BullpenĬleveland’s bullpen is among its most distinct strengths, ranking alongside the Astros and Yankees as the best in the American League. Zach Plesac is still around, but expect the Guardians to rely on those first four for as long as their playoff run lasts. Cal Quantrill’s ERA is far superior to his expected indicators, while Aaron Civale is the inverse of Quantrill. He also has a walk rate right around 2 per nine.īehind those two is a mixed bag of sorts. 2 is Triston McKenzie, who will come close to 200 innings in his first full season and also sports a sub-3.00 ERA while leading the team in K-rate. Shane Bieber may never be the dominant force we saw during the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but he’s still the definite ace of the rotation, putting together another sub-3.00 ERA and staying healthy for the duration of the season after injuries shortened his 2021 campaign.īehind him as the unquestioned No. That approach is led, of course, by likely top-5 MVP finisher Jose Ramirez, but the Guardians have also found unlikely contributors from the likes of first-time All-Star Andres Gimenez (who actually tops Ramirez in fWAR), and rookie Steven Kwan. They also walk at the fifth-lowest rate, however, so it’s less patience than it is the best bat-to-ball ability in the sport. They strike out just 18.3% of the time, the lowest mark in the majors by more than a full percentage point. However, the Guardians grind down pitching staffs with an uncanny ability to put the bat on the ball. The Guardians’ offense doesn’t overwhelm, ranking just 18th in wRC+ at 98, last among playoff teams and behind such non-qualifiers as the Red Sox, Giants and Orioles. The Guardians beat the Rays in two games in the AL Wild Card Round. The Guardians went 21-8 in the month of September, topping 90 wins for the fifth time in the past six full seasons to return to the postseason for the first time since 2020 and for the fifth time in the past seven years. The Guardians weren’t given much of a shot in the preseason in a division expected to be dominated by the White Sox and resurgent Twins.īoth of those teams disappointed, however, and Cleveland took full advantage, putting the division away for good with a three-game sweep of the White Sox in mid-September. Odds via FanDuel Pythagorean record via Baseball Reference Stat rankings via FanGraphs How They Got Here Starting Pitching xFIP (Rank): 3.96 (14th).
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