter/pinch-hitter, and his production over the past week is a great sign to show how much of an impact that can be. 

RHP Cade Smith

It feels a bit odd to call the Guardians’ closer an “under-the-radar,” but there hasn’t been nearly enough attention drawn to how dominant Smith has been lately. 

While he has a 3.60 ERA with three blown saves since taking over as the Guardians’ closer, he’s thrown four scoreless innings with three saves over the past week. He’s allowed just one hit over that span and recorded eight strikeouts. 

His 0.4fWAR leads all major league relievers over the past week, and his three saves are tied with Jhoan Duran for the most in that span. 

Smith’s run as the Guardians closer hasn’t been a total success, but he’s been at his best as of late. If Cleveland does make the postseason, there’s no doubt that Smith will be on the mound at the end of a close game.