Guardians season in numbers: How did we get here?

Guardians season in numbers: How did we get here?

The Cleveland Guardians will represent Northeast Ohio in the MLB postseason for the 14th time since 1995.

Before the season began, I wrote an article about why you should be excited about the Cleveland Guardians, and I encourage anyone interested in learning more about the team to give that article a quick read. I hope that the residents of Northeast Ohio can fully invest in this team along the journey, long or short. It’s important for us to recognize that the Guardians’ 14 playoff appearances over the last 30 years is roughly equal to the combined total of 15 playoff appearances by the Cavaliers and Browns in that time (while both playing in a sport in which they… have made it). The postseason was much easier in terms of the chances of a given team making it.

I root for the Cavaliers, and even though my Browns fan base is on a bit of a hiatus due to their personnel selection, they are still my AFC team (I chose the Chicago Bears as my backup team when the Browns left and carry that fan base forward ). Also). We want to champion the success of all of our local sports franchises as best we can, but let’s not ignore that the Cleveland baseball team has been the class of this city for three decades and has the sixth-best record in the city during that time MLB boasts a winning percentage of .532.

Aside from this plea for support, I would like to briefly remind you how the Guardians managed to win the AL Central and secure a spot in the American League Division Series, with game one at Progressive Field this Saturday at 1:05 p.m EST . Let’s review the 2024 season month by month:

March/April – Record: 19-10

The Guardians opened the season 8-2 in their first 10 games, delighting fans who wondered how new manager Stephen Vogt’s club would respond to a challenging opening road trip. However, during this stretch the team saw two incredible starts from Shane Bieber and then immediately lost him for the season (and future?) to Tommy John surgery. The team began a season struggling to find consistency in the starting rotation, but Tanner Bibee (March/April 3.45 ERA, 10/3.45 K/BB/9) and the unsung Ben Lively (March/April 2nd .30 ERA, 10.9/1.7). K/BB/9) kept the team going in that first month. Meanwhile, David Fry began his Linsanity run and led the team with a 160 wRC+, including a 3-run bomb from the Twins’ Joe Ryan, helping the Guardians to a 5-0 start against the Twins

Fry was supported by Steven Kwan’s 154 wRC+ and Josh Naylor’s 152 wRC+.

May – Record: 19-9

May was another banner month for the Cleveland Guardians as they put the AL Central on notice as the team with the most titles in the Central Division going for another title. Fry and Kwan were divine in May, Fry achieving an incredible 253 wRC+ and Kwan a 250 wRC+. Jose Ramirez also (predictably) bounced back from a bad first month with a wRC+ of 193. Meanwhile, low-key veteran and loved one Carlos Carrasco somehow managed to post a 3.00 ERA for the month, Triston McKenzie had (unfortunately ) his only good stretch of the year with a 3.06 ERA and Ben Lively still delivered for the team that believed in his potential with a 3.07 ERA. But the standout story of the season was the Cleveland bullpen, led by the resurgence of closer Emmanuel Clase.

Clase, Canadian hunk Cade Smith, lumberjack Hunter Gaddis and LuLuLemon icon Tim Herrin combined to give up three earned runs in 38 innings in May.

June – Record: 14th-11th

It turns out that it’s difficult for a baseball team to stay on pace and win 105 games, which is where the Guardians were on June 23rd. June was a little more challenging, as the great bullpen actually gave up a few runs for once (Clase, Smith, Gaddis and Herrin gave up 7 in 44 innings, gasp!) and the starters really struggled outside of Bibee’s 2.86 ERA Lively’s 3.42 ERA. Kwan had a 193 wRC+, Ramirez had a 154 wRC+ and Bo Naylor woke up with a 136 wRC+, but the team was boosted by the promotion and initial dominance of utility player Daniel Schneemann (136 wRC+) and the arrival of BIG CHRISTMAS strengthened:

Jhonkensy Noel posted a 189 wRC+ in five games, giving the Guardians just the boost they needed to post a winning record in June.

July – Record: 13-12

July was a competitive month for the Guardians, with Tyler Freeman leading the way with a 159 wRC+ and Noel with a 137 wRC+. Players like Ramirez, Kwan, Josh Naylor and Andres Gimenez stumbled a bit and needed to be bolstered with another midseason addition in Angel Martinez, who posted a 94 wRC+ after his debut. The team’s early success was recognized when five Guardians players (Ramirez, Kwan, Fry, Josh Naylor and Emmanuel Clase) were named to the MLB All-Star team, with Jose Ramirez at third and Steven Kwan at left guard American league changed:

Meanwhile, Bibee had another good month with a 3.49 ERA and junior hurler Gavin Williams made his triumphant return with a 3.79 ERA. But again, it was the Guardians’ bullpen that kept the team afloat, as Clase, Gaddis, Smith and Herrin gave up just eight runs in 48 innings.

August – Record: 12th-17th

This was the worst month for the Guardians’ starting players. Bibee struggled and the wheels fell off a bit on Lively’s control artist/soft-throwing platoon, and the rotation posted a 5.24 ERA in August. Unfortunately, the bullpen also had its worst month with a 4.06 ERA. Since the Guardians’ hitters also posted a combined 94 wRC+ this month, it should come as no surprise that they were 5 games under .500. Thank goodness for Jhonkensy Noel’s 175 wRC+ in limited ABs and Jose Ramirez’s 134 wRC+. This month reminded fans why Jose is so important to the Guardians as he refused to let the team fall off a cliff:

Josh Naylor also defied injury issues to post a 113 wRC+ for the month, helping to keep the team from slipping further.

September – Record: 15-10

With an AL Central title within reach, the Guardians redressed the balance, going 15-8 for a crucial month before a meaningless final home game against the Astros and clinching the division and a bye with a 92-69 record in the first round. Jose Ramirez completed a 40/40/40 season with 39 home runs, 39 doubles and 41 steals, missing by a hair and missing the final game, but still posting 6.5 fWAR. Emmanuel Clase completed one of the most dominant seasons for an MLB closer ever. This season, the Guardians were led by Jose with 141 wRC+, Kwan with 131 wRC+, Fry with 129 wRC+, Josh Naylor with 118 wRC+ and Jhonkensy Noel with 118 wRC+. Two Guardians rookies burst onto the scene in late August/early September and didn’t give up a single run in Erik Sabrowski and Andrew Walters. Emmanuel Clase’s ERA was 0.61, Gaddis’s was 1.57, Smith’s was 1.91, Herrin’s was 1.92, Eli Morgan’s was 1.93 and the unannounced midseason addition with Pedro Avila at 3.25, rounding out a remarkable bullpen performance for the ages. Meanwhile, midseason/trade deadline additions Alex Cobb and Matthew Boyd performed well in limited opportunities with an ERA of 2.76 and 2.72, respectively. Bibee was the team’s anchor all year long with a 3.47 ERA, and Ben Lively kept saving the team, finishing with a 3.81 ERA. And while they didn’t have standout offensive seasons, Bo Naylor, Brayan Rocchio and, of course, Andres Gimenez were at or near the top in various defensive categories, helping the Guardians remain a top-three defensive team in baseball. Gimenez in particular should win another Platinum Glove today as the best defensive weapon in the game.

So these are our guys in numbers. But all of that admittedly doesn’t capture the true heart and spirit of a baseball club that has captured the hearts of fans around the world. These guys will tell you time and time again that they LOVE each other and love playing baseball together. Nobody knows how long this playoff run will last, but we can be sure that this group of guys will do their best to end Cleveland’s 76-year World Series title drought and make us proud of how hard they fought this one Play beautiful game that we love. Let’s go, guards!