The Cleveland Guardians quietly played their way to an American League Central title in 2022.
This was somewhat surprising, considering the team went through an abbreviated rebuild in the last few years.
The Guardians used a blistering September to clinch the division, and will now have a chance to play their way to a World Series.
Here is a look into why the Guardians, despite being the youngest team in the league, have had such success this season.
3. Weakest Division In Baseball
The elephant in the room is exactly this: the AL Central is astonishingly weak.
With teams like the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers making up the bottom two, there are a lot of wins to be had on the schedule.
Pair this with the fact that the Chicago White Sox severely underperformed from their expectations this year, and it left the door wide open for the division.
It seemed like the Minnesota Twins were going to win it, but they failed to be consistent enough in the second half.
That left the door wide open for the Guardians, who took advantage of this weakness and performed.
It just feels right. 😌#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/AESw2ybwub
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 1, 2022
Give the team credit; they beat up on their division rivals all season long.
This is a big factor as to why the Guardians are in the playoffs now.
They saw an opening and were able to run away with it.
2. Guardians Are Youngest Team In Baseball
While being a young team isn’t necessarily always a good thing, sometimes it gives a much needed spark to the roster.
Their average age is just above 26 years old, placing them well below the second youngest team, the Royals (27.19 years old).
Will Brennan hit this through 21 mph wind blowing in. 😅
First Big League bop for the kid.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/EaqZ4y271o
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) October 2, 2022
Despite their youth, they have taken to an older style of baseball to win.
Their speed has allowed them to play small ball, taking extra bases and moving runners over to score runs rather than the modern style of hitting just home runs.
They only have two players with more than 20 home runs, but have five hitters with a batting average of .275 or higher.
This is much higher than the league average of .243.
Pair this with their low strikeout numbers, and the Guardians have a high tempo offense that may succeed come postseason time.
Their pitching staff is just as young and is filled with talent.
Former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber headlines the rotation alongside Tristan McKenzie who has turned into a true top of the rotation pitcher.
Shane Bieber, Dirty 82mph Knuckle Curve. 😨 pic.twitter.com/CI72tiQYs0
— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) September 23, 2022
Cal Quantrill is the third option, and he has a stellar 3.42 ERA this season.
In the bullpen, the Guardians have one of the best closers in all of baseball with Emmanuel Clase.
He leads the league in saves with 41, and has a 1.38 ERA to go along with it.
In all aspects of the game, this is a deep and young team that is playing with a chip on their shoulders.
1. The Guardians Infield Breaks Out
When the Guardians traded star shortstop Francisco Lindor to the New York Mets, many saw the move as a cheap, money saving tactic.
After all, it is hard to replace arguably the best shortstop in baseball.
However, in return for Lindor, they got two names that would become All-Star caliber players in 2022.
Amed Rosario was the shortstop replacement for Lindor, and the former top prospect has turned into a solid MLB player.
This year he is hitting .280 with 11 home runs while providing strong defense at shortstop, being a consistent bat in the Guardians’ lineup.
He isn’t the primary piece of that trade though.
Andres Gimenez, who is just 24 years old and in his first full Major League season, has turned into a star.
GIVE ANDRÉS GIMÉNEZ THE PLATINUM GLOVE RIGHT NOW pic.twitter.com/4PPhOUtiJv
— Fuzzy (@fuzzyfromyt) August 13, 2022
The second baseman is hitting .302 with 17 home runs, a .373 on-base percentage, and one of the best WARs in the league at 7.3.
His breakout season has helped give the lineup true depth, setting up plenty of RBI opportunities for Jose Ramirez who is third in all of baseball with 122.
This style of baseball seems long forgotten, but it is something that translates well to the postseason.
For this reason, the Guardians might be a team to watch once the playoffs start.
NEXT: The Guardians Have An Elite Playoff Pitching Staff In Place