The Cleveland Guardians weren’t really expected to be as competitive as they were in 2022.
They had missed the postseason in 2021 and the overall state of the franchise wasn’t that promising back then: they had traded franchise favorite Francisco Lindor earlier that year and their young kids hadn’t really developed yet.
Last year, however, was a coming out party for Cleveland.
Jose Ramirez had another stellar season, as did rotation stalwarts Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie.
Behind Emmanuel Clase, the bullpen blossomed into one of the best in the league, and some talented young guys like Andres Gimenez, Steven Kwan, Amed Rosario, Josh Naylor and Oscar Gonzalez broke out.
As a result of these developments, Cleveland won 92 games, took the AL Central crown, and proceeded to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card round.
They took the New York Yankees to the maximum of five games in the Division Series.
Overall, the Guards left an amazing impression.
Talkin’ Baseball analysts Jake Storiale and Trevor Plouffe discussed the status of the Guardians franchise on their show.
The Guardians are a COMPLETE team once again pic.twitter.com/e09fRzxyc2
—Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 14, 2023
They talk about how the team lacked some power last season, then went on and added it in the form of first baseman Josh Bell and catcher Mike Zunino.
They said there are just not a whole lot of holes in the Guardians’ roster, and they are right.
They are strong across the board; and also deep and talented.
Pitching, defense, and now some power will surely take them far this season.
If they manage to get into the postseason, they could be very dangerous and difficult to eliminate in a short series with that bullpen.
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Jose Ramirez Recently Ended A Short Drought This Spring
