Zack Meisel
@ZackMeisel
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4h
The Guardians traded cash for Padres pitcher Pedro Avila. He'll join the roster in the coming days.

They transferred Angel Martinez to the 60-day injured list. He has a fractured hamate bone in his hand.

Guardians Acquire Pedro Avila
By Anthony Franco | April 17, 2024 at 12:45pm CDT

April 17: The teams announced that Avila has been traded from San Diego to Cleveland in exchange for cash. In a corresponding 40-man move, the Guards transferred infielder Angel Martinez from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list.

April 16: The Guardians are acquiring right-hander Pedro Avila from the Padres, reports Daniel Álvarez-Montes of El Extrabase (on X). San Diego had designated Avila for assignment last week.

Avila has had a tough start to the 2024 campaign. The Venezuelan-born pitcher has allowed eight runs in as many innings over his first four appearances. Avila has fanned nine but issued six walks and tossed three wild pitches. Inconsistent command has been an issue throughout the 27-year-old’s big league tenure. Avila has walked nearly 12% of batters faced over his 71 2/3 career innings.

While he has yet to find sustained success, Avila has shown the ability to miss bats at the highest level. He has punched out nearly a quarter of opponents in his career behind a solid 11.7% swinging strike rate. Avila’s fastball velocity is more solid than standout (typically 93-94 MPH) but his changeup has been a reliably excellent swing-and-miss offering.

Avila has come out of the bullpen for 14 of his 22 major league outings. He’s been a starter in the minors, although his recent rotation work was not effective. He was tagged for an unsightly 8.57 ERA over 19 appearances (15 of them starts) in the Pacific Coast League last season. That pushed his career Triple-A earned run average to 5.59 in 190 innings. Avila has a solid 23.2% strikeout rate at that level, where he has handed out free passes at a lofty 11.2% clip.

Since he’s out of options, Avila can’t be sent to the minors without going through waivers. The Guardians figure to give him a look in the MLB bullpen as a long reliever. Cleveland has a fair bit of roster flexibility in that regard. Of their current middle innings group, only Tyler Beede can’t be optioned.

Despite their inexperience, the Guards’ bullpen has been excellent in the early going. They went into play Wednesday with an MLB-best 1.76 ERA and the league’s fourth-highest strikeout rate (27.6%). Cleveland has a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move once Avila’s acquisition is finalized.

Fans React To Triston McKenzie’s Elbow Situation

Continues To Deal With A Serious Ailment

The Cleveland Guardians are running out of fully healthy starters.

First, Gavin Williams went down in spring training with an elbow issue.

He is expected to return soon(ish), but Shane Bieber was diagnosed with damage in his ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) and underwent Tommy John surgery.

He is lost for the year.

Now, Guardians insiders Jason Lloyd and Zack Meisel are reminding fans that Triston McKenzie has ligament damage, too.

In an interview with him, the pitcher said that even though he opted against surgery last year, that option is still in the back of his head even though he doesn’t really feel pain.

“Triston McKenzie is trying to pitch with a torn ligament in his elbow. The results so far aren’t great. Why didn’t he have surgery last year? Where is the tear? Did he make the right call? McKenzie spoke with ⁦@ZackMeisel⁩ and myself about … a lot,” Lloyd tweeted.

He hasn’t experienced discomfort, but he is throwing almost 3 mph slower than last year on his fastball.

The slider remains a quality pitch, but his heater is getting punished.

Is it time to go under the knife?

What do fans say about the situation?

Most of them are convinced he should go under the knife, or that it feels inevitable at this point.[/b]

Some supporters may be suggesting renewed studies on his elbow in order to re-visit the situation

The fact remains that McKenzie is just not fooling anyone by throwing 90 mph.

It might be time to address the situation: the Guards can’t have a 6.23 ERA starting games every five days.

Finally some good news for Stephen Vogt’s pitching staff: Guardians takeaways

Updated: Apr. 19, 2024, 7:23 p.m.|Published: Apr. 19, 2024, 6:41 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Guardians received some good news on the pitching front for a change.

Gavin Williams, ticketed for a job in the starting rotation when spring training began, will make a rehab start in the Arizona Complex League on Saturday to test his sore right elbow.

Williams, who made his big league debut last year, made two Cactus League starts before injuring his elbow during a weighted ball drill. He opened the year on the injured list.

“We’re excited about this,” said manager Stephen Vogt.

Vogt said Williams was expected to throw three innings or 45 pitches.

In another encouraging move lefty Sam Hentges made a rehab start at Class AA Akron on Friday night. Hentges opened the year on the IL because of a swelling in the middle finger of his pitching hand.

Hentges was scheduled to throw one inning. Vogt said he’ll have to make a few more rehab starts, including pitching in consecutive games, before he rejoins the big league club.

New guy

The faces on the Guards’ pitching staff keep changing every day. The newest face is right-hander Pedro Avila. The Guardians on Wednesday sent cash to the Padres for Avila, who can start or relieve.

“I’m just excited for the opportunity,” said Avila.

Avila opened the year with the Padres, but struggled. He allowed eight earned runs in eight innings with six walks and nine strikeouts. The Padres designated him for assignment on April 12.

“He has really good stuff and can provide some length for us in the pen,” said Vogt. “That’s something we’ve needed, especially with the injuries and other things we’ve got going on, and the amount of work our bullpen has had to carry so far.”

Swing away

During the just completed Boston series, Bo Naylor, in two of his at-bats, faced a 3-0 count. Once he took a pitch for a strike. The next time he swung at a 3-0 pitch.

Vogt was asked about his philosophy on having hitters take a pitch or swing on 3-0 counts. Both of the at-bats in question ended in outs for Naylor.

The Guardians manager said a variety of things come into play.

“Who’s in the box? Who’s on the mound?” said Vogt. “What’s the game situation? Who’s coming up?

“All those things go into it. It’s a feeling that you get. Where are we at in the inning?”

Vogt said it’s an “in the moment” decision.

“To me I never want to tell a major league hitter not to swing,” said Vogt. “In our game today, the only fastball count that’s somewhere close to being predictable is 3-0. Even then we’re throwing 3-0 sliders because we know guys may be swinging.

“There’s no such thing as a fastball count anymore. There’s no such thing as a pitcher just throwing the ball down the middle of the plate (on 3-0). I trust our guys to go out and hit. Every know and then, I might put the red light on depending on the game situation. But again, I want these guys to play. They’re really good players and they’re smart.”

Fire down below

Myles Straw went 2 for 4 with a stolen base, but Class AAA Columbus lost to Buffalo on Thursday, 8-6. Straw is hitting .258 with five steals. Anthony Gose was charged with a blown save and a loss when he allowed two homers in the ninth inning to turn a 7-6 lead into an 8-6 loss. ...

Chase DeLauter went 2 for 4, but Class AA Akron lost to Erie, 9-3. Christian Cairo and Kahlil Watson homered for Akron. Tommy Mace took the loss, allowing three earned runs in 4 1/3 innings. He walked three and struck out four. ...

Nate Furman went 2 for 5 with a homer and four RBI as Class A Lake County beat Lansing, 6-5. Austin Peterson (2-1, 3.60) struck out three and allowed three runs over five innings for the win. ...

Lefty Alex Clemmey (0-2, 10.00) allowed four earned runs in 2 2/3 innings as Class A Lynchburg lost to Salem, 5-4. Clemmey was a second-round pick in 2023. Angel Genao went 2 for 4 with a homer and two RBI for the Hillcats.

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Freeman proving himself worthy of everyday center field job

By Mandy Bell @MandyBell02

44 minutes ago

CLEVELAND -- The Guardians wanted more production out of center field in 2024 and that’s exactly what Tyler Freeman is trying to give them.

The second inning was Freeman’s in the Guardians’ 10-2 victory over the A’s on Friday night at Progressive Field. In the top half of the frame he made a tumbling, over-the-shoulder snag to rob Lawrence Butler of extra bases. When Freeman went to the plate, he got Cleveland on the board with a two-run homer to the opposite field.

Freeman has been confident that if he got consistent playing time, he could be the hitter MLB Pipeline experts projected he’d be when he was at or near the top of the Guardians’ prospects list. The problem boiled down to finding a place for him on the diamond to get those everyday reps. That’s when the idea to move him to the outfield was born.

Offensively, it hasn’t been completely smooth sailing for Freeman so far this year, but he’s still been involved in a handful of clutch moments, including Friday’s blast that gave his team the lead after the Guardians fell into a 1-0 hole after the first batter of the game, when Abraham Toro hit a leadoff homer. The more at-bats he gets, the team is confident the more he’ll be able to consistently provide with his bat.

One of the biggest reasons the Guardians were slow to move on from Myles Straw (aside from his hefty contract) despite his offensive struggles the last two years was his elite defense in center field. The risk of losing that was big for Cleveland, asking a middle infielder to move to center for the first time in his playing career.

But if Friday -- along with a handful of other plays he’s made already this year -- showed us anything, it’s that Freeman’s natural athleticism has translated as well as it could have to the outfield.

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Gator baseball road trip: Jac Caglianone ties NCAA record with HR in 9th straight game for the Gators

By Taylor Burr

Published: Apr. 19, 2024 at 4:46 PM CDT|Updated: 16 hours ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Jac Caglianone is making headlines as he inches closer to history. During Florida’s game against Vanderbilt on Friday evening, the talented first baseman achieved a remarkable feat, tying the NCAA record for consecutive games with a home run at nine.

With this latest homer, Caglianone’s season stats now stand at 23 home runs and 46 RBI’s, accompanied by an impressive .407 batting average.

Even with Caglianone’s impressive record, Florida fell short against No. 13 Vanderbilt, losing 5-2.

Vanderbilt took an early lead in the first inning, 2-0. Jayden Davis hit an automatic double, giving Vandy a 2-0 lead. The Commodores then extended their lead to 3-0, when Alan Espinal hit a solo homer. Peterson held off further scoring by stranding the bases loaded in the fourth inning with his third strikeout.

The Gators managed to get on the board in the sixth inning when Donay hit a solo home run. Caglianone then hit his record shot, to cut the deficit 3-2.

However, Vanderbilt secured the win with two insurance runs in the eighth inning, ending the game at 5-2. Colin Barczi’s sacrifice fly and RJ Austin’s infield single added to their lead.

THURSDAY: Florida falls to Vanderbilt in game one, 10-5

The UF baseball team fell to No.13 Vanderbilt 10-5 in game on Thursday night.

The Gators took the lead 1-0 in the first inning. Ty Evans got things started with a double. Soon after, Jac Caglianone’s singled and Colby Shelton’s RBI groundout.

Vanderbilt responded quickly. In the third inning, Davis Diaz’s two-run homer to give the Dores a 2-1 lead. Florida quickly answered in the fourth, tying the game at 2-2 with Tyler Shelnut’s home run.

However, in the fifth inning, Vanderbilt found momentum. They scored five runs to lead 7-2. Both teams traded runs in the sixth inning, with Vanderbilt maintaining a 9-3 lead.

A weather delay paused the game, the Gators came back hoping to find new life. No better person to do that than Jac Caglianone. He hit a two-run homer in the seventh inning. His eighth consecutive homer in a row.

Vanderbilt added one more run in the eighth inning, making it 10-5 to win the game.

HOMER

https://twitter.com/i/status/1781483101019058670



ANOTHER OHTANI - PITCHES AND PLAYS FIRST BASE

https://floridagators.com/sports/baseba ... none/16365







Florida's Jac Caglianone leads two-way 2024 MLB Draft prospects, according to D1Baseball

Recruited to Gainesville as a pitcher, Caglianone didn’t pitch in 2022 as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. That injury hurt his draft stock out of high school and led him onto Florida’s campus instead. Now, as the likely face of college baseball in 2024 and in 1:1 contention ahead of this year’s MLB draft, “Jactani” can touch triple-digits with his fastball and he hits 450-plus foot home runs measured at 115-plus mph exit velocities — he even bolted one at 120 mph last season. While many two-way talents leave the bat in the rack on the days they’re scheduled to pitch, this 6-foot-5, 245-pound left-handed pitcher and slugger excels so much on both sides of the ball that he’s too valuable to leave outside the lineup, even on the days he starts. For the 2023 season, Caglianone batted .323 with 33 HR and 90 RBI. His 33 home runs led the country. On the mound, he finished 7-4 with a 4.34 ERA and 87 strikeouts in 74.2 innings pitched.

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So what does Jac Caglieanone do that makes people say he’s really good? Well, for starters he hits the ball a ton. With bat speed capable of creating a tornado, he hit 33 home runs for the Florida Gators in 282 at-bats during the 2023 regular and post-season. He also had a 2023 slash line of .323/.389/.738.

Not only does he swing a mighty stick, but he’s also great on the basepaths. And his explosive speed helps him to swipe a bag here and there. Although don’t expect him to lead the league in stolen bases anytime soon.

Okay, okay, the guy can hit, but what makes him the next Ohtani?

Glad you asked. Because, just like Ohtani, Caglianone dominates on the mound. Does he possess the level of skill that Ohtani does, no, but at one time neither did Ohtani. Caglianone has been clocked at 99 and has a great fastball and a good changeup. He also has a slider that is developing into one of his more dominant pitches.

There’s been a lot of Ohtani talk, and if this were a profile about him this section would be blank. Unfortunately for Caglianone, there is a paragraph to be written here, so let’s commence with the unpleasantries.

We’ll start with the bat. He does hit the ball a ton and has great bat speed, but has a tendency to expand the zone too much, which results in lots of swings and misses. This lack of plate discipline will need to be worked on if he hopes to be a successful major leaguer. He has similar control issues on the mound. These control issues lead to high-pitch counts and a loss of focus during later innings. With that being said, Ohtani wasn’t always Ohtani, so Caglianone has plenty of time to work on his shortcomings on the road to being the next great two-way star.

Did you say, Shohei Ohtani? Whatever would give you that idea?

All joking aside, it seems as though this whole draft profile has been an MLB comp, so what’s left to say? Hobbies? You bet.

Caglianone enjoys hunting, fishing, and water sports.

Ohtani enjoys playing Clash Royale on his smartphone.

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https://www.mlb.com/news/florida-jac-ca ... g=27790121

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Stephen Vogt says focus on today, tomorrow will take care of itself: Guardians takeaways

Updated: Apr. 20, 2024, 7:34 p.m.|Published: Apr. 20, 2024, 7:10 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Guardians are off to their best start in 25 years at 14-6, but rookie manager Stephen Vogt keeps gently tapping the brakes.

“I learned very early from some of my minor league managers that if you look at the season in what you can (do) to accomplish in 500 plate appearances,” said Vogt, “you’re going to drown the first time you go 0 for 4 because you’re going to try and go 5 for 4 the next day.”

Slow and steady wins the race. Or at least guarantees that most everyone is still sane by the time the 162-game season comes to an end.

“It’s understanding that this is a process,” said Vogt. “This is one day at a time. If we win each day, we’re going to look up at the end of the season and we’re going to have a pretty good record.

“If we keep the focus on today. How do win tonight’s game? Then worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.”

The 1999 Indians were the last Cleveland team to have a 14-6 record after 20 games. They finished the year at 97-65.

“It’s been great to get off to a good start,” said Vogt. “This is awesome, but we have such a long way to go. We can only control today. We need to stick with that.”

Cleveland entered Saturday night’s game against the A’s hitting .252 and averaging 5.6 runs per game.

After 20 games last year, they were 10-10, while hitting .227 and averaging 4.1 runs per game.

No problems

Lefty Sam Hentges made his first rehab appearance, throwing one scoreless inning Friday night for Class AA Akron. Hentges opened the year on the injured list because of a swollen middle finger on his pitching hand.

Hentges threw 14 pitches, including 10 strikes, and topped out at 93 mph.

“Sam did great,” said Vogt. “His velo was right about where we expected. All signs are looking really well for Sam. He’ll make another (rehab appearance) in a couple of days.”

What wrong turn?

Tyler Freeman, Cleveland’s converted center fielder, said he initially turned the wrong way en route to making a great diving catch against Lawrence Butler in the second inning Friday night.

Further review of the play said otherwise.

“If you go back and watch the replay, when Butler hit that ball it was going to his (Freeman’s) left and then it took a turn,” said Vogt. “So he made the perfect read on it. It’s so impressive to do a power turn this early in his career.

“You have to remember every time Tyler does something new (in center field) it’s the first time he’s done it.”

Fire down below

Kyle Manzardo (.276) had three hits and Jonathan Rodriguez and Daniel Schneemann homered as Class AAA Columbus beat Buffalo, 9-3, Friday. Adam Oller, who was in spring training on a minor league deal, struck out 10 over five innings for the win. ...

Jack Leftwich (0-2, 7.04) allowed four runs on five hits in 1 2/3 innings as Class AA Akron lost to Erie, 7-2. Kahlil Watson had two hits. ...

Parker Messick (0-2, 2.51) struck out seven and allowed three runs in 4 2/3 innings as Class A Lake County lost to Lansing, 5-2. Alex Mooney went 2 for 4 with a homer. ...

Matt Wilkerson (1-0, 0.61) struck out nine and allowed one run in 5 2/3 innings as Class A Lynchburg beat Salem, 4-3. Jose Pastrano went 2 for 3 and Jaison Chourio drove in two runs and stole his fifth base of the season.

Finally

Steven Kwan’s double in the third inning Saturday night extended his hitting streak against the A’s to 17 games. Kwan tied Luis Polonia for the second longest streak against the A’s by a player at the start of his career.

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With AL-best record, Guardians show offensive success could last

By Mandy Bell @MandyBell02

6:30 PM EDT

CLEVELAND -- Once again, the Guardians’ offense took care of business.

We’re 22 games into the season and the concept of relying on the offense has almost become an expectation -- something this club hasn’t been able to do in the last handful of years. But backed by a Will Brennan homer and a bases-clearing double by Josh Naylor, Cleveland cruised to a series sweep of Oakland by taking Sunday’s contest, 6-2, at Progressive Field.

This marks just the fifth time in the last 80 years that Cleveland has won 16 of its first 22 games. The others?

• 1948 (won the World Series)
• 1966 (finished 81-81)
• 1988 (finished 78-84)
• 1999 (won AL Central, lost ALDS)

“I think everything's just kind of coming together,” Guardians starter Tanner Bibee said. “I think it's really showing that … last year was just a little bit of a fluke for a lot of people, especially in the lineups, on defense and in the bullpen.”

Over the last five years, it was second nature to just believe that the starting staff would keep the Guardians in contention. Suddenly, the script has flipped.

It’s still a small sample size, but in comparison to the starts that the offense got off to the last few years, there are reasons to believe that this time, the bats are for real. Just take it from the stats MLB.com's Sarah Langs had shared at the start of each of the last five seasons.

2019: Through 34 games, Cleveland hit a combined .212. At the time, that was the team’s worst average through its first 34 games since 1910, when it hit .197 in that span.

2024: Through 22 games, the Guardians have hit a combined .257, which ranked as the sixth-best team average in the Majors at the end of Sunday’s contest.

2020: Cleveland was held to five or fewer hits in 10 of their first 18 games -- that was tied for the second most in the Majors in that span since 1901 with the ‘68 Yankees. In 12 of their first 19 games, they were unable to score more than two runs, which was tied for the most in franchise history (also in 1910).

2024: The Guardians have been held to five or fewer hits in just two of their 22 games. They didn't score more than two runs in three of their contests -- two of which were exactly two runs.

2021: Through the first seven games, 21 of Cleveland’s 27 runs were scored via the homer (77.7%). On April 25 (the team’s 20th game of the season), the offense strung together four consecutive hits for the first time since Sept. 1, 2020.

2024: The Guardians had a short stretch of relying on the long ball. After that, homers became infrequent and they struggled to figure out how to score. This year, 33 of their 124 runs have come via the homer (26.6%, which ranks 28th in the Majors). Even if they aren’t hitting homers, they’ve learned how to find other ways to score

2022: Through 37 games, the Guardians were tied for the fourth-highest team chase rate (30.9%) and averaged 4.6 runs per game.

2024: That was the year the offense was electric, and still, the ‘24 roster has gotten its chase rate down to 28.8% through 22 games, while averaging 5.6 runs per game.

2023: The Guardians owned a .228 average and a .342 slugging percentage through 24 games. In the first 31 games, the team already played in 16 one-run games (52%).

2024: The Guardians’ plus-52 run differential remains the best in the Majors. It also marks the fourth-highest run differential through 22 games in franchise history, trailing just 1921 (plus-60), 1948 (plus-58) and 1959 (plus-57). In 22 games, six have been decided by one run (27%).

The verdict? Well, it’s too early to know what’s sustainable. But Cleveland’s opponents are catching on to the threat that it may become.

“Right off the bat, you’ve got [Steven] Kwan, who is leading the league in hitting,” A’s starter Ross Stripling said. “But then you’ve got José Ramírez [who had a rare day off on Sunday] and [Josh] Naylor right there in the middle, and Naylor looks like he’s on pace to get like 180 RBIs. … There’s speed in the back of the order, where if they get on base, they can run.

“It’s just a well-put together lineup. They have a lineup against righties and lefties and can play the matchup game. … They’re in a winnable division, so I don’t see them going away any time soon.”

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Inside the Guardians’ scorching start: Polaroids, bat slams and ‘saying the stupidest thing’

By Zack Meisel
Apr 21, 2024


CLEVELAND — As Tanner Bibee assessed his changeup Sunday afternoon, three teammates paused their Mario Kart battle, turned around and jumped and danced in the background of his view of a crowd of reporters. Carlos Carrasco, an affable, 37-year-old tot, snuck up behind Bibee and made faces at the camera.

The Cleveland Guardians can’t stop winning. For once, April in Cleveland is a breeze. There’s always house music blaring in the clubhouse after games. There’s always a card game or video game or mini-hoop basketball game unfolding.

And every theory a player posits to explain the club’s sizzling start sounds revelatory. They’ve waxed poetic in recent days about togetherness and teamwork and accountability. Since they’re 16-6, the cliches sound profound. They certainly wouldn’t fit coming from, say, the 3-18 Chicago White Sox.

The Guardians were projected to flirt with a .500 record, and if they stumbled their way into pseudo-contention, they’d have the forgiving AL Central to thank. Instead, in the 124-year history of the franchise, only one Cleveland team has submitted a better 22-game start.

Best starts in franchise history
1966
17-5
81-81
1920
16-6
98-56
1941
16-6
75-79
1948
16-6
97-58
1988
16-6
78-84
1999
16-6
97-65
2024
16-6
??
There’s more to it than the cheery, PG-rated explanations players have offered.

It’s Josh Naylor and his seismic jolts of energy that rattle the dugout. After bruising a baseball Saturday night, he struck his own helmet with his bat and then slammed it on the ground like Thor’s hammer. Manager Stephen Vogt approved of the reaction to the home run so long as he didn’t force himself to the concussion list.

“He just blacks out and it’s pure baseball passion,” Steven Kwan said.


Josh Naylor is batting .325 with six home runs and a 1.016 OPS. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)
It’s the leadership of Austin Hedges, a treasured veteran backup catcher who left Cleveland, obtained a World Series ring with the Texas Rangers and returned to the Guardians to share his findings. Hedges always knows what to say, even at his own expense.

“He’ll always be saying the stupidest thing in the world,” Kwan said, “so other people can say stupid things and it’s like, ‘Well, it wasn’t as dumb as what he said.’ People are allowed to blossom and feel safe and feel like a part of something.”

It’s not one secret ingredient fueling the Guardians through the first month of the season. It’s an amalgamation of healthy habits and fixes and improvements.

The other four times the club has started 16-6 include the franchise’s two World Series seasons (1920, 1948). They don’t make documentaries about 22-game starts, but Vogt couldn’t have scripted a better start for his new regime and for a team eager to confirm that its 2023 showing was a fluke, not its 2022 spark.

Maybe it needed to endure last season, one defined by failure and frustration.

On one hand, the Guardians can eliminate that rotten year from their memory banks. They can pretend Josh Bell, Mike Zunino and Kole Calhoun never donned a Cleveland uniform. The trade deadline mutiny in Houston never transpired. A September waiver-wire siege never stoked faint postseason hopes.

But, as Kwan surmised, the reality check is paying dividends. Failure is the best teacher.

“So many people had unsatisfactory years,” Kwan said. “Because we’re competitors, we don’t want to let that happen twice.”

Tacked to a wall near the entrance of the Guardians clubhouse is a bulletin board with Polaroids of each winner of the team’s championship belt, strapped around the waist or draped over the shoulder of a key contributor to each victory. Tyler Beede, a non-roster invite who needed a strong camp and some injuries and illnesses to the pitching staff to earn an Opening Day spot, spent the $550 to acquire it and snaps each photo. He scribbles the date on each picture beside the autograph of the recipient.

There haven’t been many repeat winners. The Guardians have received production from every inch of their 26-man roster. A pinch-hit home run from Estevan Florial one afternoon and one from Will Brennan the next. A lockdown inning from Nick Sandlin one night and two from Tim Herrin the next. A conveniently timed three-run blast from David Fry here, a couple of rally-thwarting strikeouts from Hunter Gaddis there.


It’s Andrés Giménez inhaling sharply struck baseballs like a turbo-charged Pac-Man. It’s Kwan resembling, as Naylor assured him, the best leadoff hitter in baseball.

“I’d probably walk him,” said Logan Allen, when asked for a pitcher’s scouting report on the league’s hits leader.

It’s little strokes of fortune, such as Ramón Laureano’s first-inning chopper Saturday night that skipped off third base to travel a wayward path to left field for an RBI double.

The Guardians are capitalizing on every mistake, a relentless pain in the kidneys to every opponent. They run until their legs go numb. They apply pressure to pitchers and fielders. They employ the bothersome brand of baseball that propelled them to the ALDS in 2022.

Even Hedges got in on the action Saturday. Vogt noticed him straying off first base. The manager turned to bench coach Craig Albernaz and asked what Hedges could possibly be thinking.

“Oh, no,” Vogt said as Hedges bolted for second, the manager’s greatest fear realized. Hedges slid in safely.

“OK, yeah!” Vogt shouted.

Vogt has pulled the proper levers as he plays the matchups, keeps everyone fresh and leans on the bats that are humming. He’s not the only coach drawing rave reviews. Vogt and Tyler Freeman can’t stop praising J.T. Maguire for his work in aiding Freeman’s seamless transition to center field. Kai Correa has fielders lining up before batting practice to corral one- and two-hoppers from a machine. Evan Longoria, a three-time Gold Glove Award winner, appreciated the drill so much he used to beg Correa to partner with him in any small ballpark space they could find.

The Guardians rank third in the majors in defensive runs saved, per FanGraphs.

This is far from a finished product, and over the course of 162 games, adversity lurks in every corner.

The Guardians are still waiting on consistency at the plate from the bottom half of the lineup. They’re waiting on a couple of outfielders to seize playing time. They’re waiting on the arrival of Kyle Manzardo, and perhaps, eventually, Chase DeLauter or Juan Brito or Johnathan Rodriguez or Daniel Schneemann. They’re waiting on stability in the rotation. They haven’t had a starting pitcher complete six innings in nearly three weeks. Gavin Williams, who could soon begin a rehab assignment, should help.

It’s not as though 26 players are all performing at untenable levels. This isn’t some juggernaut that ranks fifth in the league in runs per game; it’s a work in progress squeezing out every last drop of production to get to that ranking (5.6 per game). This isn’t another case of the customary Cleveland pitching factory shenanigans unveiling a new batch of capable young starters; this is a staff being forced to stitch together its pitching plan a day or two at a time.

The Guardians rank second in the league in percentage of base runners who ultimately score. They rank first in reaching on errors. They rank middle of the pack in homers, a welcome leap from the bottom of the leaderboard. Tito’s Bloop Troop has evolved into Vogt’s Balanced Brigade (we’re still workshopping a better nickname).

After a triumphant four days in Boston last week, Hedges cautioned his teammates that a weekend at home against the Oakland Athletics — who have played pesky, near-.500 ball against everyone but the Guardians this season — was “a trap series.” They couldn’t exhale or take their foot off the proverbial pedal. They couldn’t deviate from the mindset they have employed for weeks just because they’re winning games.

“That’s the kind of guidance that I don’t think we had last year,” Kwan said. “Maybe we were thinking it, but nobody said it out loud.”

They now know what they were lacking last season, what they weren’t doing well enough, what they took for granted. They have the perspective necessary to ensure they don’t repeat it.

“You’re seeing the fruits of it now,” Kwan said. “But things are easy when you’re winning.”

‘It’s huge to have him back’: Austin Hedges has earned his spot in Guardians clubhouse

Updated: Apr. 22, 2024, 5:42 p.m.|Published: Apr. 22, 2024, 2:10 p.m.

By Joe Noga, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio — The locker that sits closest to the showers in the Guardians clubhouse is generally reserved for veteran players. Guys who lead by their example on the field and contribute to the team in ways beyond what shows up in a box score.

When Austin Hedges signed a one-year deal that meant he would return to the Guardians after a season away, there was little doubt who would occupy that veteran spot in 2024.

Hedges, who many believe was a “missing ingredient” for a young Guardians club that struggled last year, has earned praise from coaches and teammates alike for his steadfast leadership, tireless preparation, unbending work ethic and electric personality. He is one of the big reasons Cleveland is off to its best start since 1999, despite not putting up the kind of numbers that would make one think is the case.

During an April 9 loss to the White Sox that saw Cleveland fall behind early by five runs, it was Hedges’ voice in the Guardians dugout that kept urging his teammates along. The team rallied, and though they eventually lost the game, the “never quit” approach and confidence Hedges championed that night has carried the club to 8 wins in their next 11 games, and the most wins in baseball through 22 contests.

“It’s huge to have him back,” said starting pitcher Triston McKenzie said. “What he brought to the team before, not only in his pitch calling ability and what he does behind the plate, but just the energy that he brings in the clubhouse every day, the energy he brings out to the field. It’s nice to have him back and just know that he had success somewhere else, and he’s bringing that success to us.”

Now a 31-year-old veteran with a World Series ring he won with the Rangers last year, Hedges first joined Cleveland as part of a blockbuster six-player trade with San Diego along with Josh Naylor and others in exchange for pitcher Mike Clevinger and outfielder Greg Allen in the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Over the next two and a half years, Hedges endeared himself to the franchise. Despite struggling to hit over .160 in 199 games during that first tour, he was a vital component in the team’s division championship run in 2022 and a vocal leader throughout his tenure in the clubhouse.

“The energy has always been phenomenal,” McKenzie said. “Whether we’re down or we’re up, he’s always made sure everybody is locked in.”

A defensive specialist with a particular knack for navigating young pitchers through tough innings, Hedges was credited with 11 defensive runs saved by FanGraphs in 2023, and has 88 for his career, which ranks fifth all-time behind Jeff Mathis, Buster Posey, Russell Martin and Yadier Molina.

When Hedges got the call this offseason from manager Stephen Vogt and president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti who presented him with an opportunity to return to Cleveland, it was an easy choice. Because, he said, the Guardians “feel like home.”

“To feel like you’re valued for some things that don’t necessarily have a stat to it, it means the world to me,” Hedges said. “I take a lot of pride in that, and I’d do anything for these guys in this room.”

Vogt called Hedges the guy in the clubhouse that keeps everybody loose and motivated. But he also plays an important role in mentoring young catchers Bo Naylor and David Fry. And nobody on the roster is better at helping get a pitcher through outings.

“Not only is he the culture guy, but he’s a pretty darn good player as well,” Vogt said. “He adds so much to our team that doesn’t get seen or noticed with our scouting reports, our pitch calling, helping Bo and David really come along as catchers as well.”

Naylor said the opportunity to have Hedges’ voice in his ear during scouting meetings and on-field drills has helped in a variety of ways.

“Just to kind of pick his brain on certain things,” Naylor said. “He’s an incredible leader for this team. He really fires up the guys in any situation. This team really leans on him and looks in for guidance and he hasn’t failed to be there for us.”

For pitchers like McKenzie, Hedges’ presence is reassuring both behind the plate and in day-to-day activities.

“It definitely eases my mind, especially knowing that not only is he doing that stuff for us, but he’s having those conversations with Bo, with David, so we’re getting it from all angles,” McKenzie said. “It helps us stay locked in from pitch one to however many pitches in the game.”

Bo Naylor called Hedges’ energy “contagious” and its effects obvious.

“When you have that around you, only good things can happen,” Naylor said. “Only positive attitudes, good vibes can come from it, and I think that’s one of the things that has really been helping this ballclub have some success.”

For his part, Hedges recognizes the responsibility and weight of his seat in Cleveland’s clubhouse. He is willing to take on the burden of speaking for his teammates on days when nobody wants to talk, and holding everybody in the room accountable when things are not going their way. He knows what that spot represents.

“It means the world to me, it really does,” Hedges said. “When I come in, put my stuff in this locker, it’s like I’ve got to be that guy today. There’s no taking days off. These guys are leaning on me to be that guy for them, and I love it, so I’m very honored.”

Hedges said there are a lot of similarities between this year’s club and the 2022 version of the Guardians that won the American League Central Division and took the Yankees to five games in the Division series.

“The only difference is we’re not building something anymore, it’s built,” Hedges said. “The foundation was laid in ‘22. A lot of the young guys in year two or year three had a lot of adjustments to make. Now, I feel like the boys came in this year confident in who they are and that they belong and that they know what worked well in ‘22 and it’s just about doing it every single day.”

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Gavin Williams, pleased with start, awaiting marching orders: Guardians takeaways

Published: Apr. 23, 2024, 7:19 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Gavin Williams says he’s not the most patient of people, but he had no choice while dealing with an injury to his right elbow.

Williams’ spring training started well with two Cactus League starts that saw him strikeout nine batters in 4 2/3 innings. Then he tweaked his elbow during a weighted ball drill and everything came to a halt.

The 6-6 Williams, Cleveland’s No. 1 pick in 2021, has been rehabbing ever since.

He finally made it back to Cleveland on Sunday morning after making a three-inning appearance for Cleveland ‘s Arizona’s Complex team in Goodyear, Arizona. Williams did not linger long in the desert after his start, catching a red flight from Phoenix to Cleveland on Saturday night.

“The start went well,” said Williams, who said he threw 50 pitches. “I threw all my pitches. The velo was up there. Not where I wanted it, but it was good enough.”

The Guardians haven’t announced what Williams’ next step will be. He said he was meeting with the team’s training staff to find out what they have planned for him. Look for him to make another minor league start toward the end of the week.

“This is part of the game,” said Williams, when asked about his frustration level. “You can’t look at it like it’s a frustrating thing.”

But patience is a different matter.

“I feel like it’s hard to be patient with everything that’s been going on,” said Williams.

Williams said he has not changed his weighted ball drills even thought it has temporarily cost him a spot in the Guardians’ starting rotation.

“I think it was more of a freak thing than anything else,” he said. “You can’t really control that. It just happened.”

Testing, testing, testing

Manager Stephen Vogt said James Karinchak, who did not pitch in spring training because of a right shoulder injury, is making progress at the team’s training facility in Goodyear.

“He’s out to 250 feet in his throwing program,” said Vogt. “He’s been feeling really well for a while now.”

Stretch it out

The Guardians entered Tuesday night’s game against Boston riding a streak they would care to forget.

They have not had a starter go six or more innings in 15 straight games. Logan Allen was the last starter to crack six innings, working 6 2/3 innings against Seattle on April 3.

“The starters are throwing well,” said Vogt. “The length has been an issue for us to this point, but it’s trending in the right direction. They’re all full go for the most part. They’re all up around 100 pitches.

“Sunday against Oakland Tanner (Bibee) was one pitch away from going back out for the seventh, but things just got away from him.”

Bibee pitched 5 2/3 innings in a 6-2 victory.

The rotation, through 16 games, was 10-4 with a 3.79 ERA. But they ranked 13th in the AL with only 109 1/3 innings pitched. Kansas City’s starters lead the AL with 131 2/3 innings.

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What are the Top 10 front offices in MLB? Here’s how 40 executives voted
The Athletic MLB Staff
Apr 24, 2024

By Andy McCullough, Patrick Mooney and Tyler Kepner

In 2018, Major League Baseball unveiled its Executive of the Year Award. The honor tends to go to the chief baseball officer of a team that exceeded expectations in a given season. Billy Beane, the protagonist of “Moneyball” and the archetype for the modern venerated executive, was the inaugural recipient. Baltimore Orioles general manager Mike Elias took the honors last season after his club won 101 games and the American League East.

Any executive will tell you, of course, that no one individual deserves all the credit. A front office features dozens of employees with differing, conflicting tasks. There are scouts and analysts and player-development gurus. There are resources devoted to the acquisition of players, the improvement of players, the health of players. These are elaborate ecosystems that can be challenging to maintain.

So we figured it was worth asking, as the 2024 season got underway, which teams do it the best?

For this exercise, The Athletic canvassed 40 executives across the sport. Many had experience as the primary decision-maker for a team, either in the past or the present. We asked each executive to rank the top five front offices in baseball and assigned a point value to each position — 10 points for first place, seven points for second place, five points for third, three points for fourth and one point for fifth. The answers spanned big markets and small. Some of these franchises have experienced incredible turnover. Some are the model of stability. Some of these front office groups have been doing this for quite a while. And some are just getting started.

But there was one clear favorite.



No. 1 — Los Angeles Dodgers
Total points: 284
First-place votes: 19
President of baseball operations:

Andrew Friedman
When Andrew Friedman left Tampa Bay for Los Angeles in the fall of 2014, he inherited a treasure trove of talent from Ned Colletti. Almost all those stars are gone a decade later, except for Clayton Kershaw. So are Farhan Zaidi, Alex Anthopoulos and Gabe Kapler, who acted as Friedman’s primary lieutenants in those early years. The organization remains a juggernaut, with Friedman now supplemented by general manager Brandon Gomes, assistant general managers Jeff Kingston and Alex Slater, and longtime advisor Josh Byrnes.

The Dodgers have never missed the postseason under Friedman’s watch, winning the division in eight of nine seasons, collecting three pennants and ending the franchise’s championship drought in 2020. One executive described a first-place vote for the Dodgers as “self-explanatory. They are elite at everything.” Billy Gasparino, the scouting director recently promoted to vice president of baseball operations, has drafted well despite picking in the latter half of the first round every summer. The farm system continues to churn out prospects. The roster tends to be well-managed. Friedman often corrects big-league deficiencies with midseason acquisitions; the stars he has acquired at the deadline include Max Scherzer, Trea Turner and Manny Machado.

“One of the things he does so well is knowing which stars to sign,” another executive said. With the notable exception of Trevor Bauer, Friedman has aced that assignment in recent years by landing Mookie Betts, Freddie Freeman and Shohei Ohtani. In part, another executive explained, that stems from the front office’s “insane discipline,” not wasting resources on mid-tier players so that when a star becomes available, the team can pounce.

“Andrew,” another executive said, “is the best at this.”

No. 2 — Tampa Bay Rays
Total points: 258
First-place votes: 12
President of baseball operations:

Erik Neander
When the Rays first emerged as a low-budget marvel in the late 2000s, the franchise relied on the leadership structure of owner Stu Sternberg, president Matt Silverman and general manager Andrew Friedman. Friedman departed in 2014. The collection of future decision-makers he hired includes Chaim Bloom, James Click, Matt Arnold, Peter Bendix and Erik Neander. Only Neander remains with the Rays, occupying Friedman’s former chair as the head of baseball operations.

Despite the turnover, the Rays continue to innovate and regenerate. The team has won 90 or more games in four of the past five full seasons and reached the World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. The roster has cycled through stars like Evan Longoria, David Price and Blake Snell. The franchise competes so consistently, on such a small budget, that one executive said it was obvious why rival owners reach into the Rays’ front office when making hires.

“You look at owners around baseball and what do they want? They want the intellectual property of the Rays,” the executive said. “It’s almost too attractive: ‘We can win without spending anything.’ But they constantly acquire undervalued guys, they get the most out of their players and they make the tough decisions.”

Sternberg may not make splashes in free agency, but the Rays do support a robust scouting department. Those scouts help the club make good choices when evaluating other clubs. Neander’s willingness to deal quality players pains him — it is also what keeps his club competitive. One executive described the Rays as “the scariest team in the league to trade with. Have developed well, great pro scouting department and very good at roster building. The pieces always make sense together on their major-league team.”

No. 3 — Atlanta Braves
Total points: 130
First-place votes: 3
President of baseball operations:

Alex Anthopoulos
Alex Anthopoulos likes to refer to his two years with the Dodgers in 2016 and 2017 as a form of baseball graduate school. He had been a successful executive with the Toronto Blue Jays, ending the franchise’s 21-year postseason drought in 2015 before walking away from the gig that winter. He had always been, as one executive put it, “very aggressive” in his willingness to deal. When he took over the Braves heading in 2018, he married that quality with wisdom gleaned from his previous stops.

“Alex Anthopoulos does a tremendous job,” one executive said. “There’s nobody more engaged, open and honest about things. He’s had stops along the way and he’s adapted and learned over time.”

He has built something of a juggernaut in Atlanta through a series of canny trades and swift contract extensions for cornerstones like Ronald Acuña Jr., Ozzie Albies, Austin Riley, Matt Olson and Sean Murphy. After winning the World Series in 2021, Anthopoulos pivoted out of talks with first baseman Freddie Freeman and swung a trade for Olson. The maneuver stunned the industry but further demonstrated Anthopoulos’ decisiveness.

“Alex Anthopoulos knows what he wants and moves quickly in the offseason,” one executive said.

Some executives raised questions about whether the team will continue to draft well now that former scouting director Dana Brown has left to run the Astros. The good news for the Braves: With all those long-term extensions, the roster won’t require much mending for a while.

No. 4 — Cleveland Guardians
Total points: 101
First-place votes: 2
President of baseball operations:

Chris Antonetti
At the top, there is stability. Chris Antonetti, the president of baseball operations, has worked for Cleveland since 1999. General manager Mike Chernoff joined as an intern in 2003. The list of prominent executives to spend time in Cleveland in the interim is impressive, a group that includes Derek Falvey of the Minnesota Twins, David Stearns of the New York Mets and Carter Hawkins of the Chicago Cubs.

The Guardians face a set of challenges. Owner Paul Dolan tends not to spend much. The team has drawn more than two million fans to Progressive Field just once since 2009. Cleveland is not exactly a bustling coastal metropolis (though there are many excellent restaurants near the ballpark). “Just look at the market they’re in,” one executive said. “And look at what they’ve done over the last 15 years, how much they’ve won. It’s pretty remarkable.”

Cleveland’s primary baseball product has been pitchers, a lineage stretching from Corey Kluber to Shane Bieber to Emmanuel Clase. The front office tends to target arms with upside in trades and maximize them at the big-league level.

“They know what they’re good at, and they’re very consistent at being who they are,” one executive said.

No. 5 — Baltimore Orioles
Total points: 91
First-place votes: 3
President of baseball operations:

Mike Elias
Mike Elias’ crew received a mixture of responses. Some rivals harrumphed about the path Elias and fellow former Jeff Luhnow lieutenant Sig Mejdal took toward building the Orioles. The franchise endured three wretched seasons before emerging as upstarts in 2022 and winning the American League East in 2023. If you draft in the top five every summer, some grumbled, you should land quality talent like Adley Rutschman and Jackson Holliday.

Others, of course, were more charitable (and able to note that Gunnar Henderson was actually a second-round pick): The Orioles, one executive explained, “have picked high but have more than taken advantage of it. Players get better in their programs in the minor leagues and they have turned dials in the big leagues as well.” It’s not just the first-round talent flourishing. Kyle Bradish, a fourth-round choice in 2018, has emerged as a potential front-line starter. Elias has assembled an excellent bullpen. And he displayed the patience necessary to land Brewers ace Corbin Burnes this past winter, putting the Orioles in better position to contend for a title — all while still boasting enough talent on the farm to rank No. 1 on Keith Law’s preseason list.

“They never tried to push too fast, let it all evolve, and they’re going to reap the benefits of that patience for a long time,” another executive said.

No. 6 — Milwaukee Brewers
Total points: 52
First-place votes: 0
General manager:

Matt Arnold
In their first 48 years of existence, the Brewers made the postseason just four times. The club has reached the postseason five times in the past six seasons, a run that didn’t end after David Stearns stepped down after the 2022 season. Matt Arnold, who spent time working with Andrew Friedman in Tampa Bay, filled the void as Milwaukee coasted to another National League Central title.

Only once in this recent run, in 2018, has owner Mark Attanasio authorized a payroll that ranked in the sport’s top 12. The team typically gets outspent by about 20 other clubs but remains formidable. “The Brewers are consistently good on a small payroll,” one executive said.

This past winter, Arnold made the sort of choice that Stearns will likely no longer need to make in his new role running the Mets: Arnold dealt former Cy Young Award winner Corbin Burnes for a collection of younger, less-heralded players who are expected to keep the club afloat in 2024 and beyond. The team has demonstrated an ability to develop pitchers and the farm system entered this season ranked No. 2 in baseball by Law.

The Brewers, another executive said, are “exceptionally resourceful and smart. Do what they do really well and don’t try to be something they are not.”

No. 7 — Arizona Diamondbacks
Total points: 43
First-place votes: 1
President of baseball operations:

Mike Hazen
Mike Hazen, a Massachusetts native, turned down the chance to pursue the Red Sox’s opening this past winter. Fresh off a surprising jaunt to the World Series, Hazen received a contract extension from owner Ken Kendrick, who extended similar deals to assistant general managers Amiel Sawdaye and Mike Fitzgerald. Hazen’s group has earned plaudits for handling a challenging geographic situation — specifically, playing in a division ruled by the Dodgers — by making shrewd signings (plucking Merrill Kelly out of Korea), sound trades (like dealing Jazz Chisolm Jr. for Zac Gallen) and hitting on top draft choices (Corbin Carroll at No. 16 in 2019).

“They do a great job with the challenges they have and the division they’re in,” one executive said.

No. 8 (tie)— Minnesota Twins
Total points: 20
First-place votes: 0
President of baseball operations:

Derek Falvey
The word “culture” comes up often in discussions about the Twins, who have been helmed by president of baseball operations Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine since the fall of 2016. People like working in the front office. Players like the atmosphere inside the clubhouse fostered by manager Rocco Baldelli. Falvey has succeeded in transferring some aspects of the pitching development system he previously helped run in Cleveland, but the greater success may be fostering an environment that generates good cheer and the occasional American League Central crown.

“Everybody who goes there loves it,” one executive said. “You hear it from every player who played for them. Derek Falvey has done a lot of hard work from a culture standpoint, and it’s made a difference.”

Another executive described Falvey as “one of the most exceptional leaders out there.”

No. 8 (tie) — Texas Rangers
Total points: 20
First-place votes: 0
General manager:

Chris Young
In his first full season in charge, Chris Young won the World Series. He had joined the Rangers in December 2020 as Jon Daniels’ primary deputy. Daniels was fired midway through 2022, with many of the pieces of the future title winner in place, including prospects drafted by scouting director Kip Fagg and raised by farm director Josh Bonifay.

One executive praised Young for his aggressive pursuit of free agents. He pitched a vision of revival to Corey Seager and Marcus Semien heading into 2022. (The combined $500 million forked over by owner Ray Davis helped clarify that vision.) At last year’s trade deadline, Young displayed similar aggressiveness, dealing away prospects to land Jordan Montgomery and Max Scherzer, who aided the title pursuit.

No. 10 — New York Yankees
Total points: 19
First-place votes: 0
General manager:

Brian Cashman
“Brian Cashman,” one executive said, “is severely underrated.”

Perhaps even on this list. The Yankees have not experienced a losing season since Cashman took over the baseball operations department in 1998. Rival fans can chalk up all the success to spending, and Yankees fans can feel frustrated that the team has not been back to the World Series since 2009. Cashman’s peers still marvel at his team’s ability to overcome down cycles that affect every club. While the farm system has fallen short in terms of producing stars, the pipeline has sent forth enough quality big-league players for Cashman to acquire talent through trades.

“They don’t get enough credit for the engine they’ve built to support their spending at the major-league level,” another executive said.

Others receiving votes
No. 11 —

Philadelphia Phillies (10 points)
Several executives went out of their way to praise Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski, the dapper wheeler-dealer who has taken four different franchises to the World Series. “People s— all over him,” one executive said. “Didn’t go to an Ivy League school, blah, blah, blah. But it’s like that old Winston Churchill quote: ‘However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.’”

No. 12 —

Seattle Mariners (6 points)
Jerry Dipoto is famed for his affinity for trades, but the Mariners found franchise cornerstone Julio Rodríguez on the international amateur market while drafting rotation mainstays Logan Gilbert, George Kirby and Bryce Miller.

No. 13—

Houston Astros (5 points)
The Astros were hampered by upheaval. The team has reached the American League Championship Series in seven consecutive seasons despite employing three different chief executives: Jeff Luhnow (fired after the sign-stealing scandal in 2020), James Click (dismissed after winning the 2022 World Series) and Dana Brown.

No. 14—

Detroit Tigers (4 points)
The success of president of baseball operations Scott Harris may well depend on several players chosen in the top five by his predecessor, Al Avila. The Tigers lost for a good long while before Harris was hired, which put the team in position to draft players like Riley Greene and Spencer Torkelson. Harris was aggressive this spring in signing infielder Colt Keith to a six-year, $28.6 million deal before Keith debuted in the majors.

No. 15 (tie) —

Cincinnati Reds (1 point)
The Reds are on the cusp of contention thanks to the players acquired by president of baseball operations Nick Krall through the draft (Nick Lodolo, Andrew Abbott, Hunter Greene) and trades (Will Benson, Spencer Steer, Jake Fraley). And if Elly De La Cruz can put together a full season that resembles his first few months of 2023, the franchise will have a superstar plucked from the international market, too.

No. 15 (tie) —

New York Mets (1 point)
One executive described a fifth-place vote for the Mets as “purely a vote of confidence for David Stearns,” who spent his first offseason with access to owner Steve Cohen’s checkbook fortifying the edges of his 40-man roster rather than swinging for the fences in free agency.

Did not receive votes:

Red Sox,

Blue Jays,

Royals,

White Sox,

Athletics,

Angels,

Nationals,

Marlins,

Cardinals,

Padres,

Rockies,

Giants,

Pirates,

Cubs
One executive summed up the ephemeral nature of this endeavor: “Is Oakland terrible? Five years ago, they were top five. Is that them, or what they’re dealing with?” Indeed, for many of the clubs that did not merit consideration, it is hard to separate the front office from the sway held by ownership. One of the primary responsibilities of a chief baseball executive is managing upward — getting your owner to buy into, both literally and figuratively, your vision for how to run a club. Some owners are more difficult to sway than others.

J-Ram leaves both managers 'in awe' in Guards' MLB-leading 17th win
April 23rd, 2024

Mandy Bell
@MandyBell02

CLEVELAND -- Guardians manager Stephen Vogt laughed before Tuesday’s game, explaining how difficult it was to tell José Ramírez a few days prior that he’d be getting a day off for the first time in his managerial career.

Keeping Ramírez out of the lineup on Sunday had nothing to do with the fact that his bat hasn’t been as loud as we’ve all become used to, Vogt was quick to explain. It was simply to let Ramírez’s body and mind have a quick break, because he knew that it was only a matter of time before the numbers started reflecting Ramírez’s efforts in the box.

Apparently, the first step toward that turnaround was only eight innings away. Ramírez gave his team some much-needed breathing room by hitting a solo homer to right field in the bottom of the eighth inning on Tuesday to help lift the Guardians to a 4-1 victory over the Red Sox on a rainy night at Progressive Field.

“I mean, he absolutely annihilated that ball the other way,” Vogt said.

Before we get further into Ramírez, we can’t ignore the fact that the Guardians have continued their hot start to the year. For just the third time in franchise history, the Guardians have won 17 of their first 23 games of a season, joining the 1999 and 1966 clubs.

And much of that has been without Ramírez taking the spotlight. It’s not like he’s looked out of sorts this year. His numbers are down and his chase rate is high, but the Guardians had already seen him hit three homers coming into Tuesday. He owned a .217 average and .544 OPS over his previous 25 plate appearances entering the game, but the ball had started to explode off of his bat over the last week.

“Even in the Boston series [last week] alone, he had three balls he hit over 105 mph that got caught. If those get down, no one's talking about anything,” Vogt said before the game. “So he's hitting the ball hard and he's having good at-bats. They're just pitching him tough. And that's what happens when you're one of the best players in the world.”

In the sixth inning on Tuesday, Ramírez was hit by that bad luck again. He laced a 106.6 mph line drive right at first baseman Bobby Dalbec that resulted in him retreating to the dugout. But this time he stopped the bleeding two innings later and he finally got something to go in his favor.

If the Guardians were looking for a stronger sign that Ramírez isn’t far from getting back into peak form, him taking the ball the other way is a good indicator.

In a 1-2 count, Ramírez -- hitting right-handed -- took a 97.8 mph heater just off the outside corner of the plate and sent it a Statcast-projected 360 feet into the right-field seats. It marked his third career opposite-field homer from the right side of the plate. The other two were each hit in 2017.
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“There’s probably only two guys that can do that. Him and [Jose] Altuve,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said. “Like I always say, he’s a stud. He’s a good player. Obviously, I’m not rooting for him, but you’re in awe. I was like, 'For real, bro? You’re doing this?' He’s amazing. That at-bat tells the story. He’s one of the best players in baseball.”

“I was in awe of him for years,” Vogt said. “Now [that I’m his manager], I like being in awe of him. It’s just that other tier of player, that top tier of player, they do things almost every night that make you kind of jaw drop.”

The point of having Ramírez sit out on Sunday was to get him off of his feet for an extra day. Vogt knows his All-Star third baseman will play more than 150 games this year, assuming he stays healthy. So finding moments for a breather are necessary.

But the day off could unintentionally end up having more benefits. Maybe the mental reset will spark a Ramírez hot streak. Regardless, the Guardians aren’t concerned. They’ve seen what Ramírez can do countless times. His homer on Tuesday was just a reminder that at any point, the switch can be flipped.


“That's what he does,” Vogt said. “Josey hits the ball hard, doesn't get down on himself. But that was rewarding for him. For us. It was a huge hit at the time. I can't say enough about what he brings to this lineup.”

This is the link to see the videos in the article

https://www.mlb.com/guardians/news/jose ... vs-red-sox

Article at MLB.com by a writer who paid no attention to the Guardians' star last year

7 early breakout stars nobody saw coming

1B Josh Naylor, Guardians

The Guardians need power. The Guardians always need power: That’s their whole thing. Ever since they got Naylor from the Padres halfway through the truncated 2020 season, they’ve been hoping he could be that power guy. He hit 17 homers last year, which is not a lot, but still the second most on that Guardians team.

But this year, he is providing it in spades, smashing six to go along with five doubles. Even better, he’s getting on base at a .393 clip for a team that’s off to a terrific start: Would you believe he’s leading the AL in OPS? Cleveland has been hoping he could be Robin to José Ramírez’s Batman -- but maybe he’s Batman?
[DID THE AUTHOR NOTICE THAT JOSH WAS IN THE TOP 5 LAST YEAR BEFORE HE WAS INJURED? THAT HE WAS LEADING THE LEAGUE IN RBI at the same time?
Well, he's noticed now]