Guardians

Closer Emmanuel Clase scheduled for spring debut Monday against Angels: Guardians takeaways

By Paul Hoynes

Published: Mar. 05, 2023, 10:01 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --

No, Emmanuel Clase didn’t disappear.

He’s just been following the schedule that pitching Carl Willis plotted for him when spring training opened. That schedule has the All-Star closer making nine appearances before the season begins on March 30.

No. 1 Appearance is scheduled for Monday against the Angels in Tempe, Arizona.

“We try to personalize everybody’s timetable,” manager Terry Francona told reporters at the Guardians spring training site in Goodyear, Arizona. “Clase hasn’t pitched yet, but he is slated to pitch in nine games, including a back-to-back.

“That was our goal for him. Carl maps out the entire spring for all the pitchers that he can. The pitchers aren’t trying to get out of work, they’re trying to get ready for a season. As you get to know them, you can partner with them and it works really well.”

A little extra time on the backfields isn’t going to hurt Clase. He could probably use it.

Last season he tied for the MLB lead in appearances with 77, while leading the big leagues with 67 games finished and 42 saves. In the postseason, he pitched in four more games, covering six innings.

In the last two seasons, he’s appeared in 148 games with 66 saves and a 1.33 ERA (21 runs in 142 1/3 innings).

While Clase carries a heavy load at the back of the pen, he does not waste time or pitches. He finished 56th among relievers last year with 921 pitches.

No. 2. Who says you’re under the radar

Micah Pries, in his meeting with Francona before the start of spring training, said, “I know I’m under the radar.” To which Francona replied, “What radar? I know everything about you. There’s not one player in this camp that’s under the radar.’”

When asked about Pries over the weekend, Francona told reporters, “He’s an interesting guy. He plays left, right and first. He runs better than you think.”

Pries is also hammering the baseball. In his first three Cactus League games, he doubled, tripled and homered. He entered Sunday’s game against Arizona leading the Cactus and Grapefruit leagues with 15 total bases, while tied for the lead with five extra base hits.

The Guardians drafted Pries in the 13th round in 2019. Last season he hit .266 (119 for 448) with 18 homers and 74 RBI at Class AA Akron.

This spring the 6-4, 215-pound left-handed hitter is batting .333 (5-for-15) with two doubles, one triple, two homers and five RBI in his first big league camp.

No. 3 Exit stage right

Right-handers Cal Quantrill, Cade Smith and catcher Bo Naylor are set to join Team Canada for workouts Monday for the World Baseball Classic. Canada, USA, Mexico and Colombia begin pool play Saturday at Chase Stadium in Phoenix.

The Guardians have an off day Tuesday, but Quantrill is scheduled to throw a minor league game at the facility so he can stay on regular rest for the WBC and Cleveland.

Catcher Meibrys Viloria and minor leaguer Dayan Fries will leave camp to play for Colombia.

Richie Palacios already left for Taiwan to play for the Netherlands. They begin pool play Wednesday against Chinese Taipai, Cuba and Italy..

Andres Gimenez and Class AA manager Rouglas Odor will leave to join Venezuela. They are in the same pool as Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Israel. They begin play on Saturday.

Victor Rodriguez, Guardians assistant hitting coach, will leave to work with Puerto Rico.

Right-hander Enyel De Los Santos, currently recovering from a hamstring injury, is an alternate for the Dominican Republic.

Rigo Beltran, Cleveland’s new bullpen coach, was Mexico’s pitching coach in the 2017 WBC and the 2020 Olympics. But the Guardians asked him to stay because this is his first year as bullpen coach.

Minor league right-hander Josh Wolf will pitch for Israel.

No. 4 Five’s company, seven’s a crowd

With Naylor and Viloria hitting the road for the WBC, there will be five catchers in camp. That’s a more workable number and Francona and his staff can get down to determining who will be Mike Zunino’s backup.

Zunino, Zack Collins, Cam Gallagher, Bryan Lavastida and David Fry are still in camp. Collins, Gallagher, Fry and Viloria are not on the 40-man roster.

If Canada and Colombia get eliminated early, Naylor and Viloria could still be options.

No. 5 What just happened?

In the third inning Saturday, Shane Bieber had a ball called against him, but he wasn’t guilty of a pitch clock violation. It turned out Gimenez was the guilty party.

Gimenez had his feet on the outfield grass when Bieber delivered a pitch. Not only must two infielders be on either side of second base when the pitch is thrown, but they must have both feet on the infield dirt.

“We had our first grass violation,” said Francona after the game. “Gimie started on the grass. I had no idea what was happening. No one did.”

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n the third inning Saturday, Shane Bieber had a ball called against him, but he wasn’t guilty of a pitch clock violation. It turned out Gimenez was the guilty party.

Gimenez had his feet on the outfield grass when Bieber delivered a pitch. Not only must two infielders be on either side of second base when the pitch is thrown, but they must have both feet on the infield dirt.

“We had our first grass violation,” said Francona after the game. “Gimie started on the grass. I had no idea what was happening. No one did.”

Need some clarification on the infield grass rule.

Is it a no-pitch and a ball called? What happens if the batter gets on base safely? Error, HBP, base hit?

Sea...

The infielders are required to be on "each side of second base," and either on the infield dirt or the infield grass.

This means that MLB will be paying attention to the size of the infield dirt at each stadium. According to MLB "the outfield boundary is defined in the rule book as a 95 foot radius drawn for the center of the pitcher's rubber and each infielder must have their feet entirely within the boundary (meaning on the dirt)"

This is an infraction that the batting team can choose to decline. If, for example, the team in the field is in violation, but the pitch is still delivered to home plate and the batter hits a home run, the batting team can decline the automatic ball and live with the result of the play.

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I can tell you have a back ground in score keeping Me to.

Makes sense, Joe....Thanks

I assume "when the pitch is thrown" means when it leaves the pitcher's hand. So they can be on the grass during the windup.

I always taught my Little League kids to take a little half-step with their hands out and butt down as the pitcher releases the ball.

From what I understand, no running start.

At the time a pitch is thrown, all four infielders are required to be on the infield dirt (or infield grass) with two on each side of second base. Players will be able to move as soon as the ball leaves the pitcher's hand.

The commissioner actually addressed that question.

Infielders are not allowed to hastily move from the dirt as the pitch is thrown. Umpires will use discretion.

Guardians spring training musings on Shane Bieber, Emmanuel Clase and 4 pitching prospects

Mar 4, 2023; Mesa, Arizona, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) throws against the Oakland Athletics in the first inning at Hohokam Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel
7h ago

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GOODYEAR, Ariz. – A fresh batch of observations from Guardians camp …

Shane Bieber started Cleveland’s season opener in 2020, nearly four months later than scheduled, thanks to the pandemic, in an eerily quiet, deserted ballpark, aside from players and coaches, a handful of reporters and some cardboard cutouts.

Bieber started on Opening Day in 2021, on a wintry afternoon in Detroit, where Miguel Cabrera slid into second base during his home run trot because he didn’t see, through the flurries, that the baseball had sailed over the fence. Bieber started on Opening Day in 2022, another snowy afternoon in Kansas City.

And barring some unforeseen circumstance, he’ll again start on Opening Day in about three weeks, this time in Seattle, where the roof should turn away any precipitation.

Bieber will join Corey Kluber, Gaylord Perry, Bob Feller and Stan Coveleski as the only pitchers in the franchise’s 123-year history to make four straight Opening Day starts.

“It means the world,” he said. “Anytime you’re in the same sentence (with those pitchers) … it’s a great honor. It’s not something I take lightly.”

He’ll be the 10th Cleveland pitcher to make four Opening Day starts overall, joining Feller (seven), Coveleski (six), Bob Lemon (five), CC Sabathia (five), Perry (five), Charles Nagy, Willie Mitchell and Addie Joss.

Bieber breezed through three innings Saturday against the A’s in such an efficient manner that he threw more pitches in the bullpen after his outing. He’s the first Guardians starter to reach the three-inning mark this spring. After the game, manager Terry Francona used one of his favorite words to describe how Bieber looked: “crisp.”

Last year at this time, Bieber was putting his shoulder injury in the rearview and waiting for the lockout to end and for a hastened spring camp to begin.

“He’s such a perfectionist,” Francona said, “but it was probably later in the year (when) he was really feeling where he wasn’t thinking through things. He’s never going to make an excuse, but there was a lot going on there.”

And that makes Bieber appreciate even more the opportunity to take the ball on March 30 at T-Mobile Park.

“No matter what,” he said, “it’s not a thing that I’ll ever take for granted.”

The Guardians’ back-end relievers are working their way into Cactus League action this week. Emmanuel Clase made his spring debut with a scoreless frame on Monday and Nick Sandlin and Enyel De Los Santos will follow on Wednesday.

Clase has thrown up to 20 pitches in throwing sessions at the complex this spring, and won’t throw more than 25 in a Cactus League appearance. Granted, that limit might not be necessary, considering he never needed more than 23 pitches in an outing last season, and threw 15 or fewer in 60 of his 75 outings.

So what can Clase improve upon in 2023, after he posted a 1.36 ERA and limited opponents to a .425 OPS last year?

“His stuff is more geared toward the bottom of the zone,” pitching coach Carl Willis said, “and last year we saw when he had that accidental pitch that got a little elevated to the top of the zone, hitters couldn’t handle it. So we’re trying to work on being able to throw that pitch with intent to elevate, not just accidentally, but at times to attack that area of the zone. That can help him. It’s a matter of if he can do it consistently.”
Clase's 2022 pitch results
Cutter

99.5 mph

0.189

0.245

22.5%
Slider

91.9 mph

0.119

0.174

42.7%

Clase induced more swings-and-misses on cutters up in the zone and on sliders down in the zone.

“Hitters are going to face him more and more and get a better idea of, if nothing else, where to look,” Willis said. “I think (elevating) could really help him.”

A team source simply laughed when asked if there’s an all-points bulletin delivered to every member of the organization whenever Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee are about to throw on a back field during spring training. (There is not.) But when the two highly regarded pitching prospects have taken the mound this spring, a crowd of coaches, coordinators and analysts have swarmed the field. It started with one of the early days in camp, when the two righties battled to toss the most first-pitch breaking balls for strikes. Friendly competition has fueled them, as they hail from the same draft class (2021) and have followed similar paths through the Guardians’ system.

Williams, 23, and Bibee, who turned 24 on Sunday, could each take a significant step forward this season, as they figure to head to Triple-A Columbus before long. That would, obviously, leave them one call from the majors.

Williams has been pumping fastballs in the upper 90s this spring, to go along with his slider and curveball. Bibee sits in the 95 to 96 mph range, with a slider and changeup. Both are widely recognized as Top 100 prospects, with The Athletic’s Keith Law slotting them at No. 36 (Bibee) and No. 42 (Williams). They aren’t the only well-regarded Guardians pitching prospects who could make noise this season, either. Daniel Espino, who has perhaps the highest ceiling of the bunch with triple-digit fastball velocity and sterling secondary stuff, is dealing with a shoulder injury that will likely delay the start of his regular season a bit. Logan Allen is ranked on several Top 100 lists and is in big-league camp. Here’s a Q&A with Allen.
Logan Allen posted a 4.75 ERA in 27 starts last season. He struck out 177 in 132 2/3 innings. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea / USA Today)

Do you pay attention to the prospect rankings, or to the composition of the roster now that you’re in big-league camp for the first time?

It’s definitely easy to let it be something you hear about and know about, but I try to leave that stuff for my family to enjoy. More so, I’m here trying to be around these guys and get used to this team and find my role so whenever the team needs me, I’m ready to help these guys win.

Last fall, the coaching staff’s message to you was to work toward being in the Guardians’ dugout in the fall of 2023, rather than in a player development meeting. What did that mean to you to hear that?

Exciting and encouraging to know that’s what the hope and plan is. It definitely gives me a sense of direction that that opportunity is there and I need to take every opportunity I have. Being (in major-league camp) is a great example of that. I’m trying to make a great impression on the coaches and see what I can learn from everybody.

How would you evaluate your 2022 season?

It was good. I think I hit a little bit of a roadblock when I got to Triple A, but I think that was more so the beginning of my time there. I think toward the end, I got settled in better and had outings more similar to what I was doing in Akron, when I had a little more success. It was definitely a good learning experience and gave me a lot of stuff to work on for the offseason. I think I’ve come back in a better place for the upcoming season.

What, specifically, did you learn?

The experience really matters a lot: facing those hitters, being around those guys, finding what I wasn’t doing well. More than anything, the experience definitely matters, especially being here and facing big-league hitters now, seeing guys you’re eventually going to face down the road, learning how to get guys out — that stuff will carry on for years. So it’s just trying to get that under the belt.

What’s the environment like with all of the well-regarded pitching prospects in the upper levels?

It’s awesome. It’s very competitive in-house, and I think it brings the best out of each other. You’re constantly competing with each other within (pitching) staffs to see who can be the best there. As a product of that, you have a lot of good outcomes on the field, and we as a unit and an organization have been able to grow and get better. Definitely a lot of healthy competition and it’s exciting for the future.

How closely do you monitor each others’ outings, whether you’re at the same level or at different affiliates?

You’re definitely always watching to see how everyone’s doing. You’re excited to see guys throw well. It’ll be exciting when we’re all in Cleveland together winning games.

Ignore Micah Pries’ age for a moment.

In two minor-league seasons, Pries owns a .277/.352/.491 slash line. He has stolen 34 bases in 39 attempts. Last year, he racked up 52 extra-base hits, one every 8.62 at-bats. For reference, George Valera also had 52 extra-base hits, but one every 9.31 at-bats. And that’s not a knock on Valera, who is four years younger than Pries and is widely considered a Top 100 prospect. There’s certainly more to a prospect’s profile than extra-base hits in Double A.

But would Pries garner more attention if he hadn’t turned 25 last week? Several league scouts and front office members who were asked that question seem to think so.

Pries essentially lost two seasons — one to injury in 2019 after he was drafted and another in 2020, when the pandemic wiped out the minor-league season. Because of that, he debuted as a professional at the age of 23.

When Pries met with Francona and company for his pre-spring sit-down, he told the group he knew he was “under the radar.” Francona countered: “What radar? I know everything about you.” Dave Malpass, a special assistant to the front office, relayed his belief in Pries’ skill set, which Francona said is a valuable endorsement.

This spring, Pries has five hits in 16 at-bats. All five were for extra bases: two home runs, two doubles and a triple.

“He can play left, right, first,” Francona said. “He runs better than you think. He is interesting.”

Juan Brito, acquired from the Rockies for Nolan Jones in November, has more walks than strikeouts (109 to 107) as a professional. This spring, he has eight walks and one strikeout in 17 plate appearances. He walked on four pitches in the eighth inning on Sunday. For those keeping track, that’s a .588 on-base percentage. His plate discipline hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“For a young kid who’s 21,” Francona said, “he doesn’t swing at many bad pitches.”

Victor Rodriguez, Cleveland’s assistant hitting coach, thought defensive shifts were a thing of the past. Then, he saw how the Red Sox aligned their fielders when Joey Gallo stepped into the batter’s box during a recent Grapefruit League game.

“I’m like, ‘I thought this was over!’” Rodriguez said, laughing. “It’s not over.”

Francona indicated the Guardians aren’t likely to follow suit. Teams can’t position an infielder in the outfield, but they can shift an outfielder to, say, short right field. The risk, of course, is asking the two other outfielders to cover far more ground.

“Somebody from baseball ops asked me that,” Francona said. “He goes, ‘Well, have you thought about it?’ I go, ‘Well, do you want to see (Steven) Kwan in short right?’ He goes, ‘Not really.’ I said, ‘How about Oscar Gonzalez? Do you want to move (Myles) Straw out of center?’ He said no. I said, ‘Well, you just answered your question.’”

Rodriguez’s advice to hitters if they encounter such an arrangement: “Don’t change your swing, because that’s what they want. If you change your swing, you’re not going to be in a good position to do anything.”

Joe Smith has spent the past few days shadowing members of Cleveland’s coaching staff and the front office as he considers a future role in baseball. Smith, who turns 39 later this month, spent 15 seasons in the big leagues with eight different teams. His longest stop — well, two stops, technically — came in Cleveland, where he recorded a 2.80 ERA over six seasons. His 866 appearances rank 36th in major-league history.

Another familiar face: Brad Mills, Francona’s longtime friend, teammate and right-hand man in the dugout, will assist the coaching staff for nearly two weeks, beginning Wednesday. Mills stepped away in 2020 following a family tragedy. Among his annual spring training tasks as Francona’s bench coach was to operate the team’s pitcher fielding practice. So, in his honor, the pitchers will congregate on a back field to execute the drill upon his arrival.

Said Francona: “I texted him, ‘You better bring your “A game” because you’re going to get it the first day.’”

Related: The story of Beau Bear and the Mills family

The latest Francona folly: The man who broke off (and swallowed) a chunk of his tooth this spring while munching on undercooked pasta has now lost his car keys. Staff assistant Mike Barnett has served as his chauffeur. Francona said he spent 45 minutes searching his car and his hotel room over the weekend. Clubhouse attendants, told there would be a substantial reward for finding them, visited his place and came up empty, too. They searched bushes and combed through the grass and his laundry. One attendant drove two hours each way to Francona’s home in Tucson to retrieve his backup set.

Guardians

Relievers Enyel De Los Santos, Nick Sandlin ready to return: Guardians takeaways

By Paul Hoynes

Updated: Mar. 07, 2023, 5:27 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --

As spring training gets longer, the Guardians’ bullpen is starting to look like its old self.

All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase made his first appearance of the spring on Monday against the Angels. Clase, the Mariano Rivera award winner as the top closer in the AL last year, needed just 12 pitches to retire the Angels in order in the third inning at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

Following Tuesday’s off day, two more bullpen arms from last year are scheduled to make their first appearances of the spring. Enyel De Los Santos and Nick Sandlin, however, weren’t on the same program as Clase. They are returning from injuries, De Los Santos a strained hamstring and Sandlin a sore right lat/terres major muscle in his right shoulder.

Last season Cleveland’s bullpen posted a 3.02 ERA, third lowest in the league. From the All-Star break to the end of the season, manager Terry Francona’s relievers led the big leagues with a 2.32 ERA.

But Sam Hentges’s left shoulder injury has jumbled the pen. If injuries to De Los Santos and Sandlin prevented them from opening the season, there would have been more tossing and turning.

De Los Santos and Sandlin combined to make 96 appearances last season. Sandlin injured his right shoulder in Game 2 of the wild card series against Tampa Bay.

“The good thing is I’ve had the whole offseason to rehab,” he said early in camp.

De Los Santos injured his hamstring early in camp.

Last year De Los Santos had his best year in the big leagues. He went 5-0 with one save and a 3.04 ERA. He struck out 61 in 53 1/3 innings. The opposition hit .208 against him.

Sandlin went 5-2 with a 2.25 ERA. He struck out 41 in 44 innings and the opposition hit .176 against him.

The Guardians are expected to open the season with an eight-man bullpen. If Clase, James Karinchak, Trevor Stephan, Eli Morgan, De Los Santos and Sandlin are healthy, they should make it. But with Hentges injured and departed Bryan Shaw pitching for the White Sox, there two open spots.

Cody Morris could fill one of them, but he has yet to pitch this spring because of a strained lat muscle. Francona said Monday that Morris might throw off the mound later this week or sometime next week.

Other candidates include lefty Tim Herrin, who has already made four appearances this spring. Last year the 6-5 Herrin struck out 101 batters in 69 1/3 innings in the minors. His numbers haven’t been great so far this spring (6.74 ERA), but he’s struck out five and walked one in four innings.

No. 1. Day of rest

Tuesday was an off day for the Guardians, one of two scheduled for this spring. Cal Quantrill, however, threw a minor league at the team’s complex in Goodyear to stay on schedule for the regular season and Team Canada.

Quantrill, who has already made two Cactus League starts, is scheduled to start Sunday or Monday for Canada in the World Baseball Classic at Chase Field in Phoenix. Canada will play Great Britain on Sunday and Team USA on Monday.

Guardians catcher Bo Naylor and right-hander Cade Smith are also playing for Canada. Pool C, besides Canada, USA and Great Britain, includes Mexico and Colombia.

No. 2. Old home week

Cleveland’s former bench coach Brad Mills will join the Guardians on Wednesday in Goodyear. Francona and Mills played together at the University of Arizona and for the Montreal Expos in the big leagues.

Mills was previously on Francona’s coaching staffs in Philadelphia and Boston.

“He’ll be here for 10 days, close to two weeks,” said Francona. “It will be so nice for everybody to see him.”

No. 3. Don’t tell me about the baseballs

Every year there is talk about the ball being altered by MLB to produce specific results. Dead ball, live ball. Seams up, seams down. Humidors or no humidors.

Francona really doesn’t care about such talk.

“It’s very hard to judge the ball in spring training,” said Francona. “In Arizona you’re set-up for success as a hitter. The infields are fast, the outfields are big and the ball carries.

“I don’t care what ball they’re using. We’re going to go back to Cleveland in April and it will be like we’re hitting a softball because it just doesn’t going anywhere. To be honest with you, I’ve never paid much attention to that.”

No. 4. It’s time to stretch

The Cactus League schedule has reached a point where the Guardians have to concentrate on getting their starting pitchers more innings. That goes for the five pitchers who will open the season with the big league club and the others who will be re-assigned to the minors.

Shane Bieber, to that end, will pitch a B game against the Padres on Thursday in Peoria, Arizona. Hunter Gaddis, meanwhile, will start against the Padres’ A team at Goodyear Ballpark.

Gaddis, Xzavion Curry, Konnor Pilkington, Logan Allen, Peyton Battenfield and other starters have to get their arms ready for the regular season. This gives Francona, the front office and their staffs a chance to evaluate them against big league competition, while Bieber does the necessary preparation to get ready to open the season on March 30 against Seattle.

No. 5: Finally

Zach Plesac is scheduled to start against Mexico at 3:05 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Gaddis will start against the Padres on Thursday and Triston McKenzie will start against Milwaukee on Friday.

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Cleveland Guardians News

Is it time for the Cleveland Guardians to be concerned about Zach Plesac?

By Kevin Devine

March 7, 2023 1:53 PM EST

The Cleveland Guardians rotation is in good shape. It is not time to panic over the state of a rotation headlined by Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie. Those two form a tandem that can match up with any in baseball. They are followed by Cal Quantrill, who is a fine third starter for a contender (and, right now, the ace of the Canadian World Baseball Classic team).

After the top three, though, things get a little dicey. Aaron Civale (4.92 ERA, 78 ERA+) and Zach Plesac (4.31 ERA, 89 ERA+) both struggled in 2022 with injuries and poor performance. Both ended the year as below-average starters.

However, due to a number of factors, this season will be a time for the Guardians to make difficult decisions on players who have been a part of their recent success, including Plesac and Civale. There are three obvious reasons the Guardians should be concerned with Plesac in particular and potentially considering alternatives in the near future.

Cleveland's Options to Fill Out the Rotation Are Plentiful

While the Guardians did not make any major additions to the rotation in free agency, that does not mean either Civale or Plesac are guaranteed a spot in the rotation throughout this season. The Guardians have plenty of depth, with intriguing options Xzavion Curry and Konnor Pilkington nearly ready for the majors, and prospects Joey Cantillo, Logan Allen and Tanner Bibee not far behind. Add to that depth pieces such as former top prospect Touki Toussaint, who the Guardians added as a minor-league free agent after he was designated for assignment by the Los Angeles Angels in November, and the Guardians are not short on options should one or both of their final two starters falter.

It is also worth noting that the Guardians are flush with prospect talent, so much so that there is not room for all of their prospects to make an impact at the major-league level in Cleveland. This is a unique and exciting problem to have, but it also opens up the potential for them to make a high-impact mid-season acquisition. They have recently been connected to high-profile names such as Milwaukee Brewers’ ace and impending free agent Corbin Burnes.

Needless to say, the myriad of options that the Guardians have at their disposal, and the flexibility that they have to add both payroll and players throughout the season if needed, puts them in a good position. However, it also puts pressure on Civale and Plesac to perform right out of the gate. Plesac in particular presents an interesting case because he combines performance issues with character concerns that have stunted his progression as a pitcher and limited his availability at times over the past few seasons.

Plesac's Act Has Gotten Old, and Worn on the Team

In August 2020, Plesac was placed on the restricted list for breaking COVID-19 protocols. Along with a half-hearted apology that was not well-received by teammates at the time, he posted a controversial and ill-advised Instagram video defending his actions while trying to villainize the media for covering them.

In 2021,m he broke his thumb in a tantrum after allowing five runs in an outing against the Twins. Then in August 2022, Plesac broke his hand and missed the Guardians’ wild-card round after punching the pitching mound in response to allowing a home run by the Mariners' Jake Lamb in a start that meant nothing.

His antics have alienated teammates and show a level of immaturity that at this point has to be questioned. Will he ever be able to get through a season without drama negatively impacting the team? Can the Guardians count on him when it matters? And should they?

Plesac's On-field Performance Is Reason Enough to Be Concerned

On and off-field drama aside, Plesac’s performance would be concerning enough. His velocity has dropped from a useable 94 mph to a pedestrian 92 mph average on his fastball. This is combined with breaking pitches that consistently grade as less than major-league average. Unfortunately for Plesac and the Guardians, the on-field results match with him posting a 4.67 ERA in 2021, followed by a 4.39 ERA and 3-11 record in 2022.

Potentially more concerning, Plesac’s struggles have continued into spring training in 2023. In his first outing, he put up an ugly first start, allowing six hits and five runs in 1.2 IP against the Rangers on February 26. He followed this by “bouncing back” with a 2.1-inning performance against the Brewers that forced manager Terry Francona to use the unique spring training rule that allows a team to pull a struggling pitcher one inning and put them back in the next in order to get work in and protect them from injury.

Plesac does not have a dominant pitch that would point to him being successful out of the bullpen, so his future is likely as a starter. All said, Plesac has fallen a long way from when he was the presumed number-two starter in Cleveland in 2020. His prospect status has dimmed, his on- and off-field antics are reason for serious concern, and his performance makes it so that he is likely on his last shot in Cleveland. His status is something to watch as spring training progresses and the 2023 regular season begins.

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Guardians have plan for 2022 saves leader Emmanuel Clase to be even better

News-Herald

By JEFF SCHUDEL

March 7, 2023 at 4:21 p.m.

Emmanuel Clase saved more games than any other pitcher in the major leagues last season, and now pitching coach Carl Willis has a plan to make the Guardians’ closer even better.

Clase made his Cactus League debut March 6 when he retired all three batters he faced in a 6-0 loss to the Angels. He threw 12 pitches. Nine of them were sliders. The first two batters he faced grounded out. He got Livan Soto looking at a 2-2 slider for a called strike three for the third out.

“I was really excited to get my first appearance,” Clase told reporters through an interpreter. “The plan was to work on sliders. They were doing what I wanted them to do.”

Clase’s slider was hitting 91 mph on the radar gun. He can hit 100 mph with his fastball and cutter.

Clase appeared in 77 games in 2022. He finished 67 of them and recorded 42 saves. He topped the majors in all three categories.

That fastball in the high 90s or 100 mph can freeze hitters, although it’s worth noting Clase is not just a strikeout pitcher. He struck out 77 batters in 72 2/3 innings last year — only slightly more than a strikeout an inning. James Karinchak, by contrast, struck out 78 batters in 55 1/3 innings in 2021 and 62 batters in 39 innings last season.

“The one thing that showed itself last year was when (Clase) accidentally got to the top of the strike zone and above, hitters really couldn’t pull the trigger or got beat,” Willis told reporters covering spring training. “We’re working on establishing the ability for him to do that when he wants to do it as opposed to just the occasional accident.

“I think that will help in terms of maybe changing some eye levels a little bit and give him another area of the strike zone to attack. With the action he gets on it, it’s a tough pitch to hit.”

Oddly, baseball-reference.com projects Clase saving only 22 games in 2023 while pitching 68 innings. The website doesn’t go into detail about whether the 24-year-old reliever from the Dominican Republic will have a down season compared to last year or whether the Guardians will score so many runs that Clase will be pitching in non-save situations. Clase finished 51 games and earned 24 saves in 2021.

The plan, Manager Terry Francona said, is for Clase to make eight more Cactus League appearances so the ace closer will be ready to go when the games start to count beginning with the season opener March 30 in Seattle.

Clase has been working on throwing high strikes as Willis suggested. He threw about 10 bullpen sessions before he pitched an inning vs. the Angels.

“We’ll try to incorporate it this year,” Clase said. “I’ve been working on it in the bullpens and the live BP, and we’re getting good results so far.”

Clase is signed through 2026. The Guardians hold club options for 2027 and 2028.

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GUARDIANS SHOW

Will José Ramírez have another 30/30 season in 2023 with new rules? | Locked On Guardians

The new rules in Major League Baseball could make it possible for Ramírez to repeat his performances from 2018 and 2021.

Author: Stacey Gotsulias (Locked On)

Updated: 2:29 PM EST March 7, 2023

CLEVELAND —

Cleveland Guardians' third baseman José Ramirez, finished fourth in the 2022 American League MVP race. He hit 29 home runs, smacked an American League-high 44 doubles and he stole 20 bases while putting up a .280/.355/.514 batting line and battling a thumb injury that was so bad, he underwent surgery in the offseason to correct it.

He’s also been the type of player to wreak havoc on the base paths but now with the new rules in baseball for the 2023 season which include bigger bases, fewer pitcher disengagements, the shift ban, and the pitch clock, can Ramirez take advantage of those changes and have a 30/30 season?

On the latest episode of the Locked On Guardians podcast, hosts Jeff Ellis and Justin Lada discussed the possibility. Ramirez already has one 30/30 season under his belt. In 2018, he hit 39 home runs and stole a career-high 34 bases—he also finished third in the AL MVP vote. Ramirez nearly got it again in 2021 when he finished with 36 home runs and 27 stolen bases on 31 attempts.

During the offseason, Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie discussed the new rules and how he thinks they could help his veteran teammate.

McKenzie said, “I think the game is going to have to be a little more athletic in certain aspects, but I don’t think it’s going to change the game to a degree that everybody thinks it’s going to change it to. I think there’s going to be numbers that are going to change, but the game is going to stay the same.”

Then when it was mentioned that some of his teammates could put up even bigger numbers because of the shift ban, McKenzie made it a point to mention Ramirez who had some hits taken away up the middle in 2022—he hit up the middle at a 50% clip.

Each Locked On Guardians co-host had a different prediction for Ramirez in 2023.

Ellis, erring on the side of caution, doesn’t think Ramirez will have a 30/30 season. He gives a number of reasons but the main one is Ramirez’s health, He cites how the thumb injury and subsequent surgery could prevent the Guardians from giving Ramirez the green light to steal to start off the season.

Ellis also thinks it’s possible the injury made it so Ramirez couldn’t prepare for the season the same way he has in other off-seasons. And finally, Ellis thinks age might come into play. Ramirez is turning 31 in September and it’s normal to see a player regress a bit after hitting 30.

Lada, on the other hand, thinks Ramirez can get to 30/30 again. He cited all of his stealing attempts in previous years—and made it a point to mention 2018 when Ramirez attempted to steal 40 times and was caught six times. Lada even predicted that Ramirez would finish 2023 with exactly 30 steals while attempting 35.

And while Lada pointed out that the bigger bases could help Ramirez, Ellis countered with the idea that it’s possible the bigger bases could hurt him if he slides head-first into second base. They also discussed Ramirez’s sprint speed and how it’s increased in recent years and how aggressive he can be on the base paths.

Plus, with the new disengagement rules for pitchers—they’re only allowed two disengagements per plate appearance (disengagements are any time the pitcher makes a pickoff attempt, fakes a pickoff, or steps off the rubber for any reason, as well as when the defense requests time)—it’s possible José Ramirez will take advantage of every new rule baseball implemented for the 2023 season and if he stays healthy, could have a monster season for the Guardians.

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How The New Rules Give the Guardians an Advantage.

Published by Matt Milner on March 7, 2023

Well, the inevitable has happened, after years of back and forth between the MLB and MLBPA, the pitch clock, 18-inch bags, plus shift and pick-off restrictions have invaded baseball. The reactions have been a mixture of either defeated acceptance or downright refusal of the new reality. As I sift through the clips of pitch clock violations and the moaning and groaning of MLB fans, I’ve come to find something out that most fans might not realize: the Cleveland Guardians might have a leg up on most of the league. Actually, there might be a case that the team was one year ahead of the curve, and diving into the numbers it might be safe to project that the Guardians can continue to thrive with their style of play.

One of the points of emphasis that the league has wanted to improve was that teams have slowly drifted away from stolen bases. In 2000, the league average on stolen bases by a team was 97, in 2022 the average dropped to 83 stolen bases. One of the reasons the Guardos had success last year was their aggressiveness on the basepaths. They ranked 3rd in MLB in stolen bases with 119, with the Guardians having 5 players that stole more than 20+ bases in 2022. With the new rules in place for this season and beyond, accompanied by the 18-inch bases and limits on pick-offs, the early spring training results showed a 74% jump in stolen base attempts which if you are a guardians fan should make you giddy. The thought of the team that stole 0.73 bases a game, having the opportunity to run even more wild on the bases should be salivating. With the speed and savvy that most of the roster possess, on top of Sandy Alomar’s keen eye for detecting and creating advantages for Guardians baserunners to get great jumps everyone involved should be in line for career years in the stolen base department.

While stolen bases will probably be welcomed with open arms, the pitch clock has had a more contentious unveiling. With the pace of play being a topic for many years the pitch clock is supposed to increase the tempo while cutting out the dead time, which for some players has been a tough adjustment so far in spring training, the Guardians on the other hand are pretty well equipped when it comes to tempo. Last year the league average time between pitches according to Statcast before the pitch clock was 18.1 seconds, the Guardians as a whole were the fastest in the league on average with 16.6 seconds in between pitches. To put that into perspective, with the pitch clock set at 15 seconds for the pitcher to deliver a pitch, the Guardians won’t have to feel rushed since they are already used to pitching at a quicker tempo. Most of the pitchers on the staff have been used to these conditions with the pitch clock being instituted in Double-A & Triple-A back in 2015, so the number of times a pitch clock violation might happen this year should be pretty slim. The same can be said for the hitters; outside of Josh Bell, Jose Ramirez, and Mike Zunino, all of the Guards’ key core pieces have played with the pitch clock in some form or fashion in their pro careers before reaching the big leagues so the majority of the roster isn’t even worried about it.

Not to mention that the Guardians won’t have to worry about the shift restrictions, they were one of the teams that shifted the least in the league, and with 4 glove winners in 2022 it’s hard to argue against them. This was a group that was a top 10 in most defensive metrics, including a “Def” score (which measures defensive value relative to the league) of 18.8 according to Fangraphs, which made them the 5th best fielding team in the big leagues. The most important member of the group being the defensive savant in Myles Straw, who by himself posted a defensive fWAR of 16.3 last year! He’ll have a lot more responsibility as the new shift allowed under the new rules now moves a corner outfielder in the rover spot in the outfield.

While some teams might not be able to mask the inefficiencies that were previously available, Myles Straw’s value just got significantly higher with how much ground he’ll need to cover, and with his elite speed and instincts, he should have no problem adjusting.

Obviously, success from year to year isn’t always linear, maybe my confidence is misguided and I’m just hanging on to the fact that Cleveland was a year ahead of the trend. Maybe the league will catch up and we might not be just the trend hipsters of the baseball world while our style of play becomes mainstream. The great thing about spring training is I can be as optimistic as I want but as I laid out if anything there’s a reason to believe that last year’s formula might be able to be replicated and might be even better.

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Guardians

Guardians’ Triston McKenzie puts ‘fear of trying to be perfect’ behind him

By Paul Hoynes

Updated: Mar. 07, 2023, 9:29 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --

Triston McKenzie called it fear, but he didn’t really mean it.

At least not the middle-of-the-night, cold-sweat fear that works its way down your spine when you hear a strange footstep on the staircase.

McKenzie was talking about trying to stay in the big leagues as a young pitcher when the plate is dancing and none of your pitches are crossing it for strikes.

In 2021, McKenzie’s first full season in the big leagues, he was 23. In his first 11 games, he averaged 8.29 walks per nine innings. That’s not good.

On the other side, he averaged 12.54 strikeouts per nine innings, while allowing just 28 hits in 42 1/3 innings. That’s good.

It seemed as if there was a battle for McKenzie’s pitching soul.

“For you to play the game of baseball, especially at a high level, you have to throw strikes,” McKenzie said recently at the Guardians spring training site in Goodyear, Arizona. “So, once I got over the fear of trying to be perfect on the edge of the zone, and let my stuff play in the middle of the zone, it was kind of life changing.”

An old pitching coach once had this T-shirt made for his pitchers: “Throw strikes, work fast, Babe Ruth is dead.”

But a T-shirt can take you only so far.

McKenzie finished the 2021 season at 5-9 with a 4.28 ERA. He struck out 136 batters (11/9) and walked 58 (4.4/9). The opposition hit .194 against him.

Last year McKenzie walked 44 batters (2.1/9) and struck out 190 (8.9/9) in 191 1/3 innings. The opposition hit .201 against him.

He had turned a corner.

McKenzie explained his tug-of-war with walks in 2021 this way, “I wouldn’t say it’s a fear factor, specifically. I think it’s more like you’re a little kid and you want to get to the big leagues. When you finally get to the big leagues, it’s like I want to stay in the big leagues. So, I don’t want to throw pitches over the middle of the plate to Salvador Perez. I need to be on the corners.”

McKenzie bounced between Cleveland and Class AAA Columbus four times in 2021. It didn’t matter if it was a power hitter such as Perez or someone at the bottom of the lineup, McKenzie felt any hitter could send him back to Columbus.

“No matter if it’s the No. 9 hitter, you’re always worried, ‘Is this the pitch that’s going to get me sent down?’” he said. “Is this the pitch that’s going to get hit out and the coaches are going to start questioning what I’m doing out there? As opposed to me just going out there and playing the game for what it is -- trying to get outs and trying to compete.”

There was something else at work. Young players usually try so hard to stay in the big leagues that they internalize everything. It’s me, me, me all the time. The team aspect of the game can get lost.

“I think I was thinking more selfishly as opposed to thinking about the team,” said McKenzie. “Once I got past that fear about making the game about myself more than just making the game the game, everything cleared up to be as it’s supposed to be.”

Every season brings a new challenge. McKenzie, who set career highs in wins, starts, innings pitched and strikeouts last season, also allowed 25 homers. The 25 homers led all Cleveland pitchers.

“Solo home runs don’t ever bother me,” said McKenzie. “But it’s more like when I compound my mistakes. I give up a hit, then let it turns into a walk or something else and then I give up the home run.”

McKenzie is still trying to pull all parts of his game together. That includes keeping the ball in the park.

The good thing is he rarely gets hit. In two plus seasons in the big leagues, the opposition is hitting just .197 against him.

“He has really good ride on his fastball,” said manager Terry Francona. “So whatever the gun says it plays up. Then he’s got two breaking balls and they’re both pretty good. Then he has a changeup.”

The 6-foot-5, 170-pound McKenzie has deception in his delivery as well. From the batter’s box he is all knees and elbows.

“I’ve got long levers and I hide the ball,” he said.

McKenzie’s said his confidence has grown because of how he’s been able to “attack the strike zone and go right after hitters.” He’s dealt with the fear and come out the other side.

“My goal this year literally is to go out there and every time I step on the mound, I want the team to feel it has a chance to win,” said McKenzie.

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Guardians

Guardians’ Terry Francona encouraged by progress of lefty Sam Hentges

By Paul Hoynes

Updated: Mar. 08, 2023, 9:04 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --

The Guardians’ successful bullpen from last year is coming back into focus.

Closer Emmanuel Clase made his first appearance of spring training on Monday against the Angels. He retired the side in order on 12 pitches.

On Wednesday afternoon, Nick Sandlin and Enyel De Los Santos made their Cactus League debuts in a 6-0 win over Mexico at Goodyear Ballpark. In the same game James Karinchak made his fourth appearance of the spring and Trevor Stephan made his second.

Eli Morgan is scheduled to make his fourth appearance in a B game Thursday morning against the Padres in Peoria, Arizona.

That leaves just two of Cleveland’s heavy-lifting relievers from last year among the missing -- Bryan Shaw and Sam Hentges. Shaw signed a minor league deal with the White Sox. Hentges has hardly been missing, but he’s only made one appearance this spring because of a sore left shoulder.

Dr. Mark Schickendantz, the Guardians head team physician, examined Hentges on Monday. Manager Terry Francona was encouraged by the results of that examination.

“It was really, really encouraging,” Francona told mlb.com. “To the point that they’re going to let him do dry work and stuff. He’s a big, strong kid. I think sometimes some guys almost literally will themselves to getting (better). ... It’s just not gonna be a surprise if he comes [back] quick.”

Hentges, 6-8 and 245 pounds, made his only appearance of the spring on Feb. 26 against Texas. He was shut down after that with Francona saying he’d be evaluated on a “week-by-week” basis.

That leaves a lot gray area to work through, but even a quick recovery could land Hentges on the injured list for the March 30 season opener in Seattle.

Still, it’s good news that he’s making progress. Last year Hentges became a vital part of the pen. He went 3-2 with one save and 2.32 ERA in a career-high 57 games. He struck out 72 in 62 innings and had a second half to remember.

Hentges posted a 0.30 ERA after the All-Star break. He allowed one run over 29 2/3 innings with 36 strikeouts and five walks. The opposition hit .121 against him.

Francona and pitching coach Carl Willis, meanwhile, will be trying to fill two spots in the bullpen behind Clase, Karinchak, Stephan, Sandlin, De Los Santos and Morgan, while waiting for Hentges. There are candidates, but no one has jumped off the page just yet.

Then again there are still 20 exhibition games left.

Last season the bullpen went 43-19 with a 3.05 ERA and 51 saves in 69 chances. The ERA was the third lowest in the AL. They ranked second in saves.

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