The Cleveland Guardians’ Future Is Bright, And It’s Getting Brighter
The AL Central is awful. Not only is the AL Central awful, but it’s been awful for a minute. No team in this division has made it past the ALDS since Cleveland in 2016. Whoever wins the Central this year will most likely be a punching bag from whatever team they play in October. But eventually, someone from the Central is going to break the mold. Eventually, one of these teams is going to make a deep run in the postseason. The Cleveland Guardians may be that group.
It gets overlooked how consistent Cleveland has been over the last decade. Since they hired Terry Francona following the 2012 season, they’ve had one losing season. That was last year when they finished 80-82. I think you could argue even that team overachieved, considering it was their first season without Francisco Lindor and Shane Bieber missed a lot of time with injuries. And while I understand that playoff success is what matters (Cleveland hasn’t won a playoff game since 2017), they’re probably one rain delay away from having the same number of championships during this era as the Dodgers do. There hasn’t been an organization in the sport better at developing starting pitching than Cleveland. The surplus of elite arms that have worn a Guardians uniform over the last decade has been staggering. And while I’m sure it’s been frustrating for Cleveland fans seeing the likes of Corey Kluber, Francisco Lindor, Mike Clevinger, and Carlos Carrasco get traded away, they’ve been able to retool their system and even fleece a few teams. Kluber pitched one inning for the Rangers before getting injured and signing with another team the following offseason. In return, Cleveland got Emmanual Clase, who is currently the best closer in the American League. The current double-play combination that Cleveland is rocking of Amed Rosario and Andres Gimenez, both of whom they acquired via trades, is quickly becoming one of the best in baseball. Their system of trading star players before they hit the free agent market may be annoying, but it’s a system that works for them.
What should have Guardians fans so excited right now is that they seem to be ahead of schedule. While I have claimed in the past that Cleveland’s “rebuild” only lasted one year, the truth is that organizations that know what they’re doing don’t have to rebuild. Cleveland has drafted in the bottom half of the draft order every year since 2012. They’ve never tanked just to hoard top 10 picks that didn’t pan out like a certain team in their division. They haven’t rebuilt; they’ve retooled. Does it bother the hell out of me that it took Cleveland one year to do what the Tigers have been trying to do for 8? Absolutely, but I sure as hell respect it.
I know it’s a weak division, but the Guardians are currently tied for first place in a year in which most people thought they would probably be a third-place team at best. They currently have nine prospects in the top 100, and given their ability to develop talent, odds are a majority of those guys will at least become solid major league players. Their young core is growing. It’s always an uphill battle for them, considering they rarely ever splurge on big-time free agents (though they did just give Jose Ramirez a significant extension), but that uphill battle is one they appear to be winning right now. They are tied for first place with the youngest team in the sport (their average age is just above 26 years old), and more reinforcements will be coming very soon. Watch out for the Guardians. Something special could be brewing. That World Series drought won’t end in 2022, but it could very soon.