Cleveland Sports Forum

Guardians right fielder Oscar Gonzalez celebrates after hitting a walk-off home run to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1, in 15 innings in the second and deciding wild card game against the Rays.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

Guardians

The Guardians’ top 20 games from a season to remember: The week in basebal

Updated: Dec. 24, 2022, 1:14 p.m.|Published: Dec. 24, 2022, 1:03 p.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio --

As the year draws to a close, and the winter wind whips outside your windows, let us warm our hands and souls with thoughts of a warmer time when the Guardians surprised everyone but themselves by winning the American League Central a few months ago.

Here are the Guards’ 20 most memorable games from a season which saw them win 92 games, and a wild card series against the Rays before losing to the Yankees in the fifth and deciding game of the ALDS.

No. 20. April 10: Rookie Steven Kwan, batting second, gives an indication of what’s to come by going 5 for 5, with four runs in a 17-3 win over the Royals.

No. 19. April 12: Jose Ramirez, long before he tore a ligament in his right thumb, drives in a season-high six runs in a 10-5 win over Cincinnati. Ramirez hits a slam in the ninth to break up a tight game.

No. 18. Oct. 2: Emmanuel Clase earns his MLB-leading 41st save with a scoreless ninth inning in a 7-5 win over the Royals.

No. 17. July 12: Shane Bieber throws the Guardians’ only complete game of the season, beating the White Sox, 4-1, on a 95-pitch, three-hitter. He strikes out seven doesn’t walk a batter.

No. 16. Aug. 19: Triston McKenzie strikes out a career-high 14 batters in seven innings in a 5-2 win over the White Sox. The win maintains the Guards’ one-game lead in the AL Central.

No. 15, Aug. 12: Canadian-born Cal Quantrill returns to his native soil and throws seven scoreless innings in a 8-0 win over Toronto at Rogers Centre. Josh Naylor, also Canadian born, supports his former Little League rival with a two-run homer.

No. 14. April 23: Center fielder Myles Straw scales the outfield fence at Yankee Stadium in the ninth inning to battle the Bleacher Creatures after they rained insults on Kwan, who stunned himself crashing into the fence in left center in pursuit of a fly ball. The Creatures responded by throwing garbage at Straw and right fielder Oscar Mercado.

No. 13. September 9: Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, desperate to stop the runaway train that is the Guardians, asked plate umpire Ted Barrett to check the hair of right-hander James Karinchak for a foreign substance. Barrett spends several minutes running his fingers through Karinchak flowing locks and finds nothing. Karinchak, slightly rattled, gives up a two-run homer in the eighth, but the G’s win, 7-6.

No. 12. Sept. 5: Rookie outfielder Oscar Gonzalez’s two-run double in the 10th inning beats Kansas City, 6-5, to end a five-game losing streak and keep a one-game lead in the division.

No. 11. Sept. 21: McKenzie strikes out out 13 with no walks over eight innings in a 8-2 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Kwan went 3 for 4 with a home run, two runs and a stolen base.

No. 10. Sept. 22: The Guardians complete a three-game sweep of the White Sox. Bieber goes 7 2/3 innings and Ramirez drives in two runs in a 4-2 victory. It completes a 15-game stretch in which the G’s went 10-2 against division rivals Chicago and Minnesota to all but end the race in the AL Central.

No. 9. June 29: Josh Naylor head butts manager Terry Francona -- Francona was wearing a batting helmet, Naylor was not -- after hitting a walk-off, three-run homer to beat the Twins, 7-6, in 10 innings. The Twins scored three times in the top of the 10th to take a 6-3 lead, but it wasn’t enough.

No. 8. June 30: Andres Gimenez hits a walk-off two-run homer in the ninth to beat Twins, 5-3, to pull within one game of first place. Not only does Gimenez do a bat flip in front of the Twins’ dugout, but as he rounds third base he motions as if he put them to sleep.

No. 7. July 19: Ramirez, Gimenez and Clase represent the Guardians well in the AL’s 3-2 All-Star Game victory at Dodger Stadium. Ramirez goes 2 for 2, Gimenez turns in a sparkling play at second base and Clase announces his presence by striking out the NL in order on 10 pitchers to earn the save in the ninth inning.

No. 6. June 15: Kwan endangers life and limb with a diving catch on the warning track in left field to rob Colorado’s Jose Iglesias of a two-run extra-base hit in the seventh inning. The Guardians win, 7-5, at Coors Field.

No. 5. August 26: Kwan does it again, this time diving into the seats along the left field grand stand at T Mobile Park in Seattle to catch Cam Raleigh’s foul ball in a 3-2 loss in 11 innings.

No. 4. Sept. 17: In a critical doubleheader against the rival Twins, Amed Rosario goes a combined 8 for 13 with six RBI. The Guardians sweep the doubleheader to take a 4 1/2 game lead in the Central.

No. 3. May 9: Naylor, with the Guardians trailing the White Sox, 5-1, after seven innings, drives in eight runs in his last three at-bats in a 12-9 victory in 11 innings. He doubled home a run in the eighth, hit a grand slam in the ninth and a go-ahead three-run homer in the 11th.

No. 2. Oct. 15: Gonzalez hits a two-run, two-out walk-off single in the ninth inning for a 6-5 win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS. It gives the Guards a 2-1 lead in the series and Gonzalez his third go-ahead hit in the same postseason. Hall of Famer David Ortiz is the only other player to do that.

No. 1. Oct. 8: Gonzalez sends Corey Kluber’s 1-0 pitch into the left field bleachers in the 15th inning for a 2-1 victory over the Rays in the second and deciding game of the wild card series.

Names to remember

RHP Nick Wittgren, who pitched for Cleveland from 2019 through 2021, has signed a minor league deal with the Royals.

LHP Tanner Tully, one of 17 rookies to make their big league debut with Cleveland last year, has signed a minor league deal with the Yankees.

RHP Kade McClure, who pitched at Mentor High School, has been traded to the Giants and invited to big league camp after spending six years with the White Sox.

LHP Thomas Pannone, a ninth-round pick by the Indians in 2013, recently signed a minor league deal with Milwaukee. It includes an invitation to big league camp.

RHP Anthony Castro, who made 12 appearances with the Guardians last season, recently signed a minor league deal with the Nationals. It includes an invitation to big league camp.

https://www.cleveland.com/guardians/202 ... eball.html


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Inbox: How will Cleveland solve middle-infield puzzle?

December 24th, 2022

Mandy Bell

CLEVELAND -- What better way to celebrate the holidays than opening a Guardians Inbox?

Let’s take a look at some of your questions:

What is your grade on the Guardians offseason? Also, do you see a trade that could include Will Benson? He doesn’t seem to fit with the direction of the team moving forward. Thanks! -- @BrianLSnyder216

I’d go with a B-minus for their grade so far. The team said it had financial flexibility and was ready to build on the foundation it set this past season, and it has backed that statement thus far, aggressively trying to pursue José Abreu before locking up Josh Bell. And the club ventured outside of Austin Hedges to fill its void behind the plate, though Mike Zunino will be a question mark until he proves he’s moved past the thoracic outlet surgery that caused him to miss nearly all of 2022.

Maybe catchers like Sean Murphy or another catcher (Alejandro Kirk) could have been a better bat than Zunino will be, but the one-year deal for a more veteran player makes sense for a team that believes prospect Bo Naylor is the future. For that reason, I think it’s a solid move to bridge that gap for 2023.

A B-minus represents the pleasant surprise of the initiative from the front office after a quiet couple of winters. If no other moves were made, the roster would be in decent shape. But there’s room left to prove that the Guardians are all in on 2023. If Cleveland adds a starting pitcher, bullpen help and/or another bat, or locks up a critical player to an extension, that grade will certainly go up.

As far as a Benson trade, he’s one of a handful of names that seem to be fighting off this roster crunch. He could be a name brought up in a trade package, but the Guardians’ focus in that scenario could be on their plethora of middle infielders. Let’s dig more into this.

What is the plan with the middle infielders and who is the most likely to get a chance somewhere? -- @mlbeuphoria

This is quite the puzzle.

Gabriel Arias, Juan Brito, Tyler Freeman, Andrés Giménez, Brayan Rocchio, Amed Rosario and Jose Tena are all on the 40-man roster. Brito is still some ways away from the Majors and Tena will need some time in Triple-A, but Rocchio is nearly big league ready and the rest of the group has already been in the Majors. There are so many players for just two or three (counting a utility guy) positions that it still seems inevitable a trade will be made.

For now, Giménez will be at second. Assuming Rosario is still in the picture, as good friend José Ramírez will certainly insist upon, expect him to be at short. The best guess would be Arias and Freeman helping out in utility roles to start the year, but this could all get shuffled around as we get closer to Opening Day.

What are the chances that the Guardians will add another starting pitcher to the staff this offseason, and would it be a LHP? Would that mean some pitcher other than Shane Bieber, Triston McKenzie and Cal Quantrill could be traded? -- @PastorJNorris

I still think adding a starting pitcher is a possibility this offseason, but this is purely speculation. The Guardians crave starting pitching depth, and because their top prospects are still another year or two away from being big league ready, it would make sense to look externally to bolster their rotation. Like you said, I don’t see Bieber, McKenzie or Quantrill going anywhere, but a Zach Plesac trade would not surprise me.

What are the chances we go after an outfielder before Opening Day? Rather it be a platoon piece or everyday player? -- @brentroughton

The Guardians rarely give straightforward answers when it comes to looking toward the roster makeup for next season’s team, but manager Terry Francona said days after the 2022 season ended that he thinks they’re “in pretty good shape” when it comes to their outfield.

Steven Kwan will be a permanent fixture in left field, and the team is ready to give Myles Straw a second chance to bounce back offensively in center. Oscar Gonzalez has earned the right to get first crack at being the everyday right fielder. For once, it’s not a main priority to add more outfielders. They have depth pieces in Will Brennan, Benson and George Valera. There had been rumors about some interest in Michael Brantley before the outfielder re-signed with the Astros (which would have made sense from a leadership perspective), but it might be difficult to find places for all of these players, especially with Valera’s impending debut.

What do you think the ban of the shift will do to the Guards hitters and defense? -- @KatsarasRich

It’s hard to imagine José Ramírez won’t benefit tremendously from limited defensive shifts against him. And I think this will be the time we see just how valuable Giménez’s Gold Glove defense is at second base.

https://www.mlb.com/guardians/news/guar ... -offseason


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An Aaron Civale trade package would likely not land them a top prospect like Joey Wiemer

by Chad Porto2 days ago

Fans of the Cleveland Guardians may be overvaluing Aaron Civale in trade ideas.

The offseason is here and the Cleveland Guardians are already surprising everyone by acquiring Josh Bell and Mike Zunino while trading away Owen Miller and Nolan Jones in the span of a few weeks. The team is rumored to be active in the trade market still, with Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale being chips they could look to trade, either to improve the lineup or continue to strengthen the minor leagues.

So with two big arms on the market, allegedly, what could a trade look like for either? For Plesac, you may find more of a willing one-for-one situation, with a borderline All-Star coming back in a trade. His ceiling is higher than Civale, but Civale can be more consistent, even if that consistency isn’t better than the highs and lows of Plesac.

While for Plesac, you could see maybe two Top 30 or Top 40 prospects, coming back in a trade. Maybe even a reliever with a year or two of extra control.

One of the possibilities, that isn’t really a possibility, is landing a Top 5 prospect for either player. Maybe for both players, sure, but the idea that the Guardians could land a prospect like Milwaukee’s Joey Wiemer is unbelievable.

The Milwaukee Brewers are in the market for a pitcher

The Milwaukee Brewers are apparently interested in trading for a veteran pitcher, according to Ken Rosenthal, and the Cleveland Guardians could hook up with them for a trade. Possibly sending either Plesac or Ciavle to Milwaukee, but the idea that they’d move their third-best prospect in Wiemer for either is just unbelievable.

He’s a near-30 home run-hitting outfielder in the minors. His consistency at the plate, especially when it comes to home runs, is not really all that common, so for the Brewers to move on from such a potential impact player like Wiemer, you’d probably need to include Triston McKenzie or Cal Quantrill to land a prospect like Wiemer.

He’s 23, could play for a decade-plus in the outfield, and averages 30+ home runs per season. While I would love to land a prospect of his caliber for just Plesac or Civale, or packages with them as the centerpiece, I have to think Milwaukee has more of a clue than that to just give up on such a touted prospect for a middling fourth starter.


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Guardians

Myles Straw, Carlos Santana, Austin Hedges & Mike Zunino – Terry Pluto’s Guardians Scribbles

Published: Dec. 25, 2022, 5:02 a.m.

By Terry Pluto, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my Guardians notebook:

1. Terry Francona recently talked about how the emergence of Steven Kwan as the Guardians’ leadoff hitter “lessened the burden” on Myles Straw last season. When Cleveland traded for Straw in the middle of the 2021 season, the idea was for him to become the leadoff hitter and play an elite center field. Straw batted .285 (.739 OPS) after the trade. He was hitting .262 (.665 OPS) with Houston at the time of deal.

2. Heading into the 2022 season, Straw was a career .265 hitter (.684 OPS) in 256 games. He had stolen 46 bases in 55 attempts. He looked like a solid hitter who could lead off. Then his offense collapsed, as he batted .221 (.564 OPS) with zero homers and only 25 extra base hits in 535 at-bats.

3. Francona said Straw has come up to Cleveland this offseason to work with hitting coach Chris Valaika. Last spring, he signed a contract extension through the 2026 season. “Having a guy who plays a Gold Glove center field certainly makes us better,” Francona said.

4. I’m not going to dive deep into all the advanced stats. The fact is, Straw is elite in center field. He was the best in the Majors at that position – by far – according to analytics sites such as Fangraphs. That also matches the eye test. Many of you didn’t see Rick Manning play center field. At his best, he matched Straw – although Straw has a better arm. Both guys were loved by their pitchers.

5. Straw had a strange 2022 season at the bat. He opened the year batting .291 (93 plate appearances) in April. He ended it batting .308 (199 plate appearances) in September. In the four months in between, he batted .177. He’s 28. He was a career .305 hitter in the minors and was solid at the plate in the Majors until this year. Way too early to give up on him.

6. Where do former Cleveland players go when they need one last contract? Recently, the answer is Pittsburgh. The Pirates signed Austin Hedges to a $5 million deal for one year. Hedges batted .163 (.489 OPS) with Cleveland in 2022.

7. The Hedges signing comes a year after Pittsburgh signed former Cleveland catcher Roberto Perez to a $6 million contract for the 2022 season. He played only 21 games before tearing a hamstring, ending his season. Perez has played only 97 games in the last three seasons due to major injuries. He’s still a free agent, having been replaced by Hedges.

8. I missed this: The Pirates also signed Carlos Santana to a one-year, $6.75 million deal. The former Cleveland first baseman batted .202 (.692 OPS) with 19 HR and 60 RBI splitting 2022 between Seattle and Kansas City. Since making the 2019 All-Star team in Cleveland, he’s batted only .207 (.682 OPS) over the last three seasons.

9. Guardians President Chris Antonetti said he hopes new catcher Mike Zunino “can catch regularly for us, absorbing the majority of innings” behind the plate. Zunino played only 36 games in 2022 before having Thoracic Outlet Surgery on his left arm. It’s was not his throwing shoulder.

10. The Guardians believe Zunino can come back. “He’s on a good path,” said Antonetti. The Guardians medical people were upbeat at about his recovery in time for spring training. Francona admitted 2022 was a “difficult season for him health-wise, which is why we got a shot at him.” Zunino signed a $6 million deal for 2023. In 2021, Zunino hit 33 HR for Tampa Bay and made the All-Star team.

11. Francona recalled talking to Zunino in Denver during the 2021 All-Star game: “Sometimes, you talk to somebody and it’s nice and cordial and then you’re ready to move on. As I was talking to him, I wanted to keep talking to him. He’s really a good kid.”

12. Just as the Guardians value defense in center field with Straw, it’s even more of a priority at catcher. As Francona explained, if Zunino is healthy, then “comes really good defense, a guy who can control the running game and hopefully adds a bunch of power. If that power isn’t there, we still have a guy that runs the game and catches – we obviously feel very strongly about it.”


https://www.cleveland.com/guardians/202 ... bbles.html


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Guardians

Will Guardians’ Jose Ramirez benefit from shift restrictions in 2023?

Hey, Hoynsie

Updated: Dec. 24, 2022, 10:57 a.m.|Published: Dec. 24, 2022, 5:49 a.m.

By Paul Hoynes, cleveland.com

CLEVELAND, Ohio --

Do you have a question that you’d like to have answered in Hey, Hoynsie? Submit it here. You can also subscribe to Subtext here or text Hoynsie at 216-208-4346 for a two-week free trial.

Hey, Hoynsie: With the shift limitations coming into play in 2023, I expect ERAs and batting averages to go up. Which batter will it impact the most? -- Bill, Franklin, Tennessee.

Hey, Bill: Our old friend Carlos Santana, now with the Pittsburgh Pirates, could be in for a career revival. The switch-hitting Santana, when he batted left-handed, faced the highest percentage of shifts (98.1%) based on plate appearances in the big leagues last season according to Baseball Savant.

Closer to home, Jose Ramirez, also a switch-hitter, ranked fifth in facing the shift when he batted left-handed at 93.9%. Other Guardians who could benefit are Will Benson (91.8%) and Josh Naylor (77.1%).With two infielders required to stay on either side of second base when the pitcher is on the rubber, that 120-foot liner to right field has a much better chance of finding the outfield grass for a hit.

Hey, Hoynsie: Do you see the Guards extending any contracts this offseason? The dollars being thrown around now make it even more difficult. Extending Triston McKenzie would be nice since it looks like Shane Bieber is a lost cause. -- Jim B, Independence.

Hey, Jim: This is the time of the year when the front office starts conversations about extensions. If they’re successful, the deals usually come to fruition just before the start of the regular season, ala Myles Straw and Emmanuel Clase before 2022. I would think McKenzie would be a target. He experienced injuries in the minors, so he knows how fragile a career can be. Perhaps that would make him more open to an extension.At this time last year, it did not seem like Cleveland would get anything done with Jose Ramirez. But look what happened. So while the door is closing on Bieber, it hasn’t been slammed.

Hey, Hoynsie: Do you think the Guardians will make a trade? I really like Bryan Reynolds from Pittsburgh. There are teams that need shortstops and pitching and the Guardians have a surplus. -- Baseball Fan, Bronx, New York.

Hey, Base: This reminds me of the Sean Murphy situation. The A’s, like the Pirates, were in control. They really didn’t have to trade him unless they were blown away. I think the Guards pushed harder for Murphy because they needed a catcher. The situation is not as dire in the outfield. But make no mistake, they like Reynolds, but the price would be high.

Hey Hoynsie: Are you as anxious as I am to see Cleveland’s “City Connect” uniforms? Most of them make my eyeballs bleed. -- Mike L., Middleburg Heights.

Hey, Mike: I certainly am. I would imagine they’ll be unveiled sometime this offseason. Perhaps right before or during Guard Fest on Jan. 21.

Hey, Hoynsie: Wonder if the Guards have considered converting a top young position prospect to a catcher? -- David England, Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

Hey, David: The last time Cleveland did that, they converted Tony Wolters from a middle infielder to catcher. Wolters was Cleveland’s third-round pick in 2010. He never caught a big league game for Cleveland, but has spent parts of seven seasons in the big leagues with Colorado, the Cubs and Dodgers.

Hey, Hoynsie: What are the key dates between now and the first pitch of the regular season. -- Dave, Chicago.

Hey, Dave: On Jan. 13 teams and arbitration-eligible players exchange salary figures for 2023; Jan. 15 signing period begins for international free agents; Jan. 21 Guard Fest returns; Feb. 14: Guardians’ pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Goodyear, Arizona; Feb. 20 Guardians first full squad workout; Feb. 25 Guardians open the exhibition season against the Reds at Goodyear Ballpark; March 8: World Baseball Classic begins; March 30 Guardians open the regular season in Seattle.

Hey, Hoynsie: With all the talk about Bo Naylor as the catcher in waiting, will Bryan Lavastida open the season as the backup? -- Patrick Grijak, Garfield Heights.

Hey, Patrick: Lavastida opened the season in 2023 with the Guards because of the expanded roster following the lockout. He could do the same this year, but I’m guessing Meibrys Viloria, coming to camp on a minor league deal, is going to be Mike Zunino’s backup.

Hey, Hoynsie: I see teams signing real ballplayers to long-term contracts for big money. Then I see Cleveland signing two below average ballplayers. The Dolans got lucky last year with rookies and young players. I don’t see that happening again. -- Jay Shullman.

Hey, Jay: I just watched A Christmas Carol. Was that you playing Scrooge?

Hey, Hoynsie: So far this offseason 75% of free agent dollars have been spent by six teams. The inequity between the small market and large market teams continues to grow. The Guards have maneuvered the small market challenges with exceptional effectiveness. Eventually this inequity will threaten MLB. -- Joel Brown, Mason.

Hey, Joel: Your concerns are legitimate. Two things can stop it. A salary cap or every owner starts spending their own money like Steve Cohen of the Mets is doing this winter. Most of them aren’t worth $17.5 billion like Cohen, but they have plenty of their own money if they’re willing to spend it.


https://www.cleveland.com/guardians/202 ... ynsie.html


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Guardians right fielder Oscar Gonzalez celebrates after hitting a walk-off home run to defeat the Tampa Bay Rays, 2-1, in 15 innings in the second and deciding wild card game against the Rays.Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com

ADDING VIDEOS


No. 20. April 10: Rookie Steven Kwan, batting second, gives an indication of what’s to come by going 5 for 5, with four runs in a 17-3 win over the Royals.

https://youtu.be/4ZMlFtAIuYg

No. 19. April 12: Jose Ramirez, long before he tore a ligament in his right thumb, drives in a season-high six runs in a 10-5 win over Cincinnati. Ramirez hits a slam in the ninth to break up a tight game.

https://youtu.be/mVwn7vpYB1Q

No. 18. Oct. 2: Emmanuel Clase earns his MLB-leading 41st save with a scoreless ninth inning in a 7-5 win over the Royals.

https://www.mlb.com/video/drew-waters-c ... kes-12bsck

No. 17. July 12: Shane Bieber throws the Guardians’ only complete game of the season, beating the White Sox, 4-1, on a 95-pitch, three-hitter. He strikes out seven doesn’t walk a batter.

No. 16. Aug. 19: Triston McKenzie strikes out a career-high 14 batters in seven innings in a 5-2 win over the White Sox. The win maintains the Guards’ one-game lead in the AL Central.

https://youtu.be/8RVpFI5XQkk

No. 15, Aug. 12: Canadian-born Cal Quantrill returns to his native soil and throws seven scoreless innings in a 8-0 win over Toronto at Rogers Centre. Josh Naylor, also Canadian born, supports his former Little League rival with a two-run homer.

No. 14. April 23: Center fielder Myles Straw scales the outfield fence at Yankee Stadium in the ninth inning to battle the Bleacher Creatures after they rained insults on Kwan, who stunned himself crashing into the fence in left center in pursuit of a fly ball. The Creatures responded by throwing garbage at Straw and right fielder Oscar Mercado.

https://youtu.be/4TospGAHh90

No. 13. September 9: Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, desperate to stop the runaway train that is the Guardians, asked plate umpire Ted Barrett to check the hair of right-hander James Karinchak for a foreign substance. Barrett spends several minutes running his fingers through Karinchak flowing locks and finds nothing. Karinchak, slightly rattled, gives up a two-run homer in the eighth, but the G’s win, 7-6.

https://youtu.be/wj3t5kQvyOA

No. 12. Sept. 5: Rookie outfielder Oscar Gonzalez’s two-run double in the 10th inning beats Kansas City, 6-5, to end a five-game losing streak and keep a one-game lead in the division.

https://youtu.be/tZirL_z3y9M

No. 11. Sept. 21: McKenzie strikes out out 13 with no walks over eight innings in a 8-2 win over the White Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field. Kwan went 3 for 4 with a home run, two runs and a stolen base.

No. 10. Sept. 22: The Guardians complete a three-game sweep of the White Sox. Bieber goes 7 2/3 innings and Ramirez drives in two runs in a 4-2 victory. It completes a 15-game stretch in which the G’s went 10-2 against division rivals Chicago and Minnesota to all but end the race in the AL Central.

No. 9. June 29: Josh Naylor head butts manager Terry Francona -- Francona was wearing a batting helmet, Naylor was not -- after hitting a walk-off, three-run homer to beat the Twins, 7-6, in 10 innings. The Twins scored three times in the top of the 10th to take a 6-3 lead, but it wasn’t enough.

https://youtu.be/qv3bqGPG14E

No. 8. June 30: Andres Gimenez hits a walk-off two-run homer in the ninth to beat Twins, 5-3, to pull within one game of first place. Not only does Gimenez do a bat flip in front of the Twins’ dugout, but as he rounds third base he motions as if he put them to sleep.

https://youtu.be/H4VrKgwdkzk

No. 7. July 19: Ramirez, Gimenez and Clase represent the Guardians well in the AL’s 3-2 All-Star Game victory at Dodger Stadium. Ramirez goes 2 for 2, Gimenez turns in a sparkling play at second base and Clase announces his presence by striking out the NL in order on 10 pitchers to earn the save in the ninth inning.

https://youtu.be/s03uvnLn1uQ

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https://youtu.be/xT7FsAzEiq4

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No. 6. June 15: Kwan endangers life and limb with a diving catch on the warning track in left field to rob Colorado’s Jose Iglesias of a two-run extra-base hit in the seventh inning. The Guardians win, 7-5, at Coors Field.

https://youtu.be/H8MPQjtkcpw

No. 5. August 26: Kwan does it again, this time diving into the seats along the left field grand stand at T Mobile Park in Seattle to catch Cam Raleigh’s foul ball in a 3-2 loss in 11 innings.

https://youtu.be/-5b5u4VQIVY

No. 4. Sept. 17: In a critical doubleheader against the rival Twins, Amed Rosario goes a combined 8 for 13 with six RBI. The Guardians sweep the doubleheader to take a 4 1/2 game lead in the Central.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1571297773944770563

No. 3. May 9: Naylor, with the Guardians trailing the White Sox, 5-1, after seven innings, drives in eight runs in his last three at-bats in a 12-9 victory in 11 innings. He doubled home a run in the eighth, hit a grand slam in the ninth and a go-ahead three-run homer in the 11th.

https://youtu.be/V6mzhFp3xLg

No. 2. Oct. 15: Gonzalez hits a two-run, two-out walk-off single in the ninth inning for a 6-5 win over the Yankees in Game 3 of the ALDS. It gives the Guards a 2-1 lead in the series and Gonzalez his third go-ahead hit in the same postseason. Hall of Famer David Ortiz is the only other player to do that.

https://youtu.be/4PMYwByoMWU

No. 1. Oct. 8: Gonzalez sends Corey Kluber’s 1-0 pitch into the left field bleachers in the 15th inning for a 2-1 victory over the Rays in the second and deciding game of the wild card series.

https://youtu.be/bPPcxvV96_M


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Fans of the Cleveland Guardians may be overvaluing Aaron Civale in trade ideas.

TSo with two big arms on the market, allegedly, what could a trade look like for either? For Plesac, you may find more of a willing one-for-one situation, with a borderline All-Star coming back in a trade. His ceiling is higher than Civale, but Civale can be more consistent, even if that consistency isn’t better than the highs and lows of Plesac. While for Plesac, you could see maybe two Top 30 or Top 40 prospects, coming back in a trade. Maybe even a reliever with a year or two of extra control.

Anyone here overvaluing Civale, or Plesac? What does a pretty talented back of the rotation starter bring in trade? Perhaps more valuable to a team with a thinner farm system than Cleveland. If it were the Guardians doing the shopping I could see them offeriing something like Arias and Tanner Burns, maybe that's what he says above: 2 top 30 or 40 prospects, kind of a ho hum deal

FILED UNDER:

ANALYSIS & EDITORIALS

Realistic holiday wishes for the Guardians

Mailing a Letter to Santa for the Cleveland Guardians

By Quincy Wheeler Dec 25, 2022, 5:48pm EST

While we could ask for world peace as a holiday wish, we all realize that it’s a little bit too complicated of an ask for Santa or our family and friends to pull off, so we need to aim our sights a little lower.

So, with that practical approach, let’s consider some realistic holiday wishes for our 2023 Cleveland Guardians.

Healthy seasons for the team in general, and for José Ramírez, Mike Zunino, Aaron Civale, and Daniel Espino, in specific.

Perhaps the biggest x-factor for the 2023 Guardians and beyond would be to see Daniel Espino put his shoulder and knee issues behind him and become a contributor for the major league team at some point this season. But, of course, seeing José Ramírez put his torn thumb ligament firmly in the rearview mirror, having a healthy Civale build on the highest strikeout rate of his young career, and Mike Zunino make a full recovery from thoracic outlet syndrome are also absolutely crucial needs for the 2023 campaign. Plus, seeing all these fun players healthy enough to stay on the field is just plain fun.

Let Oscar Gonzalez’s miraculous ability to walk less than 4% of the time and yet put up a 120 wRC+ be real, please, please, PLEASE!

From the time that Gonzalez hit 41 homers in the minors in 2021, talent evaluators have been concerned with his inability to consistently take a walk. Can a hitter with one of the worst chase rates in baseball and a 37th percentile whiff rate really manage to put up above-average offensive seasons consistently? I don’t know, but I do know that I really, really hope he can. From walking up to the Spongebob Squarepants theme song to his boyish, wide grins, to flipping his bat to the moon after walk-off hits, I would like nothing more than to see Gonzalez as the Guardians RF/DH for the foreseeable future.

More magic dust so the Guardians continue to get the most out of pitchers in their development system.

For a solid six years now, the Guardians have managed to find a version of Santa’s magic dust to sprinkle on pitchers, getting the most out of castoffs/Rule 5’s like Enyel De Los Santos and Trevor Stephan and drafting a developing effective to great starters like Josh Tomlin and Aaron Civale, and Corey Kluber and Shane Bieber. Pitchers like Tanner Bibee are drafted and find an extra 3-4 miles per hour on their fastball (to be serious for a minute, we know this involves finding hard-working players like Bibee who do what it takes to get the most out of themselves). Other major league teams continue to poach talent from the Cleveland coaching ranks and yet the pitching factory churns along.

May their effectiveness reign forevermore, forevermore.

Four spirits ready to visit Paul Dolan for encouragement to spend the money needed to make a title run.

Perhaps Bill Veeck plays the role of Jacob Marley in our version of this classic Christmas tale, but I just want to be sure that as the Guardians enter into 2023 with a team that made the playoffs in 2022 as the youngest team in baseball that the owner of the team sees this as an incentive to spend to help push them over the top to maximize their chances at ending a World Series title drought about to turn 75 years old. I can accept the roster in its current state entering the season, but, come July, we need to see aggressiveness from both the front office and ownership to add as needed to fill roster holes and make this team a real threat to the likes of the Astros and Yankees in October.

An organization committed to making their work and fan environments welcoming to all people

As Trevor Bauer, unfortunately, re-enters the public spotlight, I am reminded of the Guardians organization’s missteps in the Mickey Calloway scandal and the recent news of T.J. House coming out and expressing his discomfort with the concept of doing so while playing. I hope the team can use these events not as reasons to endure some sort of public flogging but as an incentive to make any necessary changes to ensure that people of all races, backgrounds, beliefs, sexualities, and genders feel welcome to be a part of a winning and welcoming culture in Cleveland. I believe this can be the case in Cleveland, but it’s definitely something that putting an intentional focus on would help all of us Guardians fans be proud of rooting for a team that is not only successful on the team but making honest attempts to be the best they can be off it, as well.

Happy Holidays to the readers and staff of Covering the Corner. Looking forward to the 2023 year rooting on this team with you!

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"One player from each team poised to break out in '23"

these lists at mlb.com always name ONE something from each team.
Who would be a player on the G's ready to break out in 23?
If they mean someone on the major league roster, the best rookies already did.
They could choose Will Brennan who only got a few dozen at bats. Bo Naylor would be the pick for 24. Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee of course are candidates for summer promotion.
Not much chance Freeman or Arias will break out unless they're traded; not enough at bats to go around in the IF.

And the pick is:

"Guardians: OF Steven Kwan 
It’s hard to call anything a “breakout” year after Kwan had a stellar rookie season that placed him third in the AL Rookie of the Year Award voting, but there could still be more in the tank. Despite having no Major League experience, Kwan impressed with his patience at the plate and dazzled with his glove in the outfield. However, as hitting coach Chris Valaika has hinted, there's some untapped power there. With the first-year jitters out of the way (not that he seemed to have any) and better understanding of how to be a big leaguer, Kwan could take his game to the next level in ‘23."

Well I will agree that Steven's final stat line was not as impressive as his general level of performance: 298/373/400.
He hit half of his 6 homers in September so perhaps he could be ready to produce more power like he did in his minorleague breakout season of 2021.
Steven at the Next Level would be quite a star

This list only names 5 teams

These 5 Minor League systems improved most in 2022

3. Guardians
Preseason rank: 12
Re-rank: 3

Cleveland certainly has a type. It selects a college pitcher with good control in the Draft, tightens up his stuff, adds a little velo and watches him take off as a Minor League starting pitcher. Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen all fit the bill quite nicely in 2022 with the first two cracking into MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 as a result. What Daniel Espino lacks in similar control, he made up for in elite stuff with his 70-grade heater and 65-grade slider -- each of which he showed off in a short Double-A spurt before knee and shoulder injuries ended his season. It didn’t stop at pitchers though. Bo Naylor rebounded from a '21 season in which he posted a .612 OPS at Double-A to produce an .888 OPS in 118 games at the Minors’ top two levels, thanks to a more disciplined approach. The Guardians may have sneakily become one of the deepest systems in the game, but the word is certainly out now.

not to mention Valera and the infield brigade led by Rocchio

MLBScoops
@mlb_scoops
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11h
The #Pirates will seek to package RP David Bednar in any potential trade including OF Bryan Reynolds to receive a larger package in return

never heard of the guy so I checked him out. He's a left handed relief pitcher, 27 years old, 2.61 ERA in 2022 with 19 saves, 69 K in 52 innings 16 walks.
OK I'll take him but that doesn't make me willing to give up Williams, or Bibee or Espino, or Rocchio, or Valera.

Steven Kwan’s hidden power


A ball lands softly in the grass. Before the outfield can react, Steven Kwan is standing on second base.

But how, exactly, does he manage to do it? Kwan finished dead last among qualified hitters in hard contact percentage according to FanGraphs. A close examination of his rookie season — using both expected and actual numbers from public sources — indicates hidden power within the outfielder’s game.

I’m going to provide a few metrics about Steven Kwan’s 2022 season juxtaposed with the rest of the league. It is also useful to bring along expected statistics. These are available for both the league and individual players. They intend to tell us — based on data from every batted ball event since 2015 (citation fairly certain) — what kind of slugging percentage one would expect based on launch angle, exit velocity, and park factors.

Another way to say this is that expected statistics on batted ball events assume that a perfectly average, representative player is at the plate. Steven Kwan is an outlier.

Kwan, 2022 SLG: .400
MLB, 2022 SLG: .395

Kwan, 2022 xSLG: .341
MLB, 2022 xSLG: .405

Kwan, 2022 BABIP: .323
MLB, 2022 BABIP: .290

Consider that Steven Kwan slugged five points better than league average. Note that his xSLG is 59 points lower than his actual slugging. Meanwhile, the league as a whole slugged slightly worse than expected based on contact. Finally, Kwan posted a fine BABIP of .323. This is good, and also not out of the ordinary for certain types of players. The league earned a .290 BABIP as a group.

My question is this: How did Steven Kwan slug for league-average while annihilating his xSLG and posting the worst hard-hit ball percentage among qualifiers?

The answer is baserunning, but there is a bit of a gap in the literature. Ultimate base running (UBR) is widely-cited and assigns value to a player’s effort on the bases. It is one aspect of FanGraphs’ model of baserunning.

However, the instruction manual itself notes that an important piece cannot be seen by this formula: “2) A batter getting thrown out trying to advance an extra base on a hit (if he successfully does, we don’t know it, as he is simply awarded a double, for example, on a usual single where he advances an extra base).” (emphasis mine, yo)

Steven Kwan finished 15th in the league, creating fewer than three runs according to UBR. It is also true that Statcast only references sprint speed for expected metrics when a batted ball is classified as “topped”.

I propose that current sabermetric models have a gap that cannot be easily filled. How do we decide when a player starts to run? What do we do if a player’s swing is also his first step to first base? Just how valuable are coaches like Mike Sarbaugh and Sandy Alomar?

Let’s combine this with the eye test:

Steven Kwan hits left-handed, scampers out of the box, and quickly reaches a full-effort sprint. While there is no public metric that directly measures “agility” or “acceleration” for baseball players, we do have some related metrics. Outfielder jump is the best of these.

Kwan is in the 92nd percentile, firmly among the best in baseball. Making things even more interesting is that this all comes from what Statcast calls his “burst”. Phrasing concerns aside, this is defined as the amount of ground a player covers after his initial reaction to a batted ball event in the field.
Baseball Savant

Steven Kwan was sixth among all outfielders in burst in 2022. To rephrase, he covers more ground than almost any other player in baseball between 1.6 and 3 seconds after contact in the outfield. This time window perfectly aligns with a player and first base coaches decision to round first. They called it peeling the banana when I played pinto ball, and I cannot believe it might be that important. Is it really as simple as Kwan planning to round first hard on any ball into the outfield?

We are staring directly at the value of hauling ass on every single batted ball. It is right there. Buntotron isn’t real and so I need help with this one.

No mathematical measurement for hustle?

AP
New merchandise is displayed at the opening of the Cleveland Guardians team shop on Friday, November 19, 2021, in Cleveland. The opening of the team shop officially launched the name change of Cleveland's baseball team from Indians to Guardians. (AP Photo/Ken Blaze)

Why the Cleveland Guardians have a big beef with a small Virginia business

By: Maggi Marshall

Posted at 9:57 AM, Dec 29, 2022 and last updated 8:57 AM, Dec 29, 2022

This story was originally published by WTVR in Richmond, Virginia.

RICHMOND, Va. — The owner of a small Richmond business is facing major league legal pushback from the Cleveland Guardians baseball team.

Noah Oddo, the CEO of Charged Up Entertainment in Richmond, said lawyers for the Cleveland Guardians reached out to him to petition alleged infringement of their team's new logo.

Oddo said her heard from the Guardians after he filed to trademark the Charged Up logo.

“They are trying to get me to reach a settlement to basically give our logo up or give up our legal rights to protect our brand,” said Oddo.

Oddo said he found the claim ridiculous because his company has been around for 20 years and has used its logo since 2015.

He said he believes the Cleveland Guardians logo was a simple varsity “C” which was something he said nobody had the right to own.

The Charged Up logo is a C with different lines and lighting bolt, according to Oddo.

He said the Guardians lawyers argue there was confusion in the marketplace and that people confused the two brands.

“It’s clearly distinguishable," Oddo said. "Never once in our history have we had anyone come in the store or reach out to us online making a purchase based on thinking it’s the Cleveland Guardians."

Oddo said he's spent thousands of dollars in legal fees for this issue. He said his company is a small business helping to spark life in Richmond's Arts District by giving young people and interns, a place to come together for music, art, and clothing design.

“It’s a lot of time and resources that could go to other things that are being spent to fight something we believe is baseless,” he said.The CBS 6 Problem Solvers reached out to the Cleveland Guardians for comment, but the team has not yet responded to that request.

Oddo said he was waiting on a potential resolution but he said the fight to not give up the Charged Up logo would continue. The case is scheduled to go before a judge in 2024.

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