Spring training must be right around the corner.

The Rhode Island Grinch has returned from hibernation !

These are the top tools on our Top 100 Prospects list by Jim Callis at MLB.com, who knows his stuff

Best fastball: Daniel Espino, RHP, Guardians (80) [that's on a 20-80 scale: can't be rated any better than that!]
Espino had the best fastball in the 2019 Draft and four years later, he owns the best heater in the Minors. It sits at 95-98 mph and reaches 103 with plenty of armside run, and the carry up in the strike zone has helped him average 14.9 strikeouts per nine innings as a pro.

Best slider: Daniel Espino, RHP, Guardians (70)
Espino's slider gives him a second devastating weapon, and he can manipulate it into a mid-80s offering with two-plane depth or a low-90s beast with more horizontal action. During an abbreviated four-start season in 2022, his slider generated a 54 percent swing-and-miss rate, compared to an also exceptional 40 percent by his fastball.

This guy could be absolutely devastating if he can just stay healthy. He got rave reviews in spring training and last April for Akron

also:

Best control: Andrew Painter, RHP, Phillies (65)
Painter ranks as the best pitching prospect in baseball thanks to his combination of stuff and command. He locates his four-pitch mix with stunning ease for a teenager, leading all Minor Leagues with at least 100 innings in K-BB percentage (32.4), while advancing to Double-A at age 19 last year.

Also in the running: Tanner Bibee, RHP, Guardians;

https://www.mlb.com/news/sports-illustr ... c215708352

I must confess I too was a believer 35 years ago.

Excellent story; Joe Carter and Cory Snyder, along with Brook Jacoby, Brett Butler and Julio Franco were a bunch of fair to more than middling hitters. Snyder not quite that good. But the pitching didn't look any good going into the season and was worse than that as the story says.

Candiotti was the only starter with an ERA under 5: he was 4.78. Other starters: Niekro 5.89; Carlton 5.37; Ken Schrom 6.50; Swindell 5.10; Scott Bailes the best for a part time starter and reliever 4.64; Rich Yett 5.25; Darell Ackerfelds 6.75.
Closer Doug Jones 3.15

Looking at the stats I see Jacoby had a great year with a line of 300/387/541. I don't remember he was ever that good
Carter had 32 homers and 31 steals, drew only 27 walks
Butler drew 91 walks against only 55 strikeouts
Snyder had 33 homers, 31 walks and 166 strikeouts.
Pat Tabler hit 307 and with the bases loaded, his speciality,, 5 for 9, all singles, 2 walks and 1 strikeout and drove in 11 of the men on base

Guardians outfielder Will Brennan gets his 15 minutes, but he wants more

By Paul Hoynes,

Updated: Feb. 01, 2023, 5:22 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio --

Walk a mile. Take a power nap. Clean out the refrigerator. Chase your dog around the block.

Those are things you can do in 15 minutes.

Or if you’re rookie outfielder Will Brennan, you can make your first trip to the big leagues.

“There are a lot of players that are really good that haven’t had a chance to compete in the postseason,” Brennan told reporters recently at Guards Fest. “I was in the big leagues for 15 minutes and got a chance to do it. I don’t take that lightly.”

Give Brennan points for time management.

The Guardians promoted him on Sept. 21 from Class AAA Columbus with just 14 games left in the regular season. He went 2 for 4 that night in Chicago against the White Sox, lining an RBI single into center field in his second big league at-bat. He played in 10 more games, hitting .357 (15 for 42) with one homer and eight RBI, while the Guardians were winning the AL Central.

Brennan started the year at Class AA Akron and steamrolled his way to Cleveland. He slashed .314/.371/479 in 129 games at Akron and Columbus. Among his 168 hits were 40 doubles, four triples and 13 homers. He drove in 107 runs and stole 20 bases in 129 games.

The Guardians, despite Brennan playing just 11 games, added him to their postseason roster against the Rays and Yankees. He went 2 for 11, driving in a run with a pinch-hit single in the sixth inning in a 6-5 win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS.

“A year ago I was a suspect, not a prospect,” said Brennan, an eighth-round pick from Kansas State in 2019. “I wouldn’t even consider myself a prospect still. I was someone who was trying to fight for a spot in the game I love and here I am.”

It seemed like only yesterday that Cleveland’s outfield was barren. Now it is fertile. There’s Steve Kwan in left, Myles Straw in center and Oscar Gonzalez in right. Kwan and Straw won Gold Gloves last year, while Gonzalez hit .296 with 27 doubles, 11 homers and 43 RBI in 91 games. In the postseason, Gonzalez had three go-ahead hits in the ninth inning or later.

“He’s Big Papi Jr.,” said Brennan.

Hall of Famer David “Big Papi” Ortiz is the only other player to do that in the same postseason.

Which raises the question -- where does that leave Brennan? Not just Brennan, but other outfielders such as Will Benson and George Valera.

“I wasn’t in AA at the start of last year thinking I’d make the playoff roster; who thinks like that?” said Benson. “I think in the moment, I think in the now. You just have to be able to find your spot.”

Brennan, a left-handed hitter, last season started 82 games in center field in the minors. Center field belongs to Straw, who bats right-handed, but hit just .221 (180 for 535) without a homer in 152 games last year. So Brennan, who can play left and right field as well, could be a platoon option for manager Terry Francona.

The Guardians had 17 rookies make their big league debut last season. Brennan was No. 16. Bo Naylor, his teammate at Akron and Columbus, was No. 17. Brennan had to feel comfortable knowing that many players when he arrived in September, but there was still that nagging feeling of whether he belonged or not.

“Yeah, there’s always going to be some imposter syndrome with athletes,” said Brennan. “That’s part of the daily struggle, especially with a lot of people’s mindsets, but there’s a reason we’re here and we’re going to be here for a long time.”

What does imposter syndrome feel like?

Playing next to Jose Ramirez, one of the top three baseball players in the entire world,” said Brennan. “Being in the same lineup as that guy is something I don’t take lightly, just like how I don’t take playing under Terry Francona lightly.

“I grew up watching him and admiring how he managed those Red Sox teams I grew up falling in love with. Everything has fallen into place. I’d never had expected this but here we are.”

Brennan’s 15 minutes of fame/big league time flew by last year. Perhaps this season things will slow down for him.

“It was fast but I was able to to soak it in,” he said. “I may have looked calm on the outside, but on the inside my heart was racing. I remember in New York (Will) Benson and I walked to their museum (Monument Park) and saw the plaques of all the legends who played there. I’ve also walked around Progressive Field to take all that in. It’s something in your life that you’ll never forget.”

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Cleveland Guardians announce 2023 Spring Training broadcast schedule

Cleveland, OH –

The Cleveland Guardians today announced their broadcast schedule for 2023 Cactus League play. The Guardians are scheduled to open the spring slate on February 25 as the visiting team against the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear Ballpark. The Cactus League opener will be broadcast on Bally Sports Great Lakes and WTAM 1100.

Bally Sports Great Lakes will televise eight games with three of those games produced by regional partners.

On the radio side, 15 games will be broadcast on the Guardians Radio Network with 10 games on WTAM 1100 AM, six games on REAL 106.1 and one game on 100.7 WMMS.

SPRING TRAINING TICKETS

Spring Training tickets for the 2023 schedule are available for purchase at CLEGuardians.com/spring.

Bally Sports Great Lakes to carry eight games; 15 games on the Guardians Radio Network; 2023 Spring Training tickets on sale at CLEGuardians.com/spring
12:39 PM CST



All game dates and times are subject to change

Bold indicates home games | SS denotes split squad

For future information on tickets, schedules and workout times, fans can log on to CLEGuardians.com/spring.

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Wahoo Club changes name: ‘The time is right’ Cleveland baseball fan group’s president says

By Marc Bona

Updated: Feb. 01, 2023, 3:15 p.m.

CLEVELAND, Ohio –

The Wahoo Club, a fixture for more than 60 years, is changing its name to the 455 Club.

The fan-based booster club regularly brings in past and current Cleveland ballplayers to speak at its monthly brunches. Its new name is a reference to the 455 consecutive-game sellout streak and honors the team’s No. 1 fan, John Adams, club president Bob Rosen said.

Adams, the bleacher staple for decades who pounded his drum and set a downtown Cleveland baseball beat, died Monday. He was 71.

Adams represented all fans, and the new name will be a tribute to the beloved drummer, said Rosen, who has been club president for 26 years.

Rosen said he and Adams were longtime friends, and Rosen is set to be a pallbearer in Adams’ funeral Saturday.

The club also said it is changing the name of its highest award from the Mel Harder Distinguished Service Award to 455 Club-John Adams/Mel Harder Distinguished Service Award. Harder won 223 games for Cleveland from 1928 to 1947.

The change comes after discussions over the name between the club and Guardians front office. After years of rumblings about what some saw as an offensive name, the Indians became the Guardians after the 2021 season.

“We decided it’s very important that we are on the same page with them, but the most important thing is giving our members, our attendees, great special guests and that they have fun,” Rosen said.

The 455-game streak started Monday, June 12, 1995. It ended April 4, 2001.

“It’s all about our fans,” Rosen said. “We felt the time is right.”

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New name is a good idea and honoring Adams is a great idea but not so clear that the 455 Club honors Adams. I think they could come up with something better than that. The Drum Roll club? The Drumbeat? not sure those are any good.

Was Adams ever considered an employee or just a Super Fan? I'm sure he didn't pay to get into games.

Would have to review his income tax return: did he declare his free admission as income? If so, at season ticket price, or at 81 single game ticket price?

Guardians outfielder Richie Palacios will play for Netherlands in WBC

Updated: Feb. 02, 2023, 7:27 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes

CLEVELAND, Ohio --

Guardians outfielder Richie Palacios will be playing for the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic that starts March 8.

It’s going to be a family affair because Richie’s brother, Josh Palacios, was also named to the roster. Richie Palacios was listed in left field and his brother in right field.

In a Tweet, Richie Palacios said, “I am truly blessed to be chosen to play for Team Netherlands in this year’s World Baseball Classic! Ever since I was a kid it has been my dream to have this opportunity. I am proud to be able to represent my family while playing the game I truly love.”

Shortstop Xander Bogaerts, outfielder Jurickson Profar and closer Kenley Jansen are also on Netherlands’ roster.

The Netherlands will begin play in Taichung, Taiwan, on March. 8. Cuba, Italy, Panama and Chinese Taipai are in its pool. If they advance, they will go to Toyko to play in the quarterfinals.

Palacios was one of 17 rookies who made their debut for the Guardians last season. He appeared in 54 games, hitting .232 (26 for 112) with six doubles and eight RBI.

The left-handed hitting Palacios showed a knack for pinch-hitting, a rarity for a rookie. He batted .263 (5 for 19) with three doubles and six RBI in a pinch. The six RBI tied him for second and the 19 at-bats tied him for fourth among AL pinch-hitters last season.

Cleveland drafted Palacios in the third round in 2018. He spent most of last season at Class AAA Columbus, hitting .279 (50 for 179) with 10 doubles, five triples, four homers and 36 RBI. He scored 34 runs and stole 12 bases in 45 games.

This winter Palacios played for Mayaquez in Puerto Rico. He hit .217 (15 for 69) with one homer and eight RBI.

It’s still unclear what other Guardians will be participating in the WBC, but Gold Glove second baseman Andres Gimenez is expected to start at shortstop for Venezuela. Houston’s Jose Altuve is scheduled to play second and former Cleveland farmhand Anthony Santander could start in the outfield for the Venezuelans.

Cleveland third baseman Jose Ramirez could play for the Dominican Republic if he’s given the green light by the Guardians’ medical staff. He underwent surgery in November for a torn ligament in his right thumb.

Emmanuel Clase, who led the big leagues in saves last season, is not expected to close for the Dominican after signing a multiyear deal at the start of last year.

The Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Israel and Nicaragua begin play on March 11 in Miami.

The Guardians could supply the battery for Canada with right-hander Cal Quantrill and catcher Bo Naylor. Quantrill set career highs with 15 wins and a 186 1/3 innings pitched last season. Quantrill also made two postseason starts in the ALDS against the Yankees.

Quantrill’s father, Paul, who pitched for 14 years in the big leagues, will be one of Canada’s pitching coaches.

Naylor said at Guards Fest that he was excited about the possibility of catching for Team Canada if he made the roster. Naylor has to balance that staying with the Guardians all spring to try and make the big league team.

But at the winter meetings, the Guardians indicated that Naylor might open the season at Columbus.

Naylor’s brother Josh, who hit a career high 20 homers for the Guardians last year, told reporters at Guards Fest that he probably would not play for Canada. He said he’s still rehabbing his right ankle from a serious injury in 2021.

There was some speculation that right-hander Trevor Stephan would pitch for Team USA. But it appears Stephan will spend the spring with the G’s after his breakout season last year in which he went 6-5 with three saves and a 2.69 ERA in 66 appearances.

Team USA, Canada, Mexico, Colombia and Great Britain begin pool play on March 11 in Phoenix. The championship is schedule for March 21 in Miami.

To accommodate players in the WBC, the Guardians will have staggered spring training reporting dates. Pitchers and catchers participating in the WBC are scheduled to report to Goodyear, Arizona, on Feb. 13. The first workout will take place on Feb. 14 with position players reporting on Feb. 16 and working out on Feb. 17.

The regular reporting dates will have pitchers and catchers arriving on Feb. 15 with the first workout on Feb. 17. Position players will report on Feb. 19 with the first workout on Feb. 21.

MLB teams open the regular season on March 30.

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Guardians Insider Notes The Immense Strength Of The Farm

February 2, 2023

By Andres Chavez

When analyzing the state of MLB and each one of its teams, it’s hard to find one that is in better shape than the Cleveland Guardians.

Which factors can we evaluate?

Revenue, on-field success, quality of the farm system, number of young stars in pre-arbitration or arbitration years, average age, ability to keep up with modern times and resources, and more.

While considering all these situations and factors, the Guardians rate positively in almost all of them.

They are in a very good spot for the future and look like they will be a consistent contenders for years to come.

They have achieved a sustainable model.

“The Guardians had 17 rookies make their MLB debut last season… and yet they still boast the No. 2 farm system in the sport. Doesn’t guarantee anything – the sun could explode at any moment; none of this actually matters – but the organization is in a super healthy spot,” Guards insider Zack Meisel tweeted.

The best MLB organizations aren’t necessarily the ones that spent the most money.

The New York Mets and the Los Angeles Angels tend to spend a lot and they have the grand total of zero World Series titles in the last 20 years.

The Guardians haven’t won since 1948, but thankfully, that’s not the only way to measure organizational success.

They are young, they are good, and they have stars: they are in a perfect spot to make deep postseason runs in the foreseeable future.

The Guards have added some power to their lineup and it looks dangerous now, with Jose Ramirez, Josh Naylor, Andres Gimenez, Josh Bell, Mike Zunino, Steven Kwan, Oscar Gonzalez, and Amed Rosario.

Their bullpen is deep and strong, headlined by Emmanuel Clase; and Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie are bonafide stars in a deep rotation.

But that’s not all because Cleveland has a lot of quality prospects waiting in the wings: Bo Naylor, Daniel Espino, Brayan Rocchio, Logan Allen, George Valera, and Gabriel Arias are just some of them.

Cleveland is good now, and will be better tomorrow.

They are on the right path.

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Are we underestimating Gabriel Arias?

Is an injury-plagued season making us overlook Gabriel Arias?

By Quincy Wheeler Feb 2, 2023, 2:16pm EST

The Guardians have so many middle-infield prospects, you can be excused for forgetting about one or two of them. I’m here today to tell you not to forget about Gabriel Arias.

At the age of 21, Gabriel Arias put up a 115 wRC+ in Triple-A Columbus in 2021. For comparison, the average age of a hitter in Triple-A in 2021 was 26.6 and the average age of a Triple-A pitcher was 27.2. So, he was a percentile and a half better than an average Triple-A hitter, despite being five to six years younger than his competition. He accompanied 13 homers in 483 Triple-A plate appearances with scintillating play on defense thanks to a strong arm and a knack for making slick plays at short.

Arias proceeded to put up a 1.205 OPS in spring training with Cleveland in 2022, leading to some folks speculating that he could take over for Amed Rosario at short if the Guardians could find a trade partner for him in the early season. Unfortunately, Arias fractured his hand in early May and, fortunately for the Guardians, Rosario had a good season where he was, again, a league-average hitter and showed improvement defensively (at least in terms of defensive runs saved, going from -9 to +6), while leading the club in hustle plays and max effort.

I think it’s fair to wonder how it affects a young player like Arias, mentally, to go from performing extremely well at Triple-A to tearing it up at spring training, to scuffling a bit and suffering a hand injury that knocks him out for two months. We should keep this in mind while processing the offensive struggles he endured for much of 2022.

From April to July, including a two-month stint on the injured list and time spent in the minors working his way back from the injury, Arias had a .604 OPS with a .236 BABIP in the minors. From Aug. 1 until getting the call-up to the majors, he had a .791 OPS with a .324 BABIP, the latter number being far more typical for a good hitter in Triple-A than the .236 BABIP from earlier in the year. He proceeded to produce a 158 wRC+ in 37 plate appearances for the Guardians in the regular season (obligatory small-sample size alert, as 20 of those PAs were against the Royals).

Arias also held his own in the playoffs, including two hits off of Luis Severino in Game 3 of the ALDS against the Yankees.

Defensively, it didn’t go so well for Arias in his brief time in Cleveland in 2022 when he was at second or short, but I think it’s fair to chalk that up to getting comfortable and dealing with some nerves. He can look a little distracted at times on routine plays, but I do think tightening that up generally happens with time and effort. On the bright side, he was able to put up an out above average in his brief time filling in at first base, a position where he may also find some playing time in 2022.

Overall, in his time in Cleveland’s minor leagues since coming here in the blessed trade of Mike Clevinger, Arias has been an above-average hitter, an excellent fielder, he has 70th percentile sprint speed, a 23/8 K/BB, and he is still only turning 23 years old on Feb. 27. When I look at his age, his stats, and his highlights, I can only come to the conclusion that we should not be counting this player out as a potential core piece of this Cleveland Guardians team for the future.

Covering the Corner’s readers deserve credit for not forgetting Arias, ranking him No. 11 in a very talented system while completing their annual prospect voting.

With José Ramírez, Amed Rosario, and Andrés Giménez firmly entrenched at third base, shortstop, and second base for the Guardians, respectively, where will Arias find at-bats in 2023? Well, from late August to September, he saw time in Columbus at both first base (10 games) and left field (seven games). He will have opportunities to fill in for Josh Naylor at first base with Josh Bell at DH against left-handed pitching. He can also give Steven Kwan a breather in left field, especially against lefties where Kwan only managed an 85 wRC+ against them in 2022.

In the minors, in 2021, Arias had an .814/.757 OPS split vs. RHP/LHP, and in 2022 it was a .713/.694 split. Those numbers don’t look like a player who is likely to hit southpaws at a significantly better clip than he hits right-handers, but they do look like a player who will perform adequately against right-handed pitchers and left-handed pitchers, overall.

Giving Arias regular at-bats — letting him fill in at first base, left field, and at second base, shortstop, and third when the regulars need a rest day — makes a lot of sense for 2023 and could amount to something similar to the 300 plate appearances Owen Miller got at first base in 2022 if he takes advantage of his opportunities.

I think I am guilty of forgetting about the talent Gabriel Arias has displayed with the Columbus Clippers and underselling how much he could help the Guardians in 2023. I encourage you to join me in being excited about watching him in spring training and rooting for him to get regular playing time in Cleveland in the regular season ahead.

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Keith Law just came out with his ranking of all 30 Farm sytems. Clevleland #2!

2. Cleveland Guardians

The Guardians seem to do two things exceptionally well: They have found a ton of talent, notably infield talent, through international free agency, and they have a clear process where they identify college starters with command and good deliveries whom they can help find increased velocity. It’s helped them weather some big misses in the draft (Brady Aiken, Ethan Hankins), although they saw a big bounce back this year from another first-rounder who looked like he might not pan out in Bo Naylor. There’s tremendous depth in infield talent here, much of it below the top-100 level but those players could end up regulars in the right situation or at least have that potential upside with some volatility in their bats.

Guardians announce 15 spring training invitees

The Guards have announced eight internal and seven external invitees to spring training

By Matt Lyons

Feb 3, 2023, 4:06pm EST

With spring training just around the corner, the Guardians have announced 15 players invited to participate — in addition to everyone on the 40-man roster, of course.

Internal players

Logan Allen, LHP
Peyton Battenfield, RHP
David Fry, C
Nick Mikolajchak, RHP
Andrew Misiaszek, LHP
Luis Oviedo, RHP
Micah Pries, INF
Cade Smith, RHP

The internal group is headlined by pitching prospect Logan Allen, who has made multiple top-100 lists leading up to the season and is a consensus top-10 prospect in the Guardians organization. He was ranked No. 9 in our community vote and No. 4 by FanGraphs.

Reliever Nick Mikolajchak has fallen out of the spotlight a bit as his strikeout rate came back to human levels in 2022 following a shoulder injury, but with just a 3.04 ERA in Triple-A last year we could potentially see him make his MLB debut out of the ‘pen this season. You can’t tell a lot from a few weeks of spring training, but if his pitches can show some of the life they did pre-injury, it will be a good sign.

Luis Oviedo is another interesting arm to watch as a 23-year-old former Rule 5 draft pick. He was selected out of the Guardians system by the Pirates back in 2020, pitched a disastrous 29.2 innings in 2021, and returned to Cleveland after being waived last offseason. His lack of command didn’t magically return while back in the Guardians organization, however, and he finished with a 5.44 ERA in 51.1 Double-A innings while walking almost seven batters per nine innings.

External players

Caleb Baragar, LHP
Cam Gallagher, C
Michael Kelly, RHP
Roman Quinn, OF
Caleb Simpson, RHP
Touki Toussaint, RHP
Meibrys Viloria, C

Touki Toussaint is the most intriguing name here, along with Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Violoria potentially battling for the backup (or third) catcher spot out of spring training. All of these guys are on minor-league deals with spring training invites.

In case you missed it, today was officially Truck Day, unofficially marking the beginning of spring training. The real beginning will be on Feb. 17 when pitchers and catchers start working out in Goodyear, Arizona, followed by full squad workouts on Feb. 21, and the first exhibition game against the Reds on Feb. 25. We’re almost there.

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