Lane Thomas carried a 25-game on-base streak from the Nationals to the Guardians. Now that he’s reached base in both of his first two games with Cleveland, it’s extended to 27 consecutive games -- the longest of his career and the longest active streak in the Majors. And if you can have a guy who consistently gets on base right in front of José Ramírez, that’s a recipe for success.

“It’s been awesome,” Thomas said. “I just want to come in and fit in and do my job and kind of keep this thing rolling. I felt like we did a good job of that today.”

Thomas stood on second base at Progressive Field in his second game with his new team. The home dugout was screaming for him to celebrate his double and he gave a casual fist pump in response. The crew was signaling for him to give the Super Mario Bros. one-two punch of a fist pump that this group has done all season long.

The guys in the dugout were laughing, trying to get his attention, but Thomas stood on second base after his first-inning double, ready to score. Maybe he needs some time to learn all the small things that come along with being a Guardian, but one thing is already clear: His bat doesn’t need any time to fit right in.

If one double wasn’t enough in his home debut, Thomas picked up another in the seventh inning -- and he crossed the plate shortly after each as the All-Stars behind him drove him home in the Guardians’ 10-3 victory over the Orioles on Thursday night.

Lane Thomas Opens Up About Trade to Cleveland Guardians

Evan Massey | Aug 2, 2024

Acquiring him wasn't a flashy move by any stretch, but it was a good move for a contender to make. He was an upgrade in the outfield and could be a key contributor down the stretch of the regular season and into the playoffs.

In his first two games with Cleveland, Thomas has recorded three hits in eight at bats, with two of them being doubles.

He also opened up about the trade in a recent interview. Thomas also revealed why he chose to start playing with his new team immediately following the trade.

"I just wanted to come in, fit in, do my job, and kinda keep this thing rolling. So I felt like we did a good job of that today. I just felt like it was possible and wanted to get in the lineup and get to know the guys as soon as I could.”

Not only will Thomas be a big part of the 2024 season, he has another year left on his deal. Finding a piece that would be an addition for the 2025 campaign was also a huge positive for the Guardians.

Before his trade to Cleveland, Thomas had played in 77 games with the Washington Nationals. He hit eight home runs to go along with 40 RBI, while batting .253/.331/.407. Those numbers were solid, to say the least.

While no one should expect Thomas to come in and power the Guardians to a World Series run, he can be a big part in helping towards that goal. He has the ability and talent to be an impact piece.

It will be interesting to see what the rest of the season has in store for Thomas in Cleveland. The trade could go down as a major steal, especially with him being back for 2025 as well.

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Guardians' rotation due for shakeup after Cantillo's short start

CLEVELAND -- The Guardians’ rotation may be close to seeing some changes, and Saturday night was another example of why changes are needed.

This was a tough situation for Joey Cantillo to be thrown into. He was facing one of the best offenses in the Majors in just his second career start. Although it started off strong, it ended in a 7-4 Guardians loss at Progressive Field.
Cantillo, whom MLB Pipeline ranks as Cleveland's No. 9 prospect, kept the Orioles off the board through the first three innings, but once he saw hitters a second time, the wheels started to fall off the cart. Cantillo’s pitch count jumped to 88 in the fifth inning, prompting him to be pulled before recording an out. He ended his day having given up three runs on six hits in four-plus innings.

“Joey had some good stuff,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said. “High pitch count. Kind of lost his command. One of the things we’ve seen now both games with Joey, he’s getting ahead 0-1, 0-2 and then kind of letting them get back into the count and getting to 3-2 and having a tough time putting them away.”

These are expected growing pains for any young rookie. That’s why it’s difficult to throw him into a critical part of the season, as the Guardians look to run away with the division over the next few weeks before potentially making a postseason run. This is the time to turn to the starter the Guardians traded for before Tuesday’s Trade Deadline -- assuming he’s ready.

Alex Cobb seemed determined to make sure he only needed one last rehab start to get through the plethora of injuries he’s dealt with this year, which included hip surgery recovery, right shoulder irritation and, most recently, a blister. He made his seventh rehab start (first with Cleveland) for Triple-A Columbus on Saturday night and allowed one run on three hits in 4 2/3 innings and threw 69 pitches.

So, what happens now?
The Guardians are going to have to evaluate Cobb and make sure that he recovers well enough to be thrown into a big league rotation in five days, but this is an arm the team is going to need sooner rather than later. Cleveland has been plagued by short starts all season long. It entered the day receiving the fifth fewest innings from its rotation of all 30 clubs (553 2/3). The Guardians need innings to save their bullpen, which has been their biggest asset all season long, to make sure the group stays fresh for critical games down the stretch.

The first step is getting Cobb into the rotation. Tanner Bibee (assuming he gets the green light to make his start on Monday after dealing with right shoulder tightness this week), Gavin Williams and Ben Lively are locks to stay in the rotation. Cantillo and Carlos Carrasco are question marks.
The Guardians have a doubleheader on Friday. That means Cantillo, who could be the 27th man, and Cobb would be ready to handle both of those games, assuming Cobb is cleared to start. Then the veteran hurler could remain in the rotation moving forward.

The next move will come down to Matthew Boyd, who is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and is nearing the end of his rehab assignment. Soon, he may be replacing Carrasco in the Guardians’ rotation. With all of this, Cleveland hopes to get two more arms to eat up more innings than Carrasco and whoever has filled the fifth starter spot this season.

Guardians have a doubleheader on Friday. That means Cantillo, who could be the 27th man, and Cobb would be ready to handle both of those games,

How about a Cobb and Body duet on Friday?

MLB.COM writers rank top world series contenders with 1/3 of the season left. Guess who doesn't get much love?

after the Dodges, the Phillies, the Orioles, the Yankees, the Astros and the Twins come:
7. Cleveland Guardians
Leitch: I’m sure Guardians fans will be annoyed to see their team this low; they do have the best record in the American League, after all. (And for what it’s worth, I probably would have taken them above the Twins there, yes.) But I understand the skepticism. The rotation has been passable but hardly the sort of obvious advantage we have come to expect from Cleveland in October. And while they are hitting more homers this year, they’re still not that powerful of a team. As we’ve learned over and over, the best way to win in the postseason isn’t to bunt guys over -- it’s to hit the ball out of the park. The Guardians will have the same small margin for error that they’ve always had in October, maybe even less of one considering their starting pitching.

I can still see why people would believe, though. José Ramírez has always been a star, but now Steven Kwan, despite the slowdown of late, gives them another one. And how do you not love that bullpen? One of these years, everything is going to fall just right for Cleveland. The vibes so far in 2024 have been immaculate. Maybe this is that year.

Twins, Guardians series preview: AL Central on the line as heavyweights meet for four games CLEVELAND, OH - MAY 19: Minnesota Twins pinch runner Byron Buxton (25) is safe at second ahead of the force attempt of Cleveland Guardians shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) during the ninth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Guardians on May 19, 2024, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. (Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire) (Icon Sportswire via AP Images)
By Dan Hayes and Zack Meisel
6h ago



MINNEAPOLIS —It’s the series that a couple of select areas of the Midwest circled months ago. Four games in 51 hours. Cleveland Guardians. Minnesota Twins. Battle for American League Central supremacy.

The Athletic’s beat writers, Dan Hayes on the Twins and Zack Meisel on the Guardians, got together to preview the epic showdown here. As Meisel noted wryly, both teams are skidding into the seismic clash.

Dan Hayes: I know you say that in jest because the AL Central race has been pretty incredible. But four days ago, I was simply wondering if we’d see any players lovingly head-butt their manager? Might an umpire and a late-innings reliever make another hair care commercial? Would Max Kepler become another Cleveland pitcher’s non-biological parent?

The last two days certainly have put a damper on this. Whether it’s Joe Ryan’s injury and what it means for the Twins beyond the series or Cleveland losing five in a row, the picture seems much murkier. What’s going on in Cleveland?

Zack Meisel: Well, as of this nanosecond, the Guardians’ rotation is: Ben Lively, Gavin Williams, Carlos Carrasco and – wait, no, that’s all. That’s one (1) pitcher who was projected to be in the rotation at the start of the year (Williams), and he only recently returned from a case of “Oh God, please let your elbow be OK”-itis.

Their formula for winning is to hand their league-best bullpen a lead, but they often are cornered into doing that in the fourth or fifth inning. The Twins will see Alex Cobb on Friday night. He should help, I think. Well, I don’t actually know. He hasn’t pitched in 11 months and he’s almost 37 years old. They’re hoping and praying Tanner Bibee can return from a case of “Oh God, please let your shoulder be OK”-itis on Sunday. Remember Matthew Boyd, that dude from the Tigers who was all right that one year? He’ll be part of this group soon, too.

That’s part of what’s going on in Cleveland. The Guardians hadn’t lost more than three in a row all season, but they’re limping into the City of Lakes. (Do people call it that?) They’ve dropped five straight. And here comes the most significant series of the season. Good luck.

Hayes: Cobb is interesting. The Twins checked on his availability. Rocco Baldelli was a coach when Cobb was in Tampa Bay and it sounds like everyone who’s ever played with Cobb loves him.

Meisel: Including Guardians manager Stephen Vogt, another one-time Tampa up-and-comer.

Hayes: But San Francisco wasn’t eating any of his remaining salary (roughly $3 million), which was more than the Twins wanted to spend in prospect capital on a pitcher coming off hip surgery. I don’t think the Twins could have assumed $3 million. Their decision not to acquire Cobb is understandable given the Twins’ recent history of trading for injured pitchers (Tyler Mahle and Sam Dyson come to mind). Instead, Cleveland assumed the salary and only gave up a non-top 30 prospect. If that works out in the Guardians’ favor, well, you know.

The Twins already needed another starting pitcher and didn’t get one. Then Ryan got hurt Wednesday. But for this series, I wonder how the other injuries will factor in. I expect we’ll see Byron Buxton (sore lower back) return to the lineup on Friday, but it sounds unlikely we’ll see Carlos Correa, who said he first needs to go on a rehab assignment after his sore right heel is cleared. The Twins have played without Correa and Royce Lewis for significant chunks of the season. They’ve also seen Buxton and Jose Miranda go on the injured list. They just can’t seem to get everyone healthy at once and it’s led to poor play against the teams with the highest winning percentages in baseball. All but Correa should play in this series, which is good timing because the Twins need to take advantage of this window. You mentioned Cleveland’s bullpen. I know some within the Twins wonder how long they can pitch that well before the lack of starters’ innings catches up. Is that a valid concern?

Meisel: Did you just copy and paste those injury-centric paragraphs from one of these we wrote last year or the year before that or the year before that?

Are non-Clevelanders familiar with Cade Smith? He learned he had made the Opening Day roster, oh, about eight hours before the first pitch of the season. Now, it could be argued he’s been a top-five reliever in baseball this season. How about Hunter Gaddis? He was a struggling spot starter last year. Now, he’s a shutdown setup man with a 1.34 ERA. You probably wouldn’t be able to pick Tim Herrin out of a lineup. (OK, maybe you would, since he’d stand a foot taller than everyone else in the lineup, unless it was the Monstars’ lineup from “Space Jam.”) He wasn’t supposed to break camp with the Guardians. He did. He has a 1.94 ERA.

You’re plenty familiar with Emmanuel Clase, and he’s up to his usual shenanigans. He has allowed four (4) earned runs this season.

So, yes, the bullpen has been the strength of the roster. It has covered other warts, including a lineup that could use another stick to hit righties. (Come to think of it, Kyle Manzardo and George Valera are playing down the street in St. Paul this week.)

The pen has been pushed to its limits. We’ve seen some cracks in recent days, though mostly from Scott Barlow and Nick Sandlin. It would really, really behoove this team if the starters could get through six innings once in a while.

Hayes: You totally copied and pasted all the bullpen stats and just subbed out Dan Otero, Jeff Manship and Nick Goody, didn’t you?

Meisel: That’s former Twins legend Jeff Manship to you.

How is this Twins team different from recent years?

Hayes: Offensive depth. When they’re healthy, the Twins can bang with anyone. Lewis is unbelievable. Buxton has been on a tear for two months. Correa was amazing before the heel sidelined him. Miranda is fully recovered from his shoulder injury hell of 2023 and doing stuff that could make his second cousin, Lin-Manuel, one day write a musical about him. And they’re much deeper than that. Ryan Jeffers isn’t as good as he started, but he carried the offense in April and May. Trevor Larnach improved against off-speed pitching and has been solid. Matt Wallner started the season 2-for-25, needed 12 weeks at Triple-A and is hitting .357/.471/.804 in 68 plate appearances since returning. Prospect Brooks Lee has shown flashes. The enjoyable part, though, is seeing a re-energized Carlos Santana have fun and be clutch. Through April 20, he was miserable and fans wanted him designated for assignment. Since then, he’s been smoking the ball (.822 OPS in 350 PAs) while delivering leadership and elite defense at first. When this group is healthy, it’s the best position player group I’ve covered in 18 seasons as a beat writer. They just need to show up consistently down the stretch.

And we need to get Murray’s takeout in between games on Friday.

Meisel: This should be a fun series, especially with a mid-doubleheader steak sandwich. The Guardians are somehow 5-0 against the Twins this season, but I anticipate that one-sidedness will change. Not to mention, the Twins welcome the Royals to Target Field starting Monday. The landscape of the division could dramatically shift over the next week … or it could remain a three-team race in a crowded AL. The eventual Central champion could land a first-round bye. The third-place team could miss the playoffs. And there’s not much separating those scenarios.

Apocalypse? No. Guardians salvage series split as postseason chase heats up MINNEAPOLIS, MN - AUGUST 11: José Ramírez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians rounds the bases after hitting a solo home run in the fourth inning against the Minnesota Twins at Target Field on August 11, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Adam Bettcher/Getty Images)
By Zack Meisel
Aug 12, 2024


MINNEAPOLIS — Austin Hedges’ voice, per usual, boomed through the Cleveland Guardians’ clubhouse about two hours before the first pitch of a doubleheader at Target Field on Friday.

He ambushed every teammate who entered the room with the same prompt: How would you fare in surviving an apocalypse?

Hedges created tiers — those who would thrive, those who would weather the elements and those who stood no chance. (Josh Naylor, Hedges declared, fell into the last category.)

Ten hours later, it appeared as if the apocalypse had arrived. The Guardians dropped both games in that doubleheader on Friday, stretching their losing streak to seven games.

But this is how they have operated all year, whether surging or slumping. They’re wholly unbothered by previous results. They’re talking about apocalypses instead of stressing about their AL Central lead. And they rebounded in a critical way on Saturday and Sunday to regain some breathing room.

Here are some thoughts on where the Guardians stand with seven weeks remaining in the regular season.
A 14-pitch walk sparks a rally

The Guardians drew zero walks on Friday night and only one on Saturday, and that didn’t come until there were two outs in the ninth. Every hitter wants to be the one to rescue his club from a funk, and the Twins expertly used that aggressiveness against them by tossing a bevy of changeups.

“You swing more,” manager Stephen Vogt said. “You try to make things happen. A lot of times, hitters, we tend to try to swing our way out of things.”

Cleveland hitters swung at 23 of Bailey Ober’s changeups on Friday night and they whiffed 11 times, which explains why Ober threw as many changeups as fastballs. When they did connect, they registered an average exit velocity of 69.8 mph. In other words, that was a master class in how to stymie a team with a fastball/changeup combination, and it sparked memories of Lucas Giolito similarly dominating Cleveland lineups when he pitched for the White Sox.

The most impressive at-bat of the series, then, goes to Andrés Giménez, who recorded a 14-pitch walk that sparked the Guardians’ four-run sixth on Sunday. The battle with Twins reliever Caleb Thielbar included 10 foul balls. Thielbar tried seven sweepers, five fastballs and two curveballs, but Giménez wouldn’t cave. He said he peered at the dugout nine or 10 pitches into the at-bat and noticed his teammates in a frenzy.

“For, like, seven straight pitches, we were going nuts,” said David Fry.

Giménez only saw fastballs and sweepers for the first 12 pitches, but he knew Thielbar had the curveball in his arsenal. So when Thielbar finally tossed two, Giménez wasn’t caught off guard. He resisted them and drew the walk.

“Someone came up to me,” Fry said, “and was like, ‘That was way more exciting than your home run.’”

It marked the longest at-bat by a Cleveland hitter since José Ramírez’s 17-pitch encounter against Houston’s Ken Giles which resulted in a leadoff double in the ninth inning on May 27, 2018.

“It’s a pain,” said Tanner Bibee. “That’s a real back-breaker. I’ve had a couple of those this year. It’s a tough one to swallow. You’re executing pitches and they just keep touching it, keep touching it, don’t put it in play, just keep touching it. And then you think he’s in swing mode and he just takes four balls. It’s an awesome at-bat.”

Daniel Schneemann followed Giménez’s walk with an eight-pitch walk of his own. That’s 22 pitches to two batters, with both left-handed hitters reaching base against a southpaw. Hedges’ dugout cheers, in particular, could be heard from Minnetonka. Both Giménez and Schneemann wound up scoring.
Struggles with righties

Still, the pieces of this lineup don’t quite fit. The Guardians hadn’t led at the end of an inning in five days (39 innings) before Steven Kwan socked a leadoff homer on Saturday, which Vogt said released a pressure valve in the dugout.

“Offense brings energy,” Vogt said.

Lane Thomas has obliterated left-handed pitching the past couple of years, but he has struggled to handle righties, which makes him a less-than-ideal choice for the No. 2 spot in the order. Thomas is 5-for-42 since joining the Guardians.

• Thomas vs. RHP: .207/.284/.332
• Thomas vs. LHP: .316/.395/.495

“When you get traded,” Vogt said, “you feel like, ‘I need to come in and do more than what I’ve done in the past.’”

If Thomas sits against certain righties, Vogt would have more flexibility in optimizing his usage. He could then deploy him against a lefty later in the game, instead of hoping his spot in the order conveniently comes up when a southpaw is on the mound. Or, he could use him as a pinch runner (94th percentile sprint speed) or defensive replacement (95th percentile arm strength).

Fry presents a similar case.

• Fry vs. RHP: .250/.308/.351
• Fry vs. LHP: .306/.465/.612

There’s room on the roster for another left-handed stick to offer the club a more balanced attack.

Fry’s lack of defensive versatility has hamstrung Vogt as well. Fry has caught once since the last week of June when he first dealt with elbow inflammation. He hasn’t started in the outfield in that span, either.
Starting rotation outlook

Vogt said Gavin Williams had “a look in his eye” before the game Saturday, and Williams proceeded to submit his best start of the season. Kwan faced Williams when the hurler was working his way back from injury.

“He dissected me,” Kwan said. “It was fastball at the top, cutter backdoor, curveball and I’m way out in front. He can be that guy if everything’s working.”

Bibee followed suit Sunday in his return from a shoulder injury. Those two are the present and future anchors of Cleveland’s rotation. They combined to limit the Twins to two runs (and no walks) in 11 2/3 innings.

It’s how the rest of the unit performs that could determine whether the Guardians have enough steam to power through to the finish line.

If Vogt had yanked Alex Cobb before Matt Wallner tagged him for a three-run homer — “I thought about it,” Vogt said — Cobb’s results would have been far more encouraging. Matthew Boyd will start Tuesday against the Cubs in his first big-league action since June 26, 2023.

Three months ago, Boyd was coaching his son’s T-ball team and his daughter’s softball team while rehabbing from Tommy John surgery at home in the Seattle area. He said he’s grateful to have had the opportunity to see the trees bloom and to spend part of spring and summer with his family, but he’s ready for the second act of his career.

“I have my best baseball ahead of me,” said the 33-year-old.

In late June, Boyd was throwing live batting practice at a community college in Bellevue, Wash., with his dad operating a TrackMan device and college hitters standing in the batter’s box. Six weeks later, he’ll be tasked with helping the Guardians in their postseason pursuits.

How a new manager, an underappreciated star and ‘something special’ sparked an MLB surprise
Zack Meisel
Aug 14, 2024

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CLEVELAND — Four hours before first pitch, José Ramírez, the face of the franchise and instigator to the stars, is singing Daft Punk’s earworm, “One More Time,” as strikingly off-key as possible. He intentionally butchers the simple hook as he leans back in the black leather chair at his corner locker.

Josh Naylor walks past the JBL PartyBox speaker in the center of the room and triggers the DJ sound effect, which prompts at least one teammate to fist pump like he’s raving on a sticky dance floor at a Jersey Shore nightclub.

Emmanuel Clase is FaceTiming family back home in rural Río San Juan, D.R., and the clucking of chickens would echo throughout the clubhouse if not for Ramírez’s disharmony.

One more time!

Tyler Freeman and David Fry are battling on a Mario Kart arcade machine, an undercard match before Ramírez — who possesses unparalleled skill at swerving Bowser’s stout frame around turtle shells and banana peels — begins challenging teammates for more money than they’ve earned in the big leagues.

One more time!

Austin Hedges strides into the room wearing a red, self-hemmed crop top that reveals his bellybutton and a tease of the shag carpet that covers his chest, and clutches a leather-bound notebook full of scouting reports and other secrets.

One more time!

And then silence — save for the speaker, now shuffling through a Bob Marley medley.

The bustling ceases. The bodies vanish. The room is empty.

Catchers, pitchers, coaches and analysts cram into a room across the hall to review the opposing club’s hitters. Hedges, Fry and Bo Naylor, the club’s catching triumvirate, share the intel they’ve scribbled in their notebooks. Then the pitchers trot out to the left-field grass for an afternoon catch session. Hitters head to the cages to pore over video and take their first hacks.

Manager Stephen Vogt, the new head of the operation, fulfills a slate of media obligations. He reveals just enough charm to remind reporters why he was a beloved player and he guards minor injury details like nuclear codes.

There’s nothing groundbreaking unfolding in Cleveland, where the Guardians have amassed one of baseball’s best records. There’s no secret formula, even for a team with a long-envied starting pitching factory. (Starting pitching has actually been the club’s Achilles’ heel during this wild joyride.)

Ramírez has spurred “Guards Ball,” as Fry calls it — the slashing-and-dashing style of offense that pressures pitchers and defenses until they cave. It propelled them to the playoffs two years ago. This season, aside from more meetings, they’ve added more muscle, more reliable relievers and more magic.

Night after night, it’s working. Chaos, then concentration, then conquering another opponent.

One more time!

The Guardians, implausibly, have been the story of the 2024 MLB season.

“There’s something special here,” Hedges says.

Three hours before first pitch, Guardians infielders join Kai Correa outside the dugout for work with a red machine that sounds like a swarm of scorned hornets as it revs up.

Correa, the club’s field coordinator, oversees everything from the daily bus schedule to infield shifting.

But now he’s sitting on a bucket and resting his red cleats on the black legs of The Heater Slider Lite 360. Thwoop. The apparatus spits out a one-hopper to a kneeling Brayan Rocchio, who’s wearing a white glove that doesn’t quite cover his left hand. Correa toggles a couple dials that alter the speed and angle of the grounder. If the expert level is cranked up during practice, any eighth-inning hop will be a breeze.

Evan Longoria swore by the gadget after partnering with Correa in San Francisco. The three-time Gold Glove Award winner pleaded to use it daily.

In Cleveland, the buy-in started before spring training, when almost the entire roster reported to Goodyear, Ariz., weeks before camp. That included Ramírez, the perennial All-Star. “That guy leads by example better than anybody I’ve ever been around,” Hedges says.

Ramírez is capricious before games, one day offering a reporter his Tesla Cybertruck for $100,000 cash and the next day sizing up Clase for snooping in his locker. But he quickly snaps into game mode and teammates strive to mimic his relentless work ethic, which has fueled a career path that could end in Cooperstown.

“He’s the accountability guy for everything,” Kwan says. “He’s always the lead dog.”

Ramírez swings by Correa’s station to stab at a few choppers from the machine. Later, he huddles with coach J.T. Maguire at a desk outside the clubhouse to study video of a potential tell from that night’s opposing pitcher. A decade into his career, Ramírez still craves every sliver of information that might give him an edge. He says he doesn’t care that he climbed into second place in franchise history in home runs; he just wants to break the club’s 76-year championship hex.

The Guardians have laid the groundwork for that quest with preparation. They hold more pregame meetings than ever before. Players embrace extra defensive work and time in the cage.

A new coaching staff isn’t taking that investment for granted. The Guardians might be the most surprising team in the league, but Hedges says it stems from treating every day like a playoff game. To do that, bench coach Craig Albernaz says, the Guardians must maximize every nanosecond before first pitch.

“We don’t have the experience like Terry Francona does or Bob Melvin does,” Albernaz says, “so we have to err on the side of being over-prepared.”

Two and a half hours before first pitch, coaches file into the manager’s office, one by one. Albernaz has already claimed a seat, with a laptop resting on his thighs. Bullpen coach Brad Goldberg enters, then assistant pitching coach Joe Torres, then a couple of pitching analysts and, finally, pitching coach Carl Willis, who has worked in the organization for much of the last quarter-century.

Other teams pluck pitching gurus from Cleveland’s directory on an annual basis — Matt Blake, Ruben Niebla and Brian Sweeney became pitching coaches for the Yankees, Padres and Royals in recent years — but Willis, a figurehead with decades of experience and an appetite for forward thinking, remains. Fellow coaches refer to him as a “Walking TrackMan,” the device that supplies instant data on a pitcher’s mechanics. Pitching coach Carl Willis, here in a mound visit with starter Ben Lively, has been a fixture in Cleveland for years. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)

The Guardians’ rotation has uncharacteristically struggled, a result of losing ace Shane Bieber a week into the schedule, missing Gavin Williams for three months and receiving rocky efforts from Triston McKenzie and Logan Allen.

The club’s bullpen, however, has masked many of the team’s shortcomings. Cleveland’s relievers lead the league in ERA by a massive margin. Cade Smith learned he made the Opening Day roster while playing cards with his siblings in a hotel room eight hours before the first pitch of the season. Now, he fills the role of stopper anytime an opponent mounts a rally, whether in the fourth inning or the eighth.

Hunter Gaddis has evolved, without warning, from a scuffling spot starter to a prolific setup man. Tim Herrin, teased by teammates for his baby face and calm demeanor, has worked to improve the quality of his primal shouts as he walks off the mound following an inning-ending strikeout. There have been plenty; he boasts a 2.25 ERA in his first full season.

No reliever presents a more daunting task for hitters than Clase. With magenta-tinted locks dangling beneath his navy cap, he pumps 101-mph cutters past anyone who occupies the batter’s box.

“Clase is the best pitcher in baseball,” Hedges says.

Two hours before first pitch, teammates surround Hedges on a dugout bench as he waxes poetic about the twisted beauty of baseball, a sport that revolves around failure.

It took Hedges years to develop into a leader. In San Diego, he’d scan the lineup while praying his name was absent. He was burdened by the pressure of 162 games, of 150 nightly decisions hinging on how many fingers he flashed his pitcher. During an injured list stint for a balky elbow in 2018, he questioned whether he even wanted to return to the roster.

“So much anxiety of wanting to perform,” he says, “wanting to win, and also being like, ‘I don’t know what’s happening to my brain. I can’t freaking think.’ Luckily, eventually, in time and experience, all you can have is awareness that this is happening. So, it’s, ‘This is normal. Am I going to be a gangster, or am I going to give in?’” Austin Hedges, who has become a key part of the Guardians on and off the field, congratulates Emmanuel Clase earlier this season. (Nick Cammett / Getty Images)

Hedges needed to come to Cleveland, to win in Cleveland, to leave Cleveland and to win a World Series last fall with Texas to understand what the Guardians were lacking and how he could provide it. He’s Vogt’s lieutenant in the clubhouse. When the two connected for a 10-minute call over the winter as the Guardians recruited Hedges back to the organization, Vogt hung up and said to himself, “This is the guy.”

The notebook Hedges constantly grips in his left hand was a wedding gift from ex-teammate Clayton Richard, who taught him how to make a difference on days he wasn’t in the lineup. This season, Hedges has been as much a mental coach, guidance counselor and senior motivation coordinator as catcher, but he cherishes the role. It’s a position Vogt held for 15 years in the minors and the majors, a catcher with a coach’s brain.

“He’s my voice,” Vogt says.

As teammates flock to him in the dugout, Hedges recommends a book about daily stoicism, a tenet this team has adopted. Vogt says he loves managing a team of clichés, players who not only rely on trite mantras to autopilot their way through interviews, but also actually adhere to them. One day at a time. Caring for each other. Turning the page after a win or loss. Banal, sure. But rooted in truth, Vogt says.

The players appreciate that Vogt shows no panic — not when they lost Bieber to elbow surgery, nor when they dropped three straight to the historically inept White Sox in May, nor when their once-massive AL Central lead dwindled last week after a seven-game skid. An early-season closed-door meeting was really just a chance to commend Hedges on eight years of service time, which alleviated some tension after a couple of defeats.
go-deeper

GO DEEPER

The wild highs and lows that prepared Stephen Vogt to be the Cleveland Guardians' manager

Vogt has geared up for this opportunity since he was a middling A-baller eyeing a coaching future, when blossoming into a two-time All-Star seemed delusional. He has made a seamless transition to his new seat, one previously occupied by Francona, a future Hall of Famer. Hedges marvels at the way Vogt delivers the right message to the right person at the right time.

Of course, Vogt downplays his influence, insisting he’s “just a pretty face” who lets players be themselves, even if that means Scott Barlow standing in his “fish flip flops” while creating chainsaw noises into a semi-crushed Red Bull can or a group of players barking like dogs in the dugout. Fry and Hedges welcomed trade acquisition Alex Cobb to his new team in early August and Fry figured Cobb was thinking, “These weirdos, these guys are a bunch of losers.”

Really, though, it’s a tight-knit group. One day, Canadian-born Bo Naylor is teaching a card game to Jhonkensy Noel, a native of the Dominican Republic, in fluent Spanish. Another day, Fry and Ben Lively shout at the clubhouse TV until Tommy Fleetwood’s drive settles in the thickest cut of rough. Every day, in the first inning, the relievers engage in a cutthroat round of trivia, centering on anything from Venezuelan athletes to Olympic history to how many triangles can be found in a particular picture.

After a Noel missile to the outfield seats fueled a win in late June, Tanner Bibee and three relievers waited at the clubhouse entrance to supply the linebacker-sized slugger with high-fives while urging him to give a speech. House music blared as Hedges and Gaddis argued over whether the catcher’s recent stolen base should have been deemed defensive indifference. Kwan walked past Noel, hopped and punched the air, mimicking the team’s Super Mario-themed home run celebration. Ramírez stepped onto the edge of his locker in his brown Louis Vuitton loafers to answer reporters’ questions and meet Clase’s gaze.

“You can tell when people genuinely, actually want to be around each other,” Vogt says.
Manager Stephen Vogt (left) and bench coach Craig Albernaz don’t often vary their pregame routine. (Jason Miller / Getty Images)

One hour before first pitch, Vogt and Albernaz reunite in the manager’s office, down the hall from the clubhouse nuttiness and last-minute plotting. They say goodnight to their kids over FaceTime. They review Albernaz’s notes on the running game, the pitching matchups, pinch-hit scenarios and bullpen deployment. They toast to the night ahead and take a swig of Arctic Vibe-flavored Celsius. The routine can’t change — and neither can the drink flavor — unless they lost the night before.

“We’re a little ‘stitious,” Albernaz says.

Fifteen minutes before the national anthem, Vogt darts to the dugout. He has arrived at the calmest part of his day. The empty dugout is his oasis.

His days are filled with organizational meetings and media interviews and office visits and strategizing sessions. His late nights are spent stirring in bed, sometimes until 3 a.m. as he mentally replays decisions or contemplates advice to supply a struggling player. It takes an episode or two of “Banshee” to hush the inner monologue.

As the game inches closer, though, he finds clarity. He leans against the dugout railing and, for 15 minutes or so, he can exhale.

He watches fans find their seats. He initiates off-topic banter with players as they pass by on their way to stretch. He cycles through his memories from whichever ballpark he’s calling home for a few days. He can’t patrol the visitors dugout in Kansas City without reflecting on the 2014 Wild Card Game with Oakland.

He calls this “the calm before the storm,” a therapeutic reset before the real thing, far away from Ramírez’s toneless melody, Hedges’ ceaseless banter and any other noise.

By this point, the hard work is complete. It’s time for first pitch.

Got to give Zack Meisel credit as the best Guardians reporters by a mile.

rusty2 wrote: Wed Aug 14, 2024 9:12 am Got to give Zack Meisel credit as the best Guardians reporters by a mile.

You beat me to it! I really enjoy his style and Insite.

Ran that article by a few Guards fans and yes they totally agree on Meisel.

Article about Uncle Dennis' favorite player.

Lane Thomas



Stay. In. Yo. Lane. At times, one must but it is not something that should be admonished at all times. We Grow. We learn. The Universe morphs, forcing us to adapt. Even if I’m 90 years old, driving on the highway in the very right lane, if there’s someone driving 50 mph, you best believe, or at least I hope that I’m clicking the blinker down, mad dogging the side mirror, turning the steering wheel to the left, putting the pedal to the metal and passing that slow poke. What about when you’re successfully driving in your lane when that lane is picked up, turned 180 degrees, and placed on the other side of the divider? That’s what happened to Lane Thomas this season, and the results haven’t been pretty. Let’s dig in to see if there’s any hope because he’s been dropped in around 10% of ESPN leagues.

Thomas is 28 years old, 6-foot, 191 pounds, and bats from the right side. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Three years later he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he made his MLB debut. In 2021, the Washington Nationals acquired him via trade. He spent three seasons in the nation’s capital before being traded to the Cleveland Guardians at the trade deadline this year.

Throughout his minor league career, the strikeout was in the low to mid 20 percent range. He showed off his speed, notching double-digit steals three times. The batting average was in the .250 area while the ISO was in the .125 pocket.

His MLB debut in 2019 with the Cardinals went well, as he slashed .316/.409/.684 with a 9.1% walk rate, 18.2% strikeout rate, and .368 ISO in 44 plate appearances. The next season, though, he only received 40 plate appearances and slashed .111/.200/.250 with a 32.5% strikeout rate and .139 ISO. The beauty of small sample sizes!

At the ripe age of 26 years old, he became a full-time player with the Nationals in 2022, and his physical maturity and experience certainly manifested. In 548 plate appearances during the 2022 MLB season, Thomas slashed .241/.301/.404 with a 7.5% walk rate, 24.1% strikeout rate and .163 ISO. He hit 17 home runs and stole eight bases.

The following season was his Mona Lisa, as he hit 28 home runs, stole 20 bases, scored 101 runs, and drove in 86 in 682 plate appearances. The walk rate was 5.3%, the strikeout rate was 25.8%, the ISO was a robust .201 and the slash was .268/.315/.468.

In his first 341 plate appearances this season, Thomas only hit eight home runs but stole a whopping 28 bases. The walk rate was 9.4%, the strikeout rate was only 21.1% and the ISO was .153 while slashing .253/.331/.407.

Then his lane was lifted up, spun around, and, as he clicked his spikes three times and wished he was back in DC, Thomas landed in Cleveland.

And Thomas has not turned into a pumpkin. More like a rock. Hey, Cleveland supposedly rocks so…

In 50 plate appearances, he’s slashing .109/.180/.152 with an 8% walk rate, 40% strikeout rate and .043 ISO.

The first and most obvious thing that needs to be mentioned is that he went from the National League to the American League. New ballparks. New pitchers. New hecklers. I wasn’t able to find a list of players who were traded from one league to the other, but Jeff Zimmerman wrote back in 2013, “Is There An Adjustment Time for Players Changing Leagues?” TLDR, yes.

The thing is, there isn’t much time for us fantasy nerds.

Remember about five inches up? Something about small sample sizes?

Well, it’s only been 50 plate appearances. And there are some numbers that could portend for some good times ahead. The BABIP has only been .192 but the average exit velocity has been 92.7 mph, much higher than the 89.1 mph when he was in DC. The hard hit rate has been 4% higher and most of the batted ball data has been similar, sans the infield fly ball and home run-to-fly ball rates.

The plate discipline numbers show the biggest divergences. Thomas is swinging at fewer pitches in the strike zone while the chase rate has gone from 19.6% to 28%. The contact rates have all decreased substantially while the swinging strike rate has gone from 7.4% to 12.2%.

The numbers don’t scream that he’s a different player. More like, the timing is off and he just has to get comfortable in his new surroundings. Could the terrible play continue? Definitely.

But he’s still batting second or fifth in the lineup and that 94th percentile sprint speed hasn’t left him. The Guardians sit atop the AL Central and they are going to want to get Thomas comfortable for the playoffs, so I don’t see the risk of him getting moved down in the order.

TFIR wrote: Sat Aug 17, 2024 9:46 am Article about Uncle Dennis' favorite player.

Lane Thomas



Stay. In. Yo. Lane. At times, one must but it is not something that should be admonished at all times. We Grow. We learn. The Universe morphs, forcing us to adapt. Even if I’m 90 years old, driving on the highway in the very right lane, if there’s someone driving 50 mph, you best believe, or at least I hope that I’m clicking the blinker down, mad dogging the side mirror, turning the steering wheel to the left, putting the pedal to the metal and passing that slow poke. What about when you’re successfully driving in your lane when that lane is picked up, turned 180 degrees, and placed on the other side of the divider? That’s what happened to Lane Thomas this season, and the results haven’t been pretty. Let’s dig in to see if there’s any hope because he’s been dropped in around 10% of ESPN leagues.

Thomas is 28 years old, 6-foot, 191 pounds, and bats from the right side. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. Three years later he was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals, where he made his MLB debut. In 2021, the Washington Nationals acquired him via trade. He spent three seasons in the nation’s capital before being traded to the Cleveland Guardians at the trade deadline this year.

Throughout his minor league career, the strikeout was in the low to mid 20 percent range. He showed off his speed, notching double-digit steals three times. The batting average was in the .250 area while the ISO was in the .125 pocket.

His MLB debut in 2019 with the Cardinals went well, as he slashed .316/.409/.684 with a 9.1% walk rate, 18.2% strikeout rate, and .368 ISO in 44 plate appearances. The next season, though, he only received 40 plate appearances and slashed .111/.200/.250 with a 32.5% strikeout rate and .139 ISO. The beauty of small sample sizes!

At the ripe age of 26 years old, he became a full-time player with the Nationals in 2022, and his physical maturity and experience certainly manifested. In 548 plate appearances during the 2022 MLB season, Thomas slashed .241/.301/.404 with a 7.5% walk rate, 24.1% strikeout rate and .163 ISO. He hit 17 home runs and stole eight bases.

The following season was his Mona Lisa, as he hit 28 home runs, stole 20 bases, scored 101 runs, and drove in 86 in 682 plate appearances. The walk rate was 5.3%, the strikeout rate was 25.8%, the ISO was a robust .201 and the slash was .268/.315/.468.

In his first 341 plate appearances this season, Thomas only hit eight home runs but stole a whopping 28 bases. The walk rate was 9.4%, the strikeout rate was only 21.1% and the ISO was .153 while slashing .253/.331/.407.

Then his lane was lifted up, spun around, and, as he clicked his spikes three times and wished he was back in DC, Thomas landed in Cleveland.

And Thomas has not turned into a pumpkin. More like a rock. Hey, Cleveland supposedly rocks so…

In 50 plate appearances, he’s slashing .109/.180/.152 with an 8% walk rate, 40% strikeout rate and .043 ISO.

The first and most obvious thing that needs to be mentioned is that he went from the National League to the American League. New ballparks. New pitchers. New hecklers. I wasn’t able to find a list of players who were traded from one league to the other, but Jeff Zimmerman wrote back in 2013, “Is There An Adjustment Time for Players Changing Leagues?” TLDR, yes.

The thing is, there isn’t much time for us fantasy nerds.

Remember about five inches up? Something about small sample sizes?

Well, it’s only been 50 plate appearances. And there are some numbers that could portend for some good times ahead. The BABIP has only been .192 but the average exit velocity has been 92.7 mph, much higher than the 89.1 mph when he was in DC. The hard hit rate has been 4% higher and most of the batted ball data has been similar, sans the infield fly ball and home run-to-fly ball rates.

The plate discipline numbers show the biggest divergences. Thomas is swinging at fewer pitches in the strike zone while the chase rate has gone from 19.6% to 28%. The contact rates have all decreased substantially while the swinging strike rate has gone from 7.4% to 12.2%.

The numbers don’t scream that he’s a different player. More like, the timing is off and he just has to get comfortable in his new surroundings. Could the terrible play continue? Definitely.

But he’s still batting second or fifth in the lineup and that 94th percentile sprint speed hasn’t left him. The Guardians sit atop the AL Central and they are going to want to get Thomas comfortable for the playoffs, so I don’t see the risk of him getting moved down in the order.

Miles Straw!!!!!

Hard to believe how bad Thomas has been. Hit 2 doubles I believe in his 2nd game and since then has looked terrible.

Schneeman has done the same. Both look like they do not see the pitch at all.

Schneemann was a surprise success and I assume pitchers have figured him out. I don't see a need to keep him around; Tena could have been a perfect substitute but that's water under the bridge. Angel Martinez fits the defensive definition and is a switch hitter all of whose home runs in Columbus came vs righties. I'd certainly prefer him back up now