Cleveland Sports Forum

Guardians’ top 3 draft picks, José Ramírez’s Home Run Derby decision and doubleheader madness



James Madison outfielder Chase DeLauter (22) takes off his gear as he heads to first base after being walked during an NCAA baseball game on Wednesday, April 2, 2022 in Richmond, Va. (AP Photo/Mike Caudill)
By Zack Meisel
Jul 18, 2022
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CLEVELAND — The Guardians, staying on brand, selected an outfielder and a couple of college-aged starting pitchers with their three Day 1 draft picks Sunday.

They snagged an outfielder with their initial pick in 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2016. Those four players — Tyler Naquin, Jackson (nee Clint) Frazier, Bradley Zimmer and Will Benson – have combined for 6.4 WAR, per Baseball-Reference.

Cleveland collects college pitchers by the bushel. The club opted for 19 pitchers with its 21 picks last summer, and all but one came from a collegiate program.

So, who are these guys?

Round 1, No. 16: OF Chase DeLauter, James Madison
DeLauter is 6-foot-4, 235 pounds, and the Guardians believe if he doesn’t stick in center field, he’ll wind up in right.

“He can really cover a lot of ground,” said scouting director Scott Barnsby, who added DeLauter runs a 6.5-second 60-yard dash. DeLauter arrived at JMU as a two-way player, so he has “some carry on his throws,” Barnsby said.

DeLauter, 20, posted a .437/.576/.828 slash line with 10 stolen bases in 118 plate appearances this season, but he suffered a fractured foot in April that required surgery. The Guardians met with him at the MLB Draft Combine last month and DeLauter said he was “95 percent recovered,” with the final 5 percent being the mental hurdles associated with returning from injury. He recently held a pre-draft workout to showcase he was back to normal.

From The Athletic’s Keith Law: “DeLauter opens his front side way too early as he tries to cheat to get to velocity, and thus becomes vulnerable to off-speed stuff moving away. Florida State’s lefties just attacked him with fastballs and he struck out six times in those two games, giving teams the book on how to approach him. There could be more here with a lot of swing and mechanical work, but scouts are concerned he just can’t get to velocity consistently without that early move.”

Barnsby lauded DeLauter’s pitch recognition and strike zone awareness, two tenets of Cleveland’s hitting operation. The organization has largely shied away in recent years from targeting all-or-nothing sluggers, preferring hitters who possess innate abilities that position them to make frequent contact, while possibly growing into some power down the line.

“Not only does he have really good bat-to-ball (skills),” Barnsby said, “but he can also impact the ball to all fields. We’ve seen him drive the ball out to left-center. We’ve certainly seen him pull the ball.”

Round 1, No. 37: SP Justin Campbell, Oklahoma State

Justin Campbell pitches in the Big 12 tournament in 2021. (Alonzo Adams / USA Today)
A college pitcher with healthy walk and strikeout rates, good command and unspectacular velocity? That’s the Cleveland Way. Campbell also arrived on campus as a two-way player but zeroed in on pitching the last couple of years. Barnsby said he has an “easy, average fastball” and a “really good feel for his changeup.” This season for the Cowboys, the 6-foot-7 right-hander posted a 3.82 ERA with 25 walks and 141 strikeouts in 101 1/3 innings.

Here’s Law’s scouting report: “(He works) mostly with his fringe-average fastball, largely 90 to 92 (mph). His curveball is slow but has solid depth and above-average spin, while the changeup has both fading action and deception from his delivery. His delivery works, and he repeats it well. The main question is whether he has enough fastball to be a starter, especially when he’s pitching every fifth day rather than every seventh. If you think he can start, he’s a high-floor, low-ceiling prospect, but if you think the fastball is too light or can’t be improved, he’s probably a 4A starter.”

This description fits a number of Cleveland draft picks in recent memory, and Campbell is joining the right organization to get more out of his fastball and pair it properly with his other offerings.

Round 2, No. 54: SP Parker Messick, Florida State
The left-hander had an extreme 8-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio for the Seminoles this season, with 18 walks and 144 strikeouts in 98 2/3 innings. In 2021, he earned ACC Pitcher of the Year honors. Like Campbell, he pairs an average fastball with a changeup he throws to both lefties and righties.

Here’s what Law had to say: “Messick was one of the most dominant starters in Division I this year … but he does it with mirrors: He’s mostly 89-92 mph, with good secondary characteristics, getting a lot of deception from a funky delivery and pairing it with a solid-average changeup. Multiple scouts have commented on his apparent lack of conditioning and whether he’d hold up as a pro starter.”

Now for some other musings …

1. The Home Run Derby

Jose Ramírez homered twice Saturday, pushing his season total to 19. (David Richard / USA Today)
José Ramírez has twice declined the league’s invitation to join the Home Run Derby field in the past, but not this year. So why in 2022, when he’s nearing his 30th birthday and dealing with a bothersome thumb?

“My family,” Ramírez said. “They want to cheer for me. Especially my mom. She wanted to see me there.”

Double-A hitting coach Junior Betances, who instructed Ramírez in rookie ball, will pitch to the four-time All-Star. Betances insists he won’t be nervous, since it’s “the same as throwing BP. He’s the guy who has to put on the show.”

Then again …

“I can’t imagine throwing batting practice on that stage,” manager Terry Francona said, “because all you can do is screw up.”

Ramírez ranks tied for 10th in the American League with 19 home runs. He ranks fifth with a .576 slugging percentage.

No Cleveland slugger has ever captured the derby crown.

Cleveland’s Home Run Derby history

• Albert Belle, 1993, Camden Yards: Failed to advance past opening round
• Belle, 1994, Three Rivers Stadium: Failed to advance past opening round
• Belle, 1995, The Ballpark in Arlington: Lost in the finals to Frank Thomas
• Manny Ramirez, 1995, The Ballpark in Arlington: Failed to advance past opening round
• Jim Thome, 1997, Jacobs Field: Failed to hit a single home run
• Thome, 1998, Coors Field: Lost in the finals to Ken Griffey Jr.
• Grady Sizemore, 2008, Yankee Stadium: Lost opening-round tiebreaker to Dan Uggla
• Carlos Santana, 2019, Progressive Field: Failed to advance past opening round

2. Mother Nature’s madness
The defining image of the Guardians’ first half? How about a tarp covering the infield at Progressive Field?

Cleveland has had 10 postponements, nine via rainout and one for a COVID-19 outbreak. Sunday’s washout was a fitting end to a rain-soaked first stanza of the schedule.

The slew of schedule adjustments have forced the Guardians to play eight doubleheaders to this point. They have another one looming Saturday in Chicago. They also have doubleheaders on the docket for Aug. 15 (against the Tigers) and Sept. 17 (against the Twins).

Here’s how the club will assemble its starting rotation out of the All-Star break:

Friday at Chicago: Cal Quantrill
Saturday at Chicago (Game 1): Triston McKenzie
Saturday at Chicago (Game 2): TBD
Sunday at Chicago: Shane Bieber
Monday at Boston: Zach Plesac
Tuesday at Boston: TBD

Part of the equation is Aaron Civale, who is set to meet with a hand specialist Monday. Konnor Pilkington was initially slated to start one of the games of the doubleheader Saturday, but he might have to join the rotation on a more regular basis. Civale can’t return to the active roster until a weekend series against Tampa at the end of the month, at the earliest.

3. Welcome to The Show
Ten rookies have made their major-league debut for the Guardians this season. That’s 10 welcoming meetings in Francona’s office.

“We have so many difficult conversations with guys,” Francona said. “You have to take a second and enjoy the good ones. … A lot of them aren’t married or have kids. So this is probably the most exciting day of their life.”

Francona didn’t experience a similar warm welcome for his big-league arrival on Aug. 19, 1981. He arrived at the Astrodome, where his Expos were playing, in the fourth inning.

Four innings later, he grounded out to first.

“(Manager) Dick Williams just said, ‘Grab a bat, you’re leading off,’” Francona said. “He wasn’t exactly Mr. Warm and Fuzzy anyway.”

4. Francona’s health
Cleveland’s manager says he’s lost count of how many surgeries he’s had but estimates it’s “up over 45 or so.” When a team staffer underwent a procedure at the Cleveland Clinic last month, Francona told him: “Tell the people in the OR I said hello. Tell them I’ll be back. I don’t know when, but I’ll be back.” When another member of the organization had work done earlier this year, the doctors joked she was in the “Tito Suite.”

Francona says he has no regrets about returning for the 2022 season. He hasn’t made a decision about his future.

He wears a steel plate in his shoe to protect the toe that required surgery last September. He also has “drains in my backside,” which will remain until he has an operation at the end of the year to “try to eliminate that.”

“I’m OK, though,” he said.

From Baseball America

Which Teams Have The Prospect Talent To Acquire Juan Soto
Up Next - Will Corey Seager's history in Dodger Stadium help during the Home Run Derby?

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By Kyle Glaser on July 18, 2022

The Nationals are reportedly open to trading outfielder Juan Soto after he turned down a $440 million extension, which means teams across baseball now have the rare opportunity to acquire one of baseball’s best young players for multiple seasons.

Soto, 23, is not scheduled to be a free agent until after the 2024 season. He is a career .293/.427/.541 hitter, already owns a World Series ring and has led the majors in on-base percentage the last two seasons.

Acquiring a player of Soto’s magnitude—with multiple seasons of control—won’t come cheaply. As much as every team would relish the opportunity to acquire him, only a few actually have the young talent to do so.

Here is a look at which teams have the young major leaguers and prospects necessary to actually pull off a trade for Soto. Please note, this is strictly a look at which teams have the talent to make a deal. For purposes of this exercise, payroll resources and other factors are secondary considerations.

1. Dodgers

The Dodgers have arguably the deepest farm system in baseball and can match any price. They have seven Top 100 Prospects in C Diego Cartaya, RHP Bobby Miller, 3B Miguel Vargas, 2B Michael Busch, RHP Ryan Pepiot, RHP Gavin Stone and OF Andy Pages and, most importantly for a Nats team looking to rebuild quickly, all of them are at Double-A or above. The Dodgers have a deep well of talented players in the lower levels below them that can serve as complementary trade pieces, and they also have young, controllable big leaguers like 2B/OF Gavin Lux and RHP Brusdar Graterol. If the Dodgers are so inclined, they can blow any other team’s offer out of the water with room to spare.

2. Guardians

The Guardians are the only team that can compete with the Dodgers for the title of deepest farm system in baseball. They have six Top 100 Prospects in RHP Daniel Espino, OF George Valera, RHP Gavin Williams, C Bo Naylor, SS Brayan Rocchio and LHP Logan Allen in addition to a plethora of talent spread evenly across all levels of the minors. Add in a base of blossoming young major leaguers to choose from, including 1B Josh Naylor, 2B Andres Gimenez, SS Amed Rosario, OF Steven Kwan and OF Oscar Gonzalez, and the Guardians have multiple combinations they can put together to create an appealing package for Soto. Of course, the Guardians have been in cost-cutting mode for years and it’s not in their nature to make a big deadline trade splash for a veteran. But strictly from a talent standpoint, they have the ability to put together a stronger package than almost any other team.


3. Cardinals

The Cardinals have used their farm system to acquire superstars Paul Goldschmidt and Nolan Arenado in recent years and have the resources to acquire yet another franchise talent. The Cardinals have seven Top 100 Prospects in 3B Jordan Walker, LHP Matthew Liberatore, SS Masyn Winn, OF Alec Burleson, RHP Gordon Graceffo, C Ivan Herrera and RHP Tink Hence, plus another player just off the Top 100 in RHP Michael McGreevy. Add in the best rookie class in the National League in 2B Nolan Gorman, UTL Brendan Donovan and 1B/OF Juan Yepez they can pull from, and the Cardinals have the mix of young big leaguers and prospects to pull off a deal and still have talent left over.

4. Padres

The Padres farm system isn’t as deep as the Dodgers, Guardians and Cardinals after years of dealing prospects for veterans, but they have enough left over to pull off a potential deal for Soto. SS CJ Abrams, OF Robert Hassell, C Luis Campusano, OF James Wood and SS Jackson Merrill are all Top 100 Prospects, and RHP Jarlin Susana headlines an intriguing group of young pitchers in the lower levels of the system. The Padres would understandably be reluctant to deal controllable young big leaguers like 2B Jake Cronenworth or LHP MacKenzie Gore, but in theory, they could package one of them with top prospects to put together an offer strong enough for Soto.

5. Blue Jays

The Blue Jays don’t quite have the pure prospect talent to pull off a trade for Soto, but they can make it work if they’re willing to include one or more of their young big leaguers. C Gabriel Moreno and LHP Ricky Tiedemann are both Top 100 Prospects, with SS Jordan Groshans, SS Orelvis Martinez and RHP Yosver Zulueta not far off. Beyond them, the Blue Jays have a deep well of interesting low-level infielders and intriguing righthanded pitchers in their farm system that could serve as complementary pieces in a deal. In order to match what other teams can offer though, the Blue Jays would likely have to include one of C Alejandro Kirk, RHP Alek Manoah or SS Bo Bichette from their big league team, which they are extremely unlikely to do. From a pure talent standpoint, however, they have the players in house to make an enticing offer.

6. Mariners

The surging Mariners have some of the best young talent in the majors and could use it to headline a package to acquire Soto if they decided to be aggressive. OF Julio Rodriguez isn’t going anywhere, but one of RHPs George Kirby or Logan Gilbert would likely have to be included in any package for Soto. From there, the Mariners could pull together multiple combinations from a farm system that includes talented young shortstops Noelvi Marte and Edwin Arroyo and a wealth of young righthanders including Matt Brash, Emerson Hancock, Taylor Dollard and Bryce Miller. A package of prospects alone wouldn’t be enough to grab Soto, but in the unlikely event the Mariners decided to include one of their young starters, they could do it.

Juan Soto
Amidst Trade Speculation, Juan Soto Beats Julio Rodriguez To Win Home Run Derby
After a difficult start to his day, Juan Soto outlasted Julio Rodriguez to win his first Home Run Derby.

7. Mets

The odds of the Nationals trading Soto within the division are slim, but from a talent standpoint, the Mets have the resources to do it. C Francisco Alvarez, 3B Brett Baty and OF Alex Ramirez are all Top 100 Prospects, while SS Ronny Mauricio and 1B Mark Vientos have plenty of prospect pedigree and continue to hold appeal for opposing clubs. The depth of the Mets farm system is poor, which affects their ability to offer complementary prospects equal to what other teams can dangle, but a package around Alvarez, Baty and/or Ramirez makes for an interesting start. Including cost-controlled young big leaguers like LHP David Peterson and/or 1B Dominic Smith would help them better compete with what other teams can offer, although in the case of Peterson, doing so would damage their starting rotation.

8. Orioles

Realistically, this won’t happen. The Nationals trading Soto to the Orioles would be a PR disaster for the club, and the Orioles aren’t quite ready to make such an aggressive win-now move yet despite their recent success. Strictly from a talent standpoint, however, the Orioles have the players to pull it off. Between blossoming young big leaguers C Adley Rutschman, 1B Ryan Mountcastle, OF Austin Hays and RHP Tyler Wells and a talented farm system headlined by RHP Grayson Rodriguez, SS Gunnar Henderson, LHP D.L. Hall and 3B Jordan Westburg, the Orioles can put together a package as enticing as almost any other team. Again though, the odds of this happening are about the same as the teams’ long-running MASN lawsuit ending amicably.

9. Marlins

Again, the Nationals are highly unlikely to trade Soto within the division, and the Marlins aren’t the type of team to make such an enormous splash. From a pure talent standpoint, however, the Marlins can offer the Nationals the most valuable commodity in the game—young pitching—at a level no other team can. RHP Sandy Alcantara isn’t going anywhere, but RHP Pablo Lopez and LHPs Trevor Rogers and Braxton Garrett are three talented young starters with proven big league success. Add in a farm system featuring RHPs Eury Perez, Max Meyer and Edward Cabrera and recovering LHP Jake Eder, and the Marlins have the personnel to put together an overwhelming offer centered around arms to land Soto.

10. Yankees

This would be a stretch, but the Yankees could pull it off if they’re willing to deal their very best prospects. SS Anthony Volpe would have to be included in any deal, with some combination of SS Oswald Peraza, LHP Ken Waldichuk, RHP Hayden Wesneski, OF Everson Pereira and OF Jasson Dominguez used to lead a package of secondary prospects. That wouldn’t match what the Dodgers, Guardians, Cardinals, Padres, Mets or others could potentially offer, but if those teams get gun-shy about dealing their top prospects, the Yankees have enough talent to make things interesting. 2B Gleyber Torres is their only cost-controlled young big leaguer that could possibly be included to spice up the offer, but dealing him would negatively affect their team.

Great article - thanks buck!

Guardians infielder Andrés Giménez’s journey from undersized and doubted to MLB All-Star
Zack Meisel
Jul 19, 2022

CLEVELAND — Andrés Giménez sat at a table in the dimly lit service level of Progressive Field one afternoon last week, scribbling his name on one baseball after another.

Seven years ago, Giménez was 120 pounds — well, if his cleats, belt, uniform, helmet and bat were included in the measurement, maybe — and scribbling his name on a contract with the Mets. But even the New York scout who signed him admitted to Giménez he was far from the most talented player in the class. That rhetoric was nothing new to Giménez, who told The Athletic he had plenty of doubters in his inner circle, too.

Now, though, he’s an All-Star, the American League’s starting second baseman and a guy with a coveted autograph. He’ll line up on the first-base line for introductions Tuesday evening before a national TV audience and a raucous crowd at Dodger Stadium, which will include his mom, wife and 6-month-old son.

Giménez was stunned when Guardians manager Terry Francona, after initially signaling the team’s only All-Stars were José Ramírez and Emmanuel Clase, revealed Giménez would be the club’s third representative. He was even more shocked when family members, citing reports on social media, informed him he was replacing José Altuve in the starting lineup.

Cleveland’s coaches and front office members didn’t forecast this rapid ascent when they acquired Giménez in the Francisco Lindor trade 18 months ago. They certainly didn’t foresee this when he shuttled between Triple A and the major leagues last season, desperately searching for solutions to a faulty swing.

And few observers would have predicted this rise years ago in Barquisimeto, Venezuela, where Giménez was routinely overlooked because of his small stature.

Then again, the soft-spoken Giménez has even surprised himself.

“I never thought I would get to this point,” he said.


All-Star Andrés Giménez takes BP at Dodger Stadium on Monday. Mandatory Credit: (Orlando Ramirez / USA Today)
Baseball is king in Barquisimeto, and Giménez’s mom contends he started playing at 3 years old. He didn’t consider it a possible career choice until he became a teenager, though.

Giménez’s relatives all attended college. His mom is a computer science teacher. His grandma is a teacher, his uncle an architect, his dad an engineer. There are pilots in the family, too.

And this undersized kid planned to forgo his education to pursue a future as a professional baseball player? Giménez said his family lived modestly, so following such a path came with risks, but his parents were supportive. He signed with the Mets for $1.2 million in 2015, when he was 16, and bought his mom a house and a car. Giménez, who is now 5-foot-11, 161 pounds, said he was “always the smallest, skinniest guy on the team,” and that the Mets demanded he add to his frame when he joined the organization.

“A lot of people sign,” he said, “but that doesn’t mean you’re going to make it to the majors.”

Giménez played in the Dominican Summer League his first year. Then, at 18, he ventured to the United States for the first time, spending the summer at Class-A Columbia. He didn’t speak English and said South Carolina’s capital couldn’t be more different from Barquisimeto. He struggled to communicate with teammates. Even mundane tasks were complicated. He ended up taking English classes when he returned home and, the following season, at High-A St. Lucie, he roomed with three American teammates.

He wondered if he was cut out for a life in pro ball.

“That was the hardest point,” Giménez said. “When you’re the lowest, you doubt yourself. You look in the mirror and say, ‘Am I actually capable of doing this?’”


Giménez bats during spring training with the Mets in 2018. He’d debut in 2020. (John Bazemore / Associated Press)
Giménez would prefer not to be constantly compared to Lindor, but he understands why many make the connection. Cleveland’s front office identified a few Giménez traits they treasured when studying the Mets’ system before the January 2021 blockbuster.

They knew he was athletic and gifted with his glove. He was always especially young at each minor-league level, but still produced at the plate. He reached Double A at 19 and batted .277 there, and he skipped Triple A altogether en route to the majors in 2020.

So, yes, Giménez’s name surfaced regularly during trade conversations. But the two sides discussed dozens of configurations, and Cleveland was focused on landing the most comprehensive package, not necessarily one particular player. That said, once they settled on the four-player haul — Giménez and Amed Rosario, plus low-level prospects Josh Wolf and Isaiah Greene — it became evident Giménez was the key to the arrangement.

Attaining All-Star status was a higher-end outcome for Giménez, and the Guardians never would have imagined him achieving it so quickly. And that’s before considering the depths to which Giménez struggled at the plate in 2021.

“He was searching,” said Victor Rodriguez, Cleveland’s assistant hitting coach. “’Let’s try this. Let’s try that. Let’s try this.’ And before you know it, he didn’t know where he was. He was lost.”

The Guardians didn’t know how Giménez would respond to that adversity, whether he could mentally weather such a frustrating stretch or if the pressure to validate the trade was weighing on his mind. They were hopeful he would arrive at spring training ready to seize an everyday role and cement himself as a middle-infield mainstay, but it was cautious optimism more than anything.

“You knew he had ability,” Rodriguez said, “but he wasn’t confident.”

Giménez sat on the bench in the visitors dugout in Kansas City earlier this month and FaceTimed his wife and mom at the same time. His son, Andrés Jr., entered the picture and Giménez made goofy faces in front of the screen.

He opened the conversation by declaring, “We’re going to L.A.” Everyone knew what that meant. His mom and his wife cried.

“I was holding back tears,” Giménez said, “but realistically, I was overwhelmed inside.”


Giménez has posted a 3.1 WAR and a 139 OPS+, up from marks of 0.8 and 74 last season. (Ken Blaze / USA Today)
Giménez ranks 11th in the AL in WAR, per Baseball-Reference, at 3.1, nearly quadrupling his figure from last season. He’s been a steady presence for the Guardians since Opening Day, providing elite defense at second base and pivotal hits. Rodriguez said he’s been impressed with the infielder’s timeliness more than anything else; Giménez owns a .384/.441/.767 slash line with runners in scoring position.

Overall, he’s slashing .296/.357/.478. After the season-opening series against the Royals in early April, his batting average has never dipped below .286. This season, he has boosted his hard-hit rate, reduced his strikeout rate and struck the ball with more authority, especially against off-speed pitches. He’s hitting the ball up the middle with much more frequency. Rodriguez, noting Giménez is only 23, suggested he could eventually hit for more power, too. Early success, Rodriguez said, translated into increased confidence and trust in his routines, a couple of qualities that were absent last season.

“Now I have a base to remind him: You’re an All-Star,” Rodriguez said. “You were the best. Why worry about (a slump)? Just keep doing it. It’s been a pleasure to watch him develop.”

He’s blossomed more than many thought the diminutive speedster from Barquisimeto would. Always the smallest. Always the youngest. And now he’s signing autographs and starting in the All-Star Game.

“That served as motivation,” Giménez said, “to keep going and prove them wrong.”

Great article on Gimenez

Thanks!

on the draft, Keith Law does not appear to be very impressed with the first day 3. We can always imagine the coaches helping develop pitchers into major leaguers, but the comments on the 1st round pick repeat what other reports have said. I have no expectations for him so if he happens to pan out I will be pleasantly surprised.

DeLauter opens his front side way too early as he tries to cheat to get to velocity, and thus becomes vulnerable to off-speed stuff moving away. Florida State’s lefties just attacked him with fastballs and he struck out six times in those two games, giving teams the book on how to approach him. There could be more here with a lot of swing and mechanical work, but scouts are concerned he just can’t get to velocity consistently without that early move.”

civ ollilavad wrote:
DeLauter opens his front side way too early as he tries to cheat to get to velocity, and thus becomes vulnerable to off-speed stuff moving away. Florida State’s lefties just attacked him with fastballs and he struck out six times in those two games, giving teams the book on how to approach him. There could be more here with a lot of swing and mechanical work, but scouts are concerned he just can’t get to velocity consistently without that early move.”

That's why they develop at the minor league level. Obviously this is something the organization thinks they can work with/on. At the same time he has traits that you can't teach. Tools such as size, speed and bat to ball skills.

The Guardians have the ammo to land Juan Soto. Should they seriously consider it?


By Zack Meisel
1h ago
20

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CLEVELAND — The Guardians have been fielding trade calls for weeks now, and the deadline looms less than two weeks away. Should Chris Antonetti dial Mike Rizzo’s number? Would Cleveland actually make a play for Nationals superstar Juan Soto, a perennial MVP candidate?

Deep breath. That might have seemed like a preposterous sentence. It requires a certain level of lunacy to even include Soto’s name and Paul Dolan’s team in the same breath, right?

Well, not so fast. Let’s consider something for a minute …

What criteria would a team need to meet to enter the Soto sweepstakes?

1. A deep farm system.

The Guardians boast one of the best systems in baseball, with a league-high eight top-100 prospects, per MLB Pipeline’s latest update. And much of their well-regarded talent is in the upper levels of the minors, so the players have more concrete track records than, say, an intriguing-but-unproven 19-year-old at Low A. Perhaps that would appeal to Washington.

Check.

2. Enough major-league talent to be a contender with Soto.

They’re an AL Central-aided contender now, so it stands to reason they’d be viable contenders with Soto, especially in 2023 and ’24, once their toddler-filled big-league roster gains a bit more experience. It seems like Soto has been wreaking havoc in the majors for a decade, but he’s only 23, so he’d fit right in with Cleveland’s youth movement.

Check.

3. A timeline that fits with Soto’s contractual status.

This is where it gets tricky. For a team such as the Yankees, Dodgers, Blue Jays or Padres, it’s a no-brainer. Those clubs are forging ahead at full speed with a title-or-bust mentality. For the Guardians, as currently constructed, their best chance for title contention might not arrive for another couple of years. And that’s placing a lot of pressure on the shoulders of George Valera, Daniel Espino, Gavin Williams and other prospects. But if the Guardians trade for Soto, they’d be parting with some or all of those prospects, so that timeline would be accelerated.

There’s no question — the Guardians can trade for Soto. The debate is whether they should. This isn’t as simple as asking, “Is this roster plus Soto capable of ending the franchise’s World Series drought, which stands at nearly three-quarters of a century?” A trade for Soto would have a ripple effect on front-office decisions, necessitating further roster enhancements.

Let’s examine the imaginary scenario, and the hurdles that stand in the way.


The Guardians have the trade assets to acquire Juan Soto, but would they go all-in? (Geoff Burke / USA Today)
A trade for Soto
It would cost a haul of young players. That much is evident. Whomever the Nationals deem Cleveland’s top few prospects, they’d all be relocating to the nation’s capital (or a Nationals minor-league affiliate). Maybe it’s Valera and one of the potential front-line starters. Maybe Bo Naylor or Gabriel Arias or Brayan Rocchio. Maybe the Nationals would want some of Cleveland’s young, major-league talent, such as Nolan Jones or Steven Kwan or even Andrés Giménez or Triston McKenzie.

Soto has only two and a half years of team control remaining, and he’s actually having a slightly down year — .901 OPS, 20 home runs and a league-leading 79 walks — by his ridiculously lofty standards. But he’s 23, and every day someone compares him to Ted Williams. (And his metrics suggest that more of his typical eye-popping numbers are coming.) So, the Nationals can spark an unprecedented bidding war between opposing general managers and fetch an army of promising players for Soto’s services.

A trade for Soto would completely shift the Cleveland front office’s agenda. Suddenly, it might make sense to keep Amed Rosario, maybe even through next year (unless they flip him for some other useful major-leaguer). Suddenly, an immediate upgrade at catcher soars to the top of the priority list, especially if Naylor is part of the trade package. Suddenly, hanging onto Shane Bieber for the final two years of his Cleveland tenure would be imperative, along with finding another top-tier starting pitcher with whom to pair him. The plan would shift from long-term building to all-in mode.

Keep in mind, Cleveland made a bid for Matt Olson before the A’s traded him to the Braves. Olson came with two years of team control. Had the Guardians swung such a trade, there would have been subsequent moves to bolster the roster and attempt to win in the short term, rather than their eventual choice — once they struck out on their offseason targets — to prioritize their inexperienced players.

Soto would arm the club with an outfield staple, and the Guardians could then sort out whether Kwan, Jones, Oscar Gonzalez or Myles Straw fit best around him … although perhaps one or two of those guys would be included in the trade. Valera, the team’s top outfield prospect, who could arrive in the majors sometime next season, likely would be.

Pairing Soto with José Ramírez during Ramírez’s prime would equip manager Terry Francona with perhaps the league’s best one-two punch in the middle of his order. Both have elite strike zone awareness and contact ability and, as demonstrated when they squared off in the Home Run Derby on Monday, they can both hit for plenty of power.

OK, not so fast: The hang-ups
The chances of Soto remaining in Cleveland beyond the 2024 campaign are McKenzie-slim, even with new ownership on the horizon. Guardians GM Mike Chernoff is already on record suggesting that David Blitzer’s arrival isn’t going to drastically alter the organization’s standard operating procedure. Blitzer’s presence would be paramount just to position the team to pay Soto’s arbitration-determined salary the next two years. (He’s earning $17.1 million in 2022; that number will increase the next two seasons.) After adding his salary, would ownership offer any wiggle room for the front office to address other roster deficiencies?

The Guardians would be bidding against some teams that probably believe they would have a realistic chance of retaining the Hall of Fame talent for the bulk of his career. And if one of those big-market behemoths believes that, then you’d figure it would outbid the teams that have no illusions of keeping Soto past 2024.

Cleveland’s front office has demonstrated a knack for being aggressive when they think the timing is right. In 2016, at the start of a contention window, they splurged for Andrew Miller (and attempted to woo Jonathan Lucroy to the shores of Lake Erie, but he decided he isn’t a fan of the city’s underrated restaurant scene and many golf courses and T-shirt companies). Five years earlier, banking on brighter days ahead, they traded a pair of recent first-round picks for Ubaldo Jiménez.

Those deals, while significant at the time, pale in comparison to the magnitude of a Soto deal. And being opportunistic is different than committing to an all-in/all-out position. The Guardians have resisted the temptation to commit to a long, painstaking rebuild. What would remain once Soto departs in 2025? Your stance might be, “Who cares?” And that’s understandable. But that’s not the way this front office is wired.

Here’s the thing: They have a position-player logjam in the upper levels of the minors and on the major-league roster, and they need to consolidate some prospects and make some sort of meaningful trade. Maybe not for an otherworldly talent like Soto, who will have 29 other GMs pestering Rizzo, but for someone who is a clear upgrade for a roster that’s on the doorstep of contention.

Trusting the Cleveland Guardians’ process towards an exciting future
by Chris Slocombe13 hours ago Follow @chrisslocombe

Hey, Guardians fans: Take a deep breath and relax.

The club has crossed the halfway mark of the season, reached the All-Star break, and sit two games above .500 with a record of 46-44. As former NFL head coach Dennis Green once famously said, “They are who we thought they were.”

Before the season started, I predicted this team would go 84-78, a prediction I still believe will come to pass. And as things stand now, the club is also 2 1/2 games out of the final Wild Card spot, and two games behind the Twins for first in the AL Central. With 72 games still to play, there is plenty of time to make up that ground.

Yes, I know the past few weeks have been frustrating; going 1-6 against the Yankees and Tigers to start the month was not great. But did we all just forget the part were they went 18-10 in the month of June and won seven consecutive series to start the month? A 6-3 stretch to close out the first part of July helped as well.

I will admit that I tend to be optimistic when it comes to my beloved Guardians. This team is far from perfect, but this is the youngest team in MLB, as well as every Triple-A club, too. This squad needs time and patience. I hate to break it to some fans, as a World Series title this season was so unlikely to begin with.


So let’s circle back to this idea that the club isn’t perfect. With nearly two weeks until the trade deadline, let’s play GM with this roster.

In my opinion, there are 3-4 categories of players on the current roster. Those who are core pieces, those who are worth holding on to in order to get a longer look at, and those who are merely keeping a seat warm.

Additions can and should be made this second half of the season. Personally, I believe the front office owes it to the team to go out and shore up a few spots to show the guys they are willing to help them reach the ultimate goal – a World Series title.

There may only be a 5% chance at actually landing him, but Juan Soto isn’t happy in Washington and the Guardians have a cornucopia of prospects that I’m fairly confident would satisfy the Nationals’ desired return. Same goes for trying to acquire Pittsburgh’s Bryan Reynolds (yes, even though he is currently on the IL) or Baltimore’s Cedric Mullins. As much as it pains me, I don’t foresee their current teams trading them this deadline, though this winter could be a whole different story.

Instead, the Guardians could turn their sights to adding an Anthony Santander or Ian Happ type at the deadline – again, with the caveat that their clubs make them available.

However, if the Guardians don’t land a big name via trade, maybe it’s time to get longer looks at Nolan Jones and someone like Tyler Freeman. Cleveland can always hold off making a move until this winter as well. I’m well aware that this philosophy isn’t glamorous and will likely anger some casual fans, and there likely will be some growing pains.

Just remember to take a deep breath, and stay calm – the “second half” of the season is going to be fun. This team is certainly capable of catching fire and giving us an exciting end to the season. The goal should be at least a .500 record while staying in the Wild Card discussion through September.

In my opinion, there are 3-4 categories of players on the current roster. Those who are core pieces, those who are worth holding on to in order to get a longer look at, and those who are merely keeping a seat warm.

Well, that's a pretty standard division and of course teams need to make the right choices among the 3 [he left out the 4th] category unless he means the merely filling a gap and have no real value guys.

Group 1 is the 3 All Stars and Naylor and McKenzie. Bieber? not necessarily.
Group 4 is Maile, Call
Group 3 Shaw, Miller, Clement among others

How Did Andrés Giménez Become an All-Star?
Jul 16, 2022 , by Justin Dunbar


How Did Andrés Giménez Become an All-Star?
Can we sit back and appreciate the greatness of international MLB players? Imagine being 16 years old, having to move to a new country, while also having the pressure to perform athletically at a high level in order to not only make your dreams come true but, oftentimes, to support your family as well.

Yet, not only do many players overcome these obstacles to be successful MLB players, but they often are also able to come up at a younger age than your typical prospect. In fact, the age that many international players reach the big leagues is the same as those drafted out of college; they’re constantly matched up against older competition. The amount of maturity and mental fortitude needed to follow a smooth trajectory to the majors is remarkable, and something that certainly doesn’t get enough credit for its immense difficult.

Given the challenges for international players, it’s very common for them to draw an attachment to the organization they signed with. After all, this is the team associated with their development not only as a player, but adjusting to the United States as well. Yet, sports are a business, and change can come at any moment. Should a trade happen, the players still need to continue to overcome significant barriers, but has to do so while departing from their first professional organization. There are studies to indicate that traded prospects often underachieve compared to those who stay with one team, and it’s easy to see why.

Take Andres Gimenez’s story as a clear illustration of this. After signing with the Mets as an international free agent out of Venezuela, he demonstrated tremendous adaptability to the professional level, managing to hold his own as a very young player. Then, he was traded to Cleveland in a trade for superstar Francisco Lindor, adding even another layer of pressure to an already difficult game.

Initially, these obstacles got the most of Gimenez. Now, though, he’s an All-Star, and seemingly a potential building block for the Guardians moving forward. So, how did Gimenez overcome these hurdles to get to the impactful player he is now? Let’s take a closer look at one of the shining lights in Cleveland moving forward.

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Andres Gimenez’s Rise To High-End Prospect
Between Juan Soto, Fernando Tatis Jr., and Vladimir Guerrero Jr., the 2015 international signing class will go down as one of the best groups of prospects ever in baseball history. After that, though, the depth of the class, and, ironically, the players expected to be the true stars didn’t ultimately pan out. Well, except for Andres Gimenez.

Ranked as MLB Pipeline‘s 20th ranked player during the international period, Gimenez signed for $1.2 million with the Mets out of Venezuela. Interestingly, he wasn’t even the shortstop the Mets signed to the highest bonus – Gregory Guerrero received $1.5 million – while opinions were split on him; Baseball America went as far as to label him as the #2 prospect in the entire class. Mainly, your evaluation of Gimenez came down to what you valued from a 16-year-old. The consensus was that he was an advanced hitter with excellent defense, but how confident could one be in his power developing? That was the 1.2 million dollar question.

Initially, Gimenez appeared to be proving his proponents correct. In Rookie ball as a 17-year-old, the shortstop slashed .350/.469/.523, walking (16.7%) twice as much as he struck out (8%), while posting an absurd 188 weighted-runs-created-plus (wRC+). For context, 100 is league average; Gimenez was 88% better than the average hitter at his level! While that dominance didn’t completely continue (107 wRC+) at Single-A, to be an above-average hitter at the professional level at the same age (18) as high-school seniors is remarkable impressive, enough to have him labeled as the top-100 prospect by Baseball America heading into 2018.

Speaking of 2018, that’s when Gimenez continued to shine. After dominating at High-A, he was able to hold his own as a 19-year-old in Double-A, while also being named to the Future’s Game. Talk about development at a rapid rate! All of a sudden, Baseball America considered him to be a top-30 prospect in the entire sport; he looked to be a clear centerpiece for the Mets moving forward. Even after a slight down year in Double-A (105 wRC+) during the 2019 season, given his age and overall skillset, ascending into an impactful big leaguer still appeared to be extremely likely for him.

At the same time, though, it wasn’t all sunshines and rainbows for Gimenez, as Fangraphs’ pre-2020 report of him clearly stated:

“We now have what you could say is a softer 50 on Gimenez. Defensively, at either short or second, Gimenez’s wide array of skills, especially his range (it’s less important than it used to be because of improved positioning, but Gimenez can really go get it) is going to make him a strong middle infield defender. On offense, even though Gimenez spent 2019 all the way up at Double-A Binghamton, things are less clear. He looked physically overmatched against Double-A pitching, which is fine because he was only 20, but he was also chasing a lot and seemed doomed if he fell behind in counts because of it. The all-fields spray (lots of oppo doubles) that comes when Gimenez targets more hittable pitches is very promising. We’re not optimistic that any kind of impact power will ever come (he’ll golf one out to his pull side once in a while), but the hit tool and doubles would be plenty to profile everyday on the middle infield if Gimenez learns to be more selective.”

The combination of lack of physicality and lack of polished plate discipline certainly was concerning. Sure, Gimenez could likely get by as a strong defensive shortstop, but without strong on-base ability or much power, what was the offensive upside? On the bright side, the floor was very high, with the ceiling of some sort of offensive development still being within reach- that’s the benefit of being as young as he was. Surely, he’d just need more time in the minors to refine his skill set, which, of course, he never got.

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Andres Gimenez’s Instant Struggles At The MLB Level
Normally, a player as young and seemingly unrefined as Gimenez would get more time to hopefully put it all together. As we now know, 2020 did not grant many players that wish. With the COVID-19 pandemic shutting down the minor-league season, Gimenez’s reps would have just come at the team’s alternate site training, but the contending Mets decided to make a surprise move- they decided to place Gimenez on the Opening Day roster.

Remember, this is a player that still wasn’t seen as close to big-league ready. Nevertheless, the team was looking for a pinch-runner to round out their bench, and while that seemed like developmental malpractice, that was clearly a trade-off a win-now team was willing to take. Now, by no means did they expect him to assume any sort of everyday role for them, but, as they say, never say never.

Just a week into the season, Gimenez started to receive regular playing time, and while that became more scattered as the season went on, he certainly contributed much more for the Mets than they likely thought he would. The best part? He adjusted quickly to the MLB level with an above-average 105 wRC+, which, combined with his elite defense and base-running, put him on pace to be a three or four-win player in terms of Fangraphs wins above replacement (fWAR). Considering that there were strong concerns regarding his ability to perform in the big leagues, this was a remarkably encouraging development.

With Steve Cohen taking over as the owner of the Mets, though, the organization was steadfast on contending for a World Series championship. With star shortstop Francisco Lindor available for trade, New York clearly saw their chance; they traded Gimenez, along with Amed Rosario and multiple prospects, to Cleveland for Lindor. Rightfully so, the attention shifted to what Lindor could provide for the Mets, yet for the Guardians to finally trade arguably the face of their franchise, they had to feel very strongly about they return they were getting. After all, as a small-market organization, the way for them to continue to contend, whether it’s optimal for the game or not, often leads with them trading their stars as they get closer to free agency for cheaper players they hope to be nearly as effective; Gimenez was going to be one of the keys of keeping their contention window open.

Unfortunately, it’s hard to imagine his first season in Cleveland starting off worse than it did. With a 43 wRC+ (57% below league-average from the beginning of the season to May 16th, Gimenez was sent down to Triple-A, likely more for his own sanity more than anything else. Between poor plate discipline numbers (3.5% BB, 29.4% K) and limited quality of contact, there wasn’t much of anything for him to hang his hat on based on his production- the trade return for Lindor suddenly was not looking ideal for the now Guardians.

Interestingly, Gimenez, by virtue of a 123 wRC+, rebounded quite well in Triple-A, showcasing much more power (.215 isolated power/ISO) than he had ever before. Now, considering that Triple-A pitching was generally seen as being quite inferior compared to previous seasons, it wasn’t clear how much to take away from this. Still, simply from a confidence standpoint, this stretch turned out to be pivotal for the young infielder.

To be fair, with a 94 wRC+ after being called back up to Cleveland in the beginning of August, it isn’t as though Gimenez lit the world on fire. That being said, we saw his walk and strikeout rates (6.2% BB, 23.2% K) improve, even if the power (2.4% barrel) actually got worse. Things clearly still weren’t perfect, but a slightly below league-average hitter with stellar defense up the middle and high-end base-running is an everyday starter for most MLB teams, and much more in line with the general expectations for him as a prospect.

Nevertheless, surely all sides were hoping for more. Between him expanding the zone (40% chase) consistently with contact issues (29.9% whiff) and significantly below-average quality of contact numbers, there were still a lot of nits to pick with Gimenez’s offensive profile. THE BAT X projected him for a 87 wRC+ and 1.7 fWAR, which are fine numbers, but perhaps closely to a second-division regulator than someone who was the headliner of a trade for Francisco Lindor. Fortunately, those projections and concerns have become a moot point for now.

Hey Now, You’re An All-Star!
Heading into 2022, expectations for Gimenez had seemingly dampened. Although he was on Cleveland’s opening day roster, he was placed in the #9 spot, while he was platooning with Ernie Clement at second base. That doesn’t scream “future All-Star”, though if there’s anything we have learned about baseball, it’s to expect the unexpected.

That’s right; Gimenez is officially an American All-Star, and for good reason. For the season, he’s posted an exceptional 137 wRC+, combining on-base skills (.354 OBP) with much more power (.185 ISO) than anticipated. Meanwhile, this has been no flash in the pan- Gimenez’s underlying data all points to this being 100% deserved.

Given his scouting reports and early MLB data, I don’t think anyone would expect Gimenez to rank in the 51st percentile in barrel rate (8.2%), the most predictive metric for future power production, but here we are! Truly, the quality of contact has improved significantly:

Barrel Rate: 3.6% to 8.2%
Hard-Hit Rate: 30.4% to 41.8% (60th percentile)
Flare/Burner Rate: 19.6% to 26.8%
Poorly-Hit “Under” Rate: 24.6% to 19.6%
Essentially, Gimenez is hitting the baseball in an ideal trajectory for batting average, while also not coming up short in the power production. That’s a very strong combination, and would portend future success, in spite of a 5.1% walk rate. While he will always be a very aggressive hitter, slightly fewer chases (33.7%) and overall aggression leads to slightly better pitch selection, and, thus, the ability to make contact on pitches he could do damage with.

Speaking of which, Gimenez’s growth against the fastball has been a revelation this season. His expected weighted on-base average (xwOBA) against all fastballs has gone up nearly .100 points (.286 to .377), a strong amount, while he’s making tremendously more contact against all three main fastball types:

4-Seam Fastball: 33.1% whiff to 28.9% whiff
Sinker: 28.6% whiff to 17.2% whiff
Cutter: 24.4% whiff to 5.6% whiff
You’d like to see him not swing-and-miss on so many four-seam fastballs, yet Gimenez has grown significantly in terms of his ability to produce against pitchers on the lower-half of the zone, which is due in large part to the improvement in production versus sinkers. His success over pitches over the heart of the zone (-4 run value to +10) also correlates with doing more damage with all in-zone pitches, particularly changeups (.204 xwOBA to .346 xwOBA). Cleveland has a history of targeting players with strong hit tools and defensive acumen, hoping for power late on. By all measures, Gimenez has become their latest success story.

Now, will this continue? That’s the hope! If there is one nit to pick, though, it’s further projection on his power. Clearly, we’ve seen hit a trough in recent weeks:



Over the post 30 days, Gimenez’s barrel rate has sunk to 4.1%. Now, that has come with fewer strikeouts, yet also more swings out of the zone and less swings in the zone, which is an odd combination. On the bright side, though, he’s still hitting the ball as hard (41.9% hard-hit) as ever during this span, so the barrel rate is likely deceiving considering his trajectory of contact remains unchanged. Really, the main concern would be him reverting back to more chases out of the zone, though there are peaks and valleys in a season; at this point, picking off of very small sample sizes would not be the most logical decision.

Now, projections aren’t as optimistic, with his top wRC+ projection coming from ZiPs with a 115 wRC+. This mainly has to due with a decrease in batting average due to worse batted-ball luck and more strikeouts, along with more power. That being said, by now, I think there’s enough information out there to feel more confident about the strikeout rate holding near its current rate (21.3%), while I’d be willing to bet on the higher projections (.172 ISO) of his power. Considering he’s only 23 years old, he surely wouldn’t be the first player to take some time to adjust, and perhaps that needs to be taken into consideration more.

Regardless, someone who is 15-20% above league-average with the bat, along with elite defense up the middle and above-average base-running, is exceptionally valuable. This is a player that you should see on top-ten lists at either middle infield position (especially second base) for a considerable amount of time, as his most likely outcome is that of a player worth around four wins above replacement moving forward. For context, that puts him in line with Ozzie Albies, Javier Baez, and, you guessed it, Francisco Lindor’s 2021 season. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a very valuable player to me!

Overview
From signing as a 16-year-old international free agent to performing at high level against older players to being traded from the organization he knew, Andrés Giménez certainly thought he had seen all the challenges baseball had to offer him.

Then came 2021. For someone as young as he was, it can be common to have struggles initially at the MLB level. What separates those who don’t necessarily pan out from the future All-Stars, though, is how they respond to that adversity. Since getting sent down in May of 2021, Gimenez hasn’t looked back, and, now he’s been rewarded for that.

The next time we want to discount a player who hasn’t lived up to expectations, use Giménez as a clear example as to why that exercise isn’t optimal. Players can make adjustments at any time, and for him, it seems as though he’s finally grown into the type of player he’s always had the potential to become. Perhaps there isn’t another peak after this, but a four-win player at a valuable defensive position sure is quite the peak!

When the All-Star game rosters are announced, Andrés Giménez certainly is going to be a player some general baseball observers aren’t familiar with. That being said, there should not be one doubt in his mind as to whether he belongs in the Midsummer Classic. He’s clearly earned it and ought to soak in this tremendous accomplishment. Down the stretch, there certainly will be more adjustments he’ll need to make, though, at this point, how could you doubt him for a single second?

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Why Emmanuel Clase, the Guardians’ golden arm, was ‘born to throw a baseball’

American League pitcher Emmanuel Clase, of the Cleveland Guardians, reacts after striking out National League's Jake Cronenworth, of the San Diego Padres, for the final out of the MLB All-Star baseball game, Tuesday, July 19, 2022, in Los Angeles. The American League won 3-2. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
By Zack Meisel
11m ago
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CLEVELAND — When he’s loosening his right arm during the late stages of a close game, Emmanuel Clase hoists a heavy green ball over his head and slams it to the ground. The ball thwacks the ground with a thud that Guardians bullpen coach Brian Sweeney claims can “register on the Richter scale.”

“You can literally feel the ground shake,” said fellow reliever Sam Hentges.

Clase threatens the cinder blocks that compose the wall in the area behind the home bullpen at Progressive Field. His bullpen mates regularly joke about the wall crumbling from the force of his heaves.

“Everybody else tries to replicate it,” Sweeney said, “but it’s just not quite there.”

Well, no one else throws 102 mph.

That requires some upper body strength, sure. But the key to Clase’s golden arm? It’s his flexibility.

He credits being a lanky, 140-pound teenager and having the mobility to stretch in all sorts of directions. His agility allows him to get deeper into his motion, to rare back and unleash a pitch at maximum effort when he delivers.

That’s how he crafted one of the speediest pitches in the major leagues, plus a slider that packs elite vertical and horizontal movement and travels to the plate at the same velocity as many of his teammates’ fastballs.


“I think everybody in baseball is jealous of him,” Triston McKenzie said of Clase. (Ken Blaze / USA Today)
Sweeney first noticed Clase’s flexibility one day in 2021 in the visitors bullpen in Kansas City, when Clase sat down with his backside on the bench and both feet tucked behind him. Clase smiled at his coach, who couldn’t believe how seamlessly he assumed such a nimble position.

It’s not just his lower half, though that’s the primary source of his power. Clase can bend his fingers back far enough to just about touch the back of his hand. That arms him with a firm grip of the baseball, in a similar way to Pedro Martinez, who for years used his long, nimble fingers to his advantage to torment hitters with an elite changeup and curveball. Martinez, a fellow native of the Dominican Republic, was one of Clase’s idols, especially as he initially climbed through the Padres organization as a starting pitcher.

The way Clase grips the baseball results in his fastball breaking in toward lefty hitters and away from righties, which explains why it’s classified as a cutter, and why hitters struggle to make solid contact. He said he occasionally develops calluses on his middle finger from throwing the pitch.

“One hundred miles per hour is one thing,” said Joe Torres, Cleveland’s assistant pitching coach, “but when it’s moving, it’s another thing. He’s a tough freaking pitcher.”

Torres first saw Clase in April 2019, when Clase was closing out games for the Rangers and Torres was coaching at Class-A Lynchburg. Clase was throwing 100 mph and commanding it, and he retired future teammates Nolan Jones and Oscar Gonzalez one evening.

But when Clase joined the Cleveland organization in the Corey Kluber trade eight months later, there were some hurdles, some questions about his maturity, effort and dedication to routines. The disconnect between Clase and the team only grew when the pandemic cut short spring training and then he was slapped with a season-long ban for a positive performance-enhancing drugs test. He and the team didn’t communicate much that summer, in part because Clase often lacked cell phone service in rural Rio San Juan.

But when Clase arrived in 2021, with some guidance from veteran reliever Oliver Pérez, he seemed different to those around him, ready to embrace responsibility and work ethic, and eager to pitch as often as possible and in the most pivotal situations.

“It’s been an incredible change of events for him,” said Sweeney, who dubbed Clase “a leader in the pen.”

Last summer, Clase cemented himself as the club’s closer, seizing control of the ninth inning when James Karinchak began to falter after the All-Star break. His walk rate decreased and his increased reliance on the slider paid dividends. This season, opposing hitters are batting .138 against his slider, with a whiff rate of 41.1 percent.

Catcher Luke Maile said no pitcher in the league has a remotely similar arsenal. Clase ranks at or near the top of every pitching leaderboard, from walk rate to opponent exit velocity. His league-best chase rate — his ability to convince hitters to offer at a pitch out of the strike zone — is 46.2 percent. League average is 28.4 percent.

Triston McKenzie: “I think everybody in baseball is jealous of him.”

Hentges: “He was given a gift that not many people have ever been given.”

Ernie Clement: “I don’t think anyone in the league wants to face him at all. People just don’t really have a chance. It’s honestly a lot of luck involved.” (And that’s coming from another guy familiar with pitching in the ninth.)

Maile: “Guys who go up there, a lot of times they just cross their fingers and hope he’s going to throw the harder one and they cheat to it. And sometimes they get it. But when he has a slider on top of it, and he shows he’ll throw it two, three, four times in a row, it’s pretty special stuff.”

Clase craves the critical moments. When protecting a narrow lead against the Yankees earlier this month, a pair of runners reached on a walk and an error. Clase paced around the mound, shouting to rile himself up as he awaited his next duel. When New York dispatched Aaron Judge to pinch hit with two outs and the tying runs aboard, Clase was giddy.

“He lives to pitch,” Sweeney said. “No moment is too big for him.”



That includes the All-Star Game. From the day he learned he’d earned a spot on the American League roster, Clase said he wanted the ball in the ninth inning. He said he was eager to meet the game’s top players … and eager to strike them out.

American League manager Dusty Baker granted his wish. Clase entered in the ninth at Dodger Stadium, tasked with preserving the AL’s one-run advantage. He threw 10 pitches, all cutters, all ranging from 98 to 100 mph. Three pitches to Garrett Cooper, three strikes. Three pitches to Kyle Schwarber, three strikes. Clase misfired with his initial offering to Jake Cronenworth, which prevented him from recording an immaculate inning, but he proceeded to throw three consecutive strikes past him, too.

“The guy was born to throw a baseball,” Sweeney said.

The baseball world certainly knows him now!

Steven Kwan’s table-setting, Guardians’ bullpen uncertainty, more rookies to debut?

Jul 15, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) looks up after hitting a double during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
By Zack Meisel
Jul 24, 2022
48
CHICAGO — Guardians manager Terry Francona spent his All-Star break rearranging his drawers. He organized his T-shirts, underwear and every other realm of his wardrobe he neglects when the season is unfolding at its usual, unrelenting pace.

“And I enjoyed the hell out of it,” Francona said Friday afternoon from the cramped, stuffy visiting manager’s office at Guaranteed Rate Field.

During the four-day break, Francona watched a pair of Liam Neeson movies and the “30 for 30” documentary “Requiem for the Big East.” He caught part of the Home Run Derby, but admitted he was “cheering for José (Ramírez) to do OK, kind of like he did, but not go further,” to avoid any risk of injury or fatigue to the star third baseman. He said he got dressed a couple times in anticipation of making plans, but wound up lounging in his downtown Cleveland apartment, preferring instead to do “as little as possible.”

He won’t have another chance to catch his breath until at least early October. The first half is in the rearview, and the Guardians have a lot more than Francona’s dresser to sort through over the final two-plus months of the season. And, oh, by the way, the AL Central is up for grabs and the trade deadline is lurking. Much more on those topics this week. To the musings …

1. Before his flight departed earlier this month for Kansas City, where he made his major-league debut, Nolan Jones called Steven Kwan. Nerves were swallowing Jones whole, but he knew he could lean on Kwan, an expert in meditation, mental preparation and making one’s debut at Kauffman Stadium.

A few months earlier, Kwan was the rookie outfielder attempting to catch on with Cleveland. Now, he has cemented himself as the club’s leadoff hitter, having rebounded from a rough stretch at the plate a couple of months ago.

“I think that’s the sign of a guy who’s going to stick around for a long time,” Cal Quantrill said. “The league adjusts. None of us are going to let you beat us over and over with the same thing. The league adjusted. He struggled for a bit. He bounced back. And he’s doing exactly what he was doing at the start of the year. I think it’s almost more impressive.”


Steven Kwan celebrates after scoring in the seventh inning of the second game Saturday. (Matt Marton / USA Today)
Entering the nightcap of Saturday’s doubleheader, Kwan had racked up multiple hits in seven of his last 13 games.

Kwan’s average and on-base percentage, by month:

April: .354 average, .459 on-base percentage
May: .173 average, .271 on-base percentage
June: .341 average, .412 on-base percentage
July: .308 average, .349 on-base percentage

“It was really kind of a roller coaster,” Kwan said. “Obviously, started off really high, hit the brakes with a lot of things, felt some doubt creep in and then had some really good people around me pick me up and got back on the upswing.”

His resurgence, paired with Amed Rosario’s recent tear — eight multi-hit efforts in his last 10 starts — has fueled the offense. When Kwan and Rosario reach base at a sufficient clip and run amok on the bases, that sets up Ramírez and Josh Naylor with loads of run-producing opportunities. The Guardians are 26-10 when Ramírez drives in at least one run.

“It’s Cleveland baseball,” Kwan said. “We may not hit home runs every time, but we’re going to get a way on, we’re going to take the extra bag, we’re going to work counts. … If all three of us get going, it’s going to be a problem.”

2. Outfielder Alex Call was the latest Guardian to receive what Francona dubbed “being baptized,” a beer shower to celebrate his first major-league hit Friday night. That’s been a customary ritual this season, as 10 players have made their big-league debut for Cleveland in 2022.



“I’m excited for more,” said Kwan, who was the inaugural recipient this season.

Outfielders Will Brennan and Will Benson, infielders Gabriel Arias and Tyler Freeman, catcher Bo Naylor and starting pitchers Peyton Battenfield and Xzavion Curry are among the prospects who could be ready for an opportunity during the final two months of the schedule. But will opportunities arise?

With Kwan and Myles Straw occupying two of the three outfield spots on a daily basis, that leaves only one vacancy for Nolan Jones and Oscar Gonzalez, once Gonzalez returns from the injured list. (He’s scheduled to start a rehab assignment Tuesday.) As long as Rosario is patrolling shortstop, there isn’t room for Arias or Freeman to garner consistent playing time, especially now that Andrés Giménez has blossomed into an All-Star.

“I probably came into this year thinking Giménez was elite defensively and I wasn’t really sure offensively what kind of player he was,” Quantrill said. “I’ve been blown away. He’s hitting for power and average and playing an excellent second base.”

Arias and Freeman are already on the 40-man roster. Brennan, Benson, Naylor, Battenfield and Curry must be added by late November or the Guardians will risk exposing them in the Rule 5 draft.

One other name to keep in mind: Cody Morris was likely ticketed for a bullpen spot, either on Opening Day or early in the season, before he suffered a shoulder/upper back injury in spring training. He’ll need to be activated from the IL within the next few weeks. He started a rehab assignment earlier this month in Arizona. He figures to debut at some point before the end of the season.

3. Cleveland’s bullpen is a bit of a mystery, outside of the fire-breathing dragon that mans the mound in the ninth.

James Karinchak was the team’s ace reliever for the first half last year, but now he’s a complete unknown, down to his new long-hair, skin-tight-pants look. Eli Morgan has filled in admirably for much of the season in an unexpected setup role — before his seventh-inning hiccup Saturday afternoon, at least — but does his future reside in the ‘pen? Francona said anything’s possible next year, and pondered whether Morgan’s success stems, in part, from facing hitters only once in a game, or whether he could follow Quantrill and Carlos Carrasco in completing a triumphant transition back to the rotation.

“If you know the answer,” Francona said, “tell me. We’ll do it.”

The Guardians aren’t a team that prioritizes the relief market in free agency, but whether they target a reliever in a trade this winter might hinge on how Karinchak, Trevor Stephan, Nick Sandlin and Enyel De Los Santos fare in the second half. Stephan could be the wild card; he has handled the eighth inning in recent weeks, and his metrics are even more encouraging than his 2.70 ERA or strong strikeout rate. The evolution of his splitter — opponents are slugging .171 against it — has made him far less predictable and far more effective.

Here’s one thing we can say with certainty: Bryan Shaw for a second inning against the heart of the opposition’s order isn’t a recipe for success.

4. Emmanuel Clase’s aim at the All-Star Game? “To try to strike everybody out,” he said. “My goal was to win the MVP of the game. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen.” Nope, he had to settle for a near-immaculate inning, a five-minute clinic on how to protect a one-run advantage against a trio of All-Stars on the national stage.

Gonzalez is a RH bat, I sort of forgot. Call goes when he returns. Too bad all the rest of the OF prospects are lefties.