Rocchio’s home run total has plummeted, but he has made massive improvements with his walk and strikeout rates and, in turn, boasts a higher OPS than he did last season.

Meaning he is now the model Guardians offensive player. I

Mandy Bell
@MandyBell02
·
10m
The Guardians have officially put Josh Naylor and Tyler Freeman on the injured list. The team called up Jose Tena and acquired OF Kole Calhoun from the Dodgers.

uck. Tena has a career 3 at bats in AAA. No OF on Columbus is worth promotion; Noel is only 21; J Rodriguez has been there a week; everyone else was traded last winter.

Calhoun hit 196/257/330 for Texas last year
At age 35 this year in AAA he hit 297/376/530. LH hitting OF.

Mandy Bell
@MandyBell02
·
1h
Josh Naylor underwent an MRI yesterday which revealed an oblique strain. He’s been given a 3-6 week time table but Francona said that’s “extremely tentative.” He’ll be rechecked weekly.

yuck!

ANALYSIS & EDITORIALS

What to watch for as Guardians fans in August and September
After the Civale and Bell trades, why should the Cleveland faithful continue to pay attention?

By Quincy Wheeler Aug 5, 2023, 11:53am EDT

It's been a tough past week for Guardians fans who were hoping for a push for the 2023 division title. As games continue to sell-out at Progressive Field, what are some reasons fans should continue to be invested in the current team and season?

See if Andres Gimenez, Will Brennan, Oscar Gonzalez, Brayan Rocchio, Gabriel Arias and Bo Naylor can figure it out at the plate.

These six young hitters are currently crucial to the Guardians figuring out their offensive issues which have them 23rd in MLB in wRC+. Each have shown promise throughout the year, but 2-3 breakouts in the next two months would be the most exciting possible outcome for the rest of the year.

Get the bullpen circle of trust figured out.

I think it may make sense for the Guardians to trade a bullpen arm in the offseason. So, who among the Sam Hentges, Trevor Stephan, Enyel De Los Santos, Nick Sandlin, James Karinchak, Tim Herrin, Eli Morgan and Xzavion Curry bunch deserves to join with Emmanuel Clase in 2024 in locking down games for the Guardians? Which would fetch the most return in a trade without crippling the team’s chances to compete?

For me, Stephan, Hentges, De Los Santos and Curry are my favorite non-Clase arms of the bunch. I’d like to see their strikeout totals tick up and all of them make it through the year healthy. I adore Eli Morgan and Nick sandlin as players, but the gopherball is an issue there - can they get that under control? James Karinchak not only gives up homers but routinely walks the side in Triple-A - can he find it? Tim Herrin has great stuff but zero control was shown in the bigs - can he gain confidence and the ability to consistently pump it in the zone?

Triumphant returns from a healthy Josh Naylor, Tyler Freeman, Triston McKenzie, Shane Bieber and Cal Quantrill.

Naylor hitting the IL is a huge letdown, but it sounds like they caught it fairly early. Obliques can be tricky, but getting him back by the end of August would be a huge win. For Freeman, it's important that he shows the reoccurring shoulder issues are something he can overcome.

The end of the season will be a huge victory if Triston McKenzie is able to return to throwing and looks healthy. It’s a huge “if,” but I’ll be content no matter the final record, at this point, if Sticks looks like he’s going to dodge Tommy John. I can’t say I think that scenario is likely, but I’m sure as heck hoping for it, anyway.

Bieber coming back strong in September is similarly important. I think it’s likely that Cleveland enters 2024 with Bieber in the rotation at this point, and they may even keep him and let him walk after the season ends for a comp pick. The team doesn’t have the pitching depth to have both Bieber and McKenzie get Tommy John and feel good about next year’s rotation. They need at least one to look healthy and able to help.

I may be among the few Cal Quantrill defenders left in the world. I do think, when healthy, he can resume his ability to put up ERA’s almost a run better than his FIP, especially with a good shortstop defender backing him up. I also enjoy him as a person and miss his exceptional postgame interviews. So, I’m rooting for him to get healthy and prove his value as a back of the rotation starter.

Individual accomplishments: Can Jose get 25 homers and 25 steals? Will Steven Kwan, Gimenez, and Jose win Gold Gloves?

I recognize that fans are justified to say, “Who cares? I just want a World Series.” Completely fair and I agree. I’ll still hope for guys to put up some good numbers and get some awards because I like these guys and want them to be recognized for their hard work and talents.

We should also enjoy every moment that José Ramírez plays for our favorite baseball team because I guarantee we will miss him when he's gone. What a delight he is and he actually wants to be here.

Keep Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Logan Allen healthy and get them to around 150 innings pitched.

The future success of the Guardians is definitely centered on their young pitching. If these three can get a good amount of healthy innings in at the major league level, it makes 2024 that much more exciting.

Follow the careers of Kyle Manzardo, George Valera, Juan Brito, Jhonkensy Noel, Micah Pries, Johnathan Rodriguez, Jose Tena, Bryan Lavastida, Angel Martinez, Dayan Frias, Jake Fox, Petey Halpin, Kahlil Watson, Jaison Chourio, and Welbyn Francisca with great interest.

There are a lot of exciting prospects in the Guardians' system who will be crucial to 2024 and beyond. Seeing those players perform well for the next two months would be a great sign. If Manzardo can come back in two weeks, as Antonetti recently indicated, he may be able to set himself up to make the Opening Day roster. Valera needs to show that hand strength is back, Rodriguez needs to show that plate discipline he found at Double-A can travel to Triple-A, Noel needs to make more contact... there is something for each hitter to do to show the strength of the farm system remains strong.

Watch for starts/appearances from Joey Cantillo, Cody Morris, Doug Nikhazy, Will Dion, Franco Aleman, and Cade Smith.

Cleveland pitching in the minors is at the lowest point it has been for a while because of the graduations of Bibee, Allen and Williams. Justin Campbell and Daniel Espino being hurt doesn't help nor does slow development for guys like Tanner Burns and Tommy Mace. Each of the arms listed above, however, have shown consistent flashes of brilliance and can play a big part in making the Cleveland pitching factory continue to churn.

See how Terry Francona evaluates his decision on continuing to manage the team.

I'm unsure of if Tito wants to retire or not. I have no idea how his recent hospitalization affects that. I hope that he does what is right for his own health and his family. If he moves to a more background role, I hope the team has found the right mix of clubhouse captain and analytically-minded game strategist to put in his place between guys both inside and outside the organization.

The possibility of the hilarious happening.

I can't say I'd put much faith into the Guardians advancing very far in the playoffs, but the possibility of them miraculously beating the Twins given their respective schedules the next two months is just potentially funny enough to keep me checking the standings every day.

Me Too

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Gabriel Arias' Bat Has Been Bright Spot For Guardians

By Tommy Wild | Last updated 8/3/23

The Cleveland Guardians have been searching for some good vibes over the last week. They're now 4-6 in their last 10 games which includes being swept by the Houston Astors and many of the young players dealing with the stress that is the trade deadline for the first time.

But there are some positives we can look at from the last week of baseball and one of those is the emergence of Gabriel Arias' bat.

The Guardians' decision to trade Amed Rosario primarily had to do with giving Arias and Tyler Freeman the opportunity to show what they can do at shortstop as the organization asses their future. So far, Arias has been given the keys to the position and he hasn't disappointed.

It was clear that Arias is a naturally gifted defender. He ranks in the 82nd percentile in arm strength and 66th percentile in OAA. However, it's been the offense that has been the real question in his game. The natural power is there, but we've been waiting to see it come with some consistency.

Terry Francona talked about this before the team shipped out their veteran shortstop. The message was that they know Arias is a gifted defender and are pretty certain there's a solid hitter in there too.

All Arias needed to prove himself were consistent and everyday at-bats.

Since the trade, he's been hitting .333 and slugging .429. His average on balls put in play has also skyrocketed to .500 which is exactly the type of hitter that the Guardians have been waiting for.

This uptick in production included Arias' first career three-hit game against the Astors on Tuesday. He went 3-for-4 in this game which included a run scored too. Watching Arias smoke a double down the left field line on Wednesday afternoon which scored both Brayan Rocchio and Oscar Gonzalez was a glimpse into the future for Guardians fans.

It's been barely a week since social media lit up following the Rosario news so this is a small sample size. But Arias's production has been an encouraging sign for a team looking for a spark.

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ANALYSIS & EDITORIALS

Making sense of the Guardians’ 2023 trade deadline moves
Like Terry Pluto, the Guardians have me talking to myself

By Quincy Wheeler Aug 2, 2023, 6:15pm EDT

After an inactive trade deadline in 2022, no one can accuse the Cleveland front office of not making some moves in 2023. We are only left with the question of whether they were the RIGHT moves.

First, trading Amed Rosario to the Dodgers for Noah Syndergaard

It’s hard not to be positive about this move. Rosario was 56th of 56 shortstops in MLB with 100 or more plate appearances in defensive value according to FanGraphs. He had a very disappointing 87 wRC+. He was cemented into the number 2 spot in the lineup day-in and day-out while intriguing young shortstops like Gabriel Arias, Tyler Freeman and Brayan Rocchio cooled their heels on the bench or engaged in Sisyphean labors in Columbus. To be able to trade Rosario and get a pitcher with at least the potential to eat some innings and give the team a chance to stay in games is a clear win in value. The Guardians also get the opportunity to see if they can provide Syndergaard a place to feel comfortable so that he might even consider a one-year deal here in 2024 if things go well. Or, they can happily let him walk when the season ends.

The risk in this move is the potential effects on clubhouse morale. It seems pretty clear that Rosario was mostly beloved by his teammates. Jose Ramirez’s friendship with him is well-known, to the point where Ramirez (jokingly?) offered to help pay for part of a contract extension for Amed last season. I can’t imagine that Rosario’s teammates are entirely unaware of his offensive and defensive struggles, but it’s also fair to remember that these players are human. It can be a gut-punch to lose a guy who is always ready to give his all everyday, even while acknowledging that “his all” was rarely good enough to make a significant difference in the team winning games in 2023.

I am excited to see Gabriel Arias get an extended run at shortstop. I hope Tyler Freeman’s shoulder is ok and he gets some AB’s there. I’d really like to see Rocchio get some reps all over the infield. I’d be interested in giving Juan Brito some AB’s in September as well.

Trading Amed Rosario is a win in my book, and getting a useful arm for 2023 in Syndergaard in the deal is a huge bonus. Really, the only downside to this move is that the Front Office doesn’t seem to have pursued trading Amed Rosario last summer or in the offseason when his value was likely significantly higher, but I think we can understand why they were reluctant to do that given his place in the team’s clubhouse.

Second, trading Aaron Civale to the Rays for Kyle Manzardo

This is the most controversial trade. Civale was pitching as well as any AL pitcher in the month of July and with Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill all hurt, his presence seemed pretty crucial if the team wanted to make a real run at the AL Central - unless the Guardians had a plan to replace his innings by trading for a Jack Flaherty-type rental (which, as we now know, they did not).

Personally, I was in favor of trading Civale if the team could find young, controllable slugging/hitting to help fix their punchless lineup in 2024 and beyond. The question, now, is whether or not Kyle Manzardo fits that bill, a question to which we don’t yet know the answer. The conspiracy theory side of my brain fears trading with the Rays, who aren’t perfect, but usually seem to understand how to get value from trades, especially recent deals with Cleveland. Manzardo being shelved with a shoulder injury, currently, adds to that fear, as shoulder injuries for hitters are often nagging, Tyler Freeman’s latest shelving being but the latest reminder of that.

However, I understand that a major league front office can’t share a fan’s concerns in this area; if the front office evaluates Manzardo as a future middle-of-the-order hitter, trading the oft-injured Civale for him now made a ton of sense. Civale has never pitched more than 124 innings in a season and he last did that in 2021, so it’s sketchy whether he’s really going to be good for another 10 or so starts this season if past precedent is any guide. With starting pitching going at a premium, it made complete sense to cash in on Civale with 2.3 years of control left with Bieber not an option to be traded at the moment.

FanGraphs ranked the 23 year-old Manzardo as the 31st best prospect in MLB, MLB Pipeline has him as the 37th best, Kiley McDaniel for ESPN ranked him as the 87th best prospect, and Keith Law from the Athletic had him at 81st in baseball. For his minor league career, the left-handed hitting Manzardo has a 140 wRC+, with a 17.9/13.8 K/BB%. His ISO has been comfortably in the .250 range. While Manzardo has had a difficult 2023 season (undoubtedly affected by the aforementioned shoulder issues), he’s still managed a solid 8.7% Swinging Strike Rate, and his hard-hit rate at Triple-A is an excellent 48% with a max exit velo measured at 112.2 mph, leading me to conclude that a meager .269 BABIP is the likely main culprit for his 93 wRC+ at Triple-A overall rather than any meaningful struggles to hit pitching at that level. Manzardo hasn’t been amazing against LHP in 139 minor-league AB’s against them, with an OPS of around .650, but I think that should fairly be considered a small sample size, so far. Manzardo also has the reputation of being an above-average defender at first-base.

To me, the biggest concern about Manzardo, aside from the shoulder injury, is what message acquiring him sends to Josh Naylor, the Guardians’ breakout performer at first-base in 2023. How does Naylor take the news that the Guardians may prefer him primarily as a DH, which, if true, will lower his salary in arbitration and potential extension or free agency negotiations in the future? Do the Guardians think Naylor can make himself into a playable option in right-field? If so, I hope they’re communicating that to him, and further, I REALLY hope they are right. My guess is they believe in Josh Naylor to do what’s best for the team and agree to some sort of split between first base and DH with Manzardo. I just hope they aren’t jerking him around and using this move and his younger brother’s presence here as a method of getting him to sign a more team-friendly extension in the spring. I also hope they don’t see him as expendable because I see him as one of the few trustworthy middle-of-the-order bats on the team and as a guy who has stepped up as a team leader the past two years, doing everything the organization has asked of him.

While it would be ideal if Manzardo was a right-handed hitting outfielder with a fully healthy shoulder, it’s hard to argue with the potential of his bat and the rarity of such players being made available in the trade market. To get a player like that for 2.3 years of an oft-injured pitcher whose ceiling is probably a #3 starter for a playoff team is something I think Guardians fans should be reasonably optimistic about, while expressing some reasonable questions about how the move will affect the team’s handling of Josh Naylor.

I do wonder how this trade reflects on the team’s view of players like George Valera, Juan Brito, Angel Martinez, Oscar Gonzalez, Will Brennan, Johnathan Rodriguez and Johnkensy Noel. Do the Guardians think an answer to their outfield hitting issues for 2024 and beyond is found in that group (with a position switch consequently in the offing for Brito and/or Martinez)? I also wonder if dealing Civale makes trading Bieber in the offseason less likely. Perhaps the team keeps him and lets him rebuild value before the 2024 deadline, keeps him through 2024 and lets him walk for a compensatory draft pick, or even revisits extension talks in the spring with Bieber’s injury history perhaps bringing him into the team’s preferred range of salaries again.

Third, trading Josh Bell to the Marlins for Jean Segura and Khalil Watson

One level of this deal is obvious - the Guardians did not want Josh Bell’s contract for 2024 and did not want him taking further DH AB’s away from younger players they need to evaluate in 2023 and need to contribute in 2024. So, they took Jean Segura’s deadweight contract from the Marlins which will save Cleveland somewhere between $8-10 million dollars, and released Segura (Cleveland fans wanting to get on Zack Meisel’s random Guardians jersey countdown will be ordering that Segura custom jersey).

I find it surprising that the Guardians managed to get a decent prospect in this deal in Khalil Watson. A first-round pick in 2021, Watson hasn’t raced through the minors, but he’s still barely 20 years old and has a 104 wRC+ for the Marlins’ High-A affiliate. He has a reasonable 12.4% Swinging Strike rate, and overall in the minors he has a 110 wRC+ with a 31.2/11.2 K/BB%. He was suspended for pantomiming shooting an umpire with his bat - he’s barely 20 years old, so this incident doesn’t concern me much, but I guess his emotional control will have to be monitored by coaches.

FanGraphs ranked Watson as the Marlins 13th best prospect, Pipeline had him 11th for them, McDaniel had him 2nd in Miami’s farm for ESPN, and Keith Law put him at 9th in their system. The general consensus seems to be that Watson is unlikely to stick at shortstop, his drafted position, but has the athleticism to play potentially in a multiple other positions. Personally, I’d enjoy seeing Watson get some time in the outfield in Cleveland’s farm, where his bat probably would play best in centerfield.

The Marlins recognize that Bell is still taking walks and hitting the ball hard, so they were willing to take on some extra money and trade Cleveland a prospect who still has a lot of potential, even though it is still mostly unproven. It’s hard for me not to see this deal as a likely clear win for Cleveland, given that Bell was unable to provide any consistent level of production for the team in 2023. Watson provides nothing to help the 2023 club, however, and since he will start in Lake County and isn’t Rule 5 eligible until fall of 2025, it’s unlikely he helps the team in 2024, either. So, while trading Bell makes sense and getting Watson in the deal is exciting, it doesn’t help the 2023 roster at all, and likely hurts it.

It’s not hard to understand why it’s being rumored that the Guardians’ players are not feeling great about the deadline moves. The trades of Civale and Bell are clear blows to the ability of the 2023 team to win a Central Division title. I suspect the Cleveland front office knows that of the 50-some remaining games on the Guardians’ schedule, only 12 are against teams under .500 and, so, a run to beat the Twins was and is unlikely and so concluded that possibility was not something worth gambling on acquiring a couple rental players to help pursue, nor was it worth retaining Civale and Bell when these two returns were out there. However, there’s no denying that losing valuable contributors will be a tough pill for the Guardians current roster to swallow.

In the end, Guardians’ players and their manager have to look in the mirror and recognize their poor performances as a key factor in the team’s subpar record this season. The front office recognized their own failures in targeting Mike Zunino and Josh Bell in free agency, and retaining Amed Rosario as a shortstop with shift restrictions coming into play, and tried to re-align resources accordingly. Players like Gimenez, Brennan, Straw and Gonzalez need to do the hard work necessary to right the ship that has gone off-course for each in their own way. This young team needs to come together under its veteran, future Hall-of-Fame manager and put the hard work into trying to win games regardless of who is on the roster.

Future seasons will show whether or not the Guardians 2023 trade deadline was a success or a failure, but, for now, I think the front office had the right approach to the past week’s events, conceptually. They needed to use some resources to help their lineup and did. They needed to move on from Amed Rosario and Josh Bell, and they did, and even somehow acquired useful pieces in both deals. I hope they will be aggressive in promotions and playing time for the young players they need to contribute in future seasons for the remaining games in this season. I hope the young starting rotation will continue to grow and learn in the months ahead, and, most importantly, get and remain healthy enough to throw enough innings to make a full season’s worth of work possible in 2024.

Evaluating the development of the Guardians’ young players in the majors is the measure through which fans of the team should regard the remainder of this season. That statement, in itself, is a disappointing admission to make for an organization that won a division and a playoff series in 2022. It’s up to the Guardians to surprise us in 2023, or to make 2024 the beginning of a redemption arc for this organization’s failures this season.

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4 reasons why the Cleveland Guardians have seen an attendance spike this season

The Guardians are drawing huge crowds to Progressive Field this season - how are they doing it?


By Steve DiMatteo | 9:18 AM EDT

A few weeks ago, when the Philadelphia Phillies were in town, the Cleveland Guardians drew 108,003 fans to Progressive Field, their biggest three-game weekend series draw since 2008. And on Friday night against the White Sox, the Guardians played to a sellout crowd once again, their fifth of the season.

As of now, the Guardians rank 21st in attendance, averaging just over 23,000 fans a game, which puts them just behind the Arizona Diamondbacks and ahead of the bottom-feeders of baseball (not to mention the Baltimore Orioles too).

So what's going on here? Why are fans turning out in droves to watch the Guardians? Let's take a look.

4 Reasons Why the Cleveland Guardians Are Seeing Increased Attendance

The pitch clock

This is no doubt playing an outsized role in the continued resurgence of MLB's popularity this season. Across the league, attendance and interest is way up, in some cases at levels the game hasn't seen in nearly two decades. The pitch clock has shaved off roughly thirty minutes of filler, allowing fans to enjoy a fun, fast-paced game that never feels like a chore. It can't be overstated how important this change has been to the game.

Better ticket options and promotions

The Guardians deserve a lot of credit for trying to draw in fans with different ticket options. Deals like the standing-room-only ticket with a free beer and the Ballpark Pass cater to a younger audience of fans who want to go to Guardians games to hang out with friends and have a good time. The game itself might end up being a passive experience, but it serves as the ideal background to a great night in downtown Cleveland. That's the glory and ultimate appeal of baseball - fans can choose to take in a game however they'd like, and everyone can get something different out of a day or night at the ballpark.

The Guardians, of course, still do their Rock 'N' Blast nights, dollar dogs, and typical giveaways. But they've tossed in a few post-game concerts to boot this season, along with debuting new food options at the stadium, throwing everything at the wall to see what sticks with fans. This is all pretty par for the course with them, though, and I think it ultimately comes down to better ticket options for fans.

A competitive team

Sure, the Guardians aren't setting the world on fire this season, barely staying afloat in the atrocious AL Central, but they are still fun to watch in the sense this is still an incredibly young roster with a lot of exciting pieces. Seeing the maturation of a guy like Josh Naylor allows fans to envision a sustained run of success, and continued extensions to core players like José Ramírez and Andrés Giménez over the past few years allow fans to breathe easy knowing their favorite players will be here for the long haul.

Do the issues with Bally Sports have anything to do with it?

This is purely anecdotal and speculative, but I do wonder if the issues with Cleveland's TV broadcasts have something to do with more fans coming out to Progressive Field this season to see the team. With Bally Sports being a nightmare channel unavailable to just about every cord-cutter out there, it's become nearly impossible to watch Guardians games on TV without having to sell your kidney to afford the cost.

So rather than deal with a muddled broadcast situation, perhaps more fans are opting to spend that money watching the team in person. I have no evidence or data to back that up, but since when has that ever stopped anyone from making a bold statement?

The fact is, the Guardians, like so many teams around baseball, are seeing a huge spike in attendance this season, hopefully opening up the game to a new audience and a new generation that will have fond memories of this team and their time at the ballpark, turning them into fans for life. It will be up to the Guardians and the rest of MLB to turn this into sustained success and keep the fans coming, but for now, it's a great time to be a baseball fan.

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Antonetti, Chernoff meet with frustrated players after Deadline

August 2nd, 2023

HOUSTON -- Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff knew they needed to be at Minute Maid Park on Wednesday.

A trio of players who had played prominent roles in the clubhouse, even if some of their performances on the field had been subpar, were dealt to new teams. In return, the Guardians added just Noah Syndergaard to the Major League roster and didn't acquire any bats to impact the lineup. The front office chose to plan for the future, but in doing so, some of the players in the clubhouse were left frustrated. Getting no-hit by Framber Valdez on Tuesday before the Guardians’ 3-2 loss to the Astros on Wednesday just added salt to the wound.

It’s always preferable for Antonetti and Chernoff to be with their team, delivering trade news alongside manager Terry Francona in his office instead of over a phone call. But because they opted to be with the rest of their front office back in Cleveland, working on these deals, it made it impossible for them to be in Houston with the team.

“It’s a really hard balance,” Antonetti said prior to the game. “In an ideal world, we would’ve been able to be here yesterday. But practically, it just wasn’t possible. That’s why we’re here this morning.”

If they couldn’t be there on Monday or Tuesday, Antonetti and Chernoff knew that they needed to at least be present on Wednesday to be available to talk with their team. Baseball is a business and players understand that, but that doesn’t mean that decisions made by the front office never trickle into gameplay. The Cleveland executives made a trip to Houston because they wanted to make sure they did what they could to prevent that.

“We’re always cognizant of [the message our moves send to the clubhouse] any time, especially around this time of the year,” Antonetti said. “Any moves with players coming and going can potentially be disruptive. So, what we try to do is stay connected with [Francona], the coaches, the clubhouse as much as we can and if we do make moves, be around to talk with people about it, whether that’s players or coaches or staff just to talk through it.”

There were multiple reasons the players could’ve been frustrated. They watched Aaron Civale, who was one of the hottest starters in the Majors in July, get traded to Tampa Bay. And while the return they received should help the team in 2024, it is not expected to help this season.

The Guardians are preparing to tackle one of the hardest schedules in the AL over the last two months of the season with the division title still within reach. But because no moves were made to help their current situation, Antonetti and Chernoff opened their doors to have one-on-one conversations with anyone who wanted to chat.

Their message was simple: They still believe in this clubhouse, but sometimes, you need to focus on the future.

“The reality is that we sometimes have to make judgments and make decisions that may not be immediately obvious, but are aligned in all the same things, which is: 'How do we find a way to win a World Series?'” Antonetti said. “Sometimes, we make decisions that aren’t easy. In fact, if you just look at the composition of our team right now, a lot of those guys are here because of some difficult decisions we’ve made in the past. And for us to be a successful organization, sometimes we have to make those difficult decisions.”

Now, it’s time for the Guardians to put the Trade Deadline in the rearview mirror. Whether the moves played a role in the lackluster offense at Minute Maid Park will never truly be known, but if the team wants to prove it still can be competitive and there is a reason to believe this roster can make noise in 2023, the Guardians will have to start with winning games within the AL Central. That test will start over the weekend against the White Sox at Progressive Field.

“We have no control over what’s happened the past week,” said Guardians starter Tanner Bibee, who tossed five innings of two-run ball Wednesday. “I think the only thing we can really do is put our head down [and] play some good baseball. If it works out, it works out. If it doesn’t, it doesn’t.”

And even though the front office used the Deadline to solely focus on the future, it’s not completely overlooking ‘23 just yet.

“I think we continue to believe in the group that’s here,” Antonetti said. “Because I think we continue to have the ability in the clubhouse to play quality baseball in the second half of the season.”

I Believe

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Here’s who instigated the 14-minute brawl between Guardians and Chicago White Sox

Updated: Aug. 06, 2023, 2:33 a.m.|Published: Aug. 06, 2023, 12:53 a.m.



By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The seeds of Saturday night’s main event, 14 minutes of swinging fists, pointing fingers and nasty words, may have started Friday night. But manager Terry Francona felt the spark was lit during the early part off Saturday’s night game between the Guardians and White Sox.

“Before it started Tim Anderson was yelling at Gabriel Arias,” said Francona. “The umpire went over and told them to knock it off.”


The chirping between Anderson, Chicago’s shortstop, and Arias, Cleveland’s first baseman, started well before the sixth-inning brawl between Anderson and Jose Ramirez.

Francona said he couldn’t feel the tension growing between the teams outside of the continued chirping between Arias and Anderson.

“I did know that there were some things going between Anderson and Gabby that our guys didn’t appreciate,” said Francona. “When the umpire told them to knock it off, he said some things he probably shouldn’t of.”

On Friday night Anderson shoved rookie Brayan Rocchio’s hand off second base and then tagged him out. The umpire called Rocchio safe, but because he didn’t say that Anderson knocked his hand off the base, the play was subject for review.



In the sixth inning Saturday, Ramirez doubled home Andres Gimenez for Cleveland’s first run in a 7-4 loss. He slid hard into second base where Anderson slapped a tag on him. Anderson stood over Ramirez as he got to his feet. Words were exchanged and punches thrown with Ramirez knocking Anderson on his rear end with a wild right hand as both teams rushed to second base.

“He’s been disrespecting the game for a while,” said Ramirez, through interpreter Agustin Rivero. “I’ve had a chance to tell him during the game, “Don’t do this stuff. Don’t be disrespectful. Don’t tag people that way.’ We’re here trying to provide for our families, and you can take somebody out of the game that way.

“Then as soon as the play happened, he tagged me again really hard, more than needed. His reaction was that he wanted to fight. I had to defend myself.”


Ramirez ducked a couple of punches from Anderson before he dropped him with a right hand, while being restrained by a White Sox player who was holding Ramirez from the back.

“I felt I was able to land one,” said Ramirez, once again in Spanish. This time no translation was needed.

Ramirez, Francona, third base coach Mike Sarbaugh and closer Emmanuel Clase were ejected. White Sox manager Pedro Grifol and Anderson were ejected as well.

Grifol and Francona were yelling at each other near the mound after Anderson and Ramirez had been separated.

“I didn’t appreciate the fact that Anderson, when he had 11 or 12 guys in between him, that’s when he started talking,” said Francona. “I said something to him. That’s probably what their manager was yelling about.

“But it’s hard to let somebody speak to you like that and not say anything. It’s emotions, but that’s OK.”


When Francona was done arguing with Grifol, Sarbaugh seemed to take his place, rushing into a circle of White Sox players and coaches.

Francona said he didn’t find out he was ejected until the umpires came over and told him after order was restored.

“I wasn’t ejected on the field,” he said. “I think I was ejected for what I did Friday night.”

Ramirez said that is the first time he’s ever been ejected from a big-league game.

During the 14-minute brawl, the crowd of over 35,000 kept singing “Jose, Jose. . .Jose, Jose.” It sounded like the heavyweight title was on the line.

He appreciated that and he also appreciated the way his teammates rushed onto the field to support him because for a few moments he was badly outnumbered.


“I always feel they have my back,” said Ramirez. “Not because of this incident. I don’t like to be out of the game and leave them behind like that. But I feel they always have my back. We’re always united, not just in those circumstances.”

Anderson did not talk to reporters after the game.

Clase was ejected for charging the White Sox. He was pulled away from the melee by Josh Naylor and David Fry. Clase and Sarbaugh were not in the Cleveland locker room when reporters entered.

“From the first time I stepped in our clubhouse when we were in Chicago, I could tell these two teams don’t like each other,” said Noah Syndergaard, who started for Cleveland on Saturday and took the loss. “I don’t condone physical violence, but it’s good to see that kind of passion.


“I will suggest MLB should think about the NHL approach. Just let guys duke it out until they go down on the ice.”

When play resumed rookie Jose Tena made his big-league debut by replacing Ramirez at second base as a pinch-runner. He played shortstop for the rest of the game as Rocchio moved to third to replace Ramirez.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1688005649651707905

Hammy with a great call !

Thanks.

I've been watching and following Jose since he was a teenager playing in the winter leagues for the Toros in The Dominican Republic. As Hamilton stated, I, during all of those years and games have never seen Jose get this pissed off. I've seen him stare down pitchers for purpose pitches but not to the point of hand to hand combat.

It's hard to say whether this event will ignite a season comeback because we just don't have the players with the necessary experience to make the playoffs. Yes, we will be competitive but will it be enough?

The way things have been going this past week or so, we are truly fortunate that Jose did not break his hand.

Yes Way Jose

A nice lead in to the next article. What is the meaning of "Yes Way Jose"?

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José Ramírez: He gambled on himself and found stardom

Zack Meisel

Dec. 10, 2018

CLEVELAND — A yellow ball struck the window of the library, which startled José Ramírez. His eyes widened and the circle of students sitting before him, hanging on the All-Star’s every word and every twitch, erupted in laughter.

Little surprises Ramírez anymore. He’s typically a step ahead of pitchers, prepared to pounce on any feeble fastball foolishly fired his way. He’s typically a step ahead of his teammates, as he darts across the dugout after supplying one of his signature smacks to the back of Edwin Encarnacion’s dome. He’s typically a step ahead of his “Mario Kart” opponent, as he waits for the perfect moment to deploy the rogue turtle shell that disrupts their peaceful cruise along the sandy shores of Koopa Troopa Beach.

He hasn’t traveled a seamless journey to stardom, though. Ramírez opted to bet on himself around the time he became a teenager, when adults would wager wads of cash on the pint-sized shortstop’s performance in his native Baní in the Dominican Republic. He staked his future on baseball, and he granted himself no margin for error.

When Ramírez first sat down in the library, he commended a student for his similar haircut, with blond springs resting atop his head. He then stressed a simple message to the awestruck students: Don’t be like me.

Many players receive a hefty signing bonus or devise a secure fallback plan should their baseball pursuit fizzle. Ramírez played the lottery, and he won, and he is The Athletic Cleveland’s 2018 Person of the Year.

“One in a million,” he said to the students. “I was that (one).”




The Thomas Jefferson International Newcomers Academy houses students from pre-K to 12th grade during their transition to the U.S. Those new to the country attend the school for two years, learning the language and culture before shifting to the Cleveland Metropolitan School District.

Ramírez visited with a group of students on the final day of August. They hailed from Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Cuba, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Mexico and the Dominican. Each spoke fluent Spanish.

Ramírez, wearing a pewter shirt, black jeans and a sparkling watch, sat near the far corner of the room, a collection of Oxford and Merriam-Webster dictionaries resting on a shelf behind him. A few students sported Indians gear. One teacher donned a bright red “Yes Way, José” T-shirt.

Ramírez craves the limelight on the field. He wants to be the imposing figure hovering over home plate with the game hanging in the balance, a wad of tobacco tucked under his lower lip and a menacing glare aimed at the pitcher. He oozes personality and energy, strutting through the clubhouse on a Sunday morning, shouting random words and phrases and pitchy song lyrics in English and Spanish as his teammates wipe the crust from the corners of their eyes.

A school library is not his element. Neither is a speaking engagement with a room full of students, prepped to pepper him with inquiries about his background, his career and his experience in America.

Ramírez dropped out of school long before he reached high school age. When he arrived in the U.S. at 17, at the Indians’ complex in Goodyear, Arizona, he couldn’t have felt more lost, more out of place, the runt of the litter in a foreign setting, backed only by the faint dream of a major-league opportunity and a family-aiding salary.

“I consider that to be the worst thing that has happened to me in my life,” Ramírez said.

And that made the chance to connect with the students at Thomas Jefferson so appealing to a guy who, away from his teammates and the cameras and the baseball diamond, is soft-spoken and humble. When he returns to rural Baní each winter, he treks to the familiar dirt fields and plays baseball. The last few years, a pack of kids has followed him, like ducklings to their mother. (Ramírez noted that the kids waddle and swing their arms like he does.)

This was a chance to preach the value of education and communication, a chance to explain how fortunate he is, and how his journey isn’t one to model.

“Nobody knows the path that he took,” said Anna Bolton, the Indians’ education and language coordinator, “all the way back to his development before he signed. These international players, sometimes as young as 12, they leave home and start working out with trainers. Then they get signed at 16 and there are obstacles that come with that, including leaving school early, which results in limited literacy skills in Spanish, which makes it harder to learn English. They don’t fully understand their own language, so it’s going to be way harder to learn another language.”




Ramírez’s younger sister often teases him.

You’re a person — you have money. But I’m a professional. I’m a professional.

>Ramírez laughs. He understands her argument. She’s an architect. She stayed in school and sought out her career. Ramírez had no backup plan, no degree to serve as a safety net.

“I’m an athlete,” Ramírez told the students. “Now, that’s a profession, because that’s what we’ve chosen. But she’s the real professional. That’s why I say, ‘Never stop studying.’ … You need to keep moving forward in whatever sport you’re in, but never drop out of school.”

And then came the forthright, to-the-point question from a curious, candid student.

Why did you drop out of school?

“Even I don’t understand it,” Ramírez answered. “Or, rather, that’s why I’m advising all of you not to leave school. … I only wanted to play ball, you know what I mean? That was an error that I committed. That was a mistake that I made. Listen, very few make it in this business. Very few. It’s very difficult, extremely difficult.”

Part of the challenge is adjusting to unfamiliar surroundings and a foreign language. When Ramírez first arrived in Arizona, he didn’t know what it meant when people said “Hi.”

“Everybody in the world knows how to say that word,” Ramírez said. “I didn’t.”

He would starve for stretches of 12 or 13 hours because he didn’t know how to order food. He waited until an English-speaking teammate was ready to eat and he’d tag along. Sometimes, he offered to treat just to persuade them to accompany him.

“I couldn’t even eat Chipotle,” he said, “because I didn’t know anything.”

He could fall out of bed and slap singles through the infield, but he struggled to survive off the field. His family kept him going. He strived to earn enough money to support them.

“Sometimes, one starts to lose hope,” Ramírez said. “I, myself, felt desperate a lot.”




This year, Bolton implemented a new education program for the organization’s international signees at its Dominican baseball academy. Teachers visit the academy once a week and offer lessons in the core subjects: math, language arts, science and social studies, all to guide players toward high school diplomas.

Bolton hopes to host a graduation ceremony next November. She has pegged Erik González — traded last month to the Pirates — as her ideal candidate to deliver the commencement speech.

When González attended the academy nearly a decade ago, before beginning the arduous climb through the farm system, he would drive a few hours to his hometown each Saturday, take high school classes Sunday and then drive back to the academy Sunday night.

“Long days,” González said, smiling. “But it’s really important.

“Imagine how tolling that is,” Bolton said. “His parents made him (do it). They really value education.”

Bolton is also planning to enhance the team’s English program with a baseball-specific curriculum. She scripted a proposal for these initiatives last year, and the front office signed off without hesitation.

It’s all to guide players like Ramírez along their path to the majors. Or, in the event that a long-lasting career in baseball doesn’t pan out — the end result for the majority of aspiring players — it’s an extra dose of preparation for the real world.

Bolton can picture Ramírez in her classes at the academy eight years ago. He was shy, always sitting in the back of the classroom, praying she wouldn’t call on him.

Now, he’s a back-to-back AL MVP finalist. That doesn’t mean he has cleared every last hurdle. Ramírez suffered through a miserable slump at the plate in August and September, which fed into a second consecutive October disappearing act in the ALDS.

If history tells us anything, it’s that he’ll unearth a way to conquer this latest obstacle. He did still finish third in the MVP balloting, with a .939 OPS, 38 doubles, 26 more walks than strikeouts and a career-high 39 home runs.

“There are people who spend a million years (playing the lottery) and they don’t win,” Ramírez said. “I had some luck, I played the lotto and I won. I dropped out of school to get into baseball, knowing how difficult baseball is. I would have ended up (in trouble).”

Earlier in the day, Ramírez had signed about 100 Indians-themed notebooks, intended to encourage the kids to practice their English writing. At the end of the session, he handed out each one and posed for a photo with each student and teacher.

A faculty member made an announcement in English. The students all nodded to confirm they understood.

“You all are good,” Ramírez said. “Now, you all have to help me with my English.”

Zack Meisel is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Cleveland Guardians. Zack was named the 2021 Ohio Sportswriter of the Year by the National Sports Media Association and won first place for best sports coverage from the Society of Professional Journalists. He has been on the beat since 2011 and is the author of four books, including "Cleveland Rocked," the tale of the 1995 team. Follow Zack on Twitter @ZackMeisel

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