The Cleveland Guardians completed an amazing season.
It ended on Tuesday with an American League Division Series loss against the New York Yankees in five games.
However, from way before taking the field in April on Opening Day, their season can be summed up in one phrase: exceeding expectations.
It wasn’t always pretty: the Minnesota Twins lurked, and threatened to win the division from April to August.
The Chicago White Sox were also relatively close at one point.
But the young Guardians made use of their phenomenal scouting and player development to continually feed their active roster with talented minor league players that ended up making an impact.
Steven Kwan, Owen Miller, Will Brennan, Gabriel Arias, Andres Gimenez, Oscar Gonzalez, Cody Morris, and several others are either rookies or second-year players.
They won the AL Central, in a year in which the White Sox were supposed to run away with it.
Their Own Brand Of Baseball
They showed the world their own brand of baseball, based on elite pitching, contact, smart baserunning, and some power, too.
And, most importantly, they made a statement: they won’t be going away anytime soon.
Star pitcher Triston McKenzie had the perfect tweet to describe the Guardians campaign.
“Highs, lows and in between. Blessed and happy to be here and yet I’m still hungry for more…” he tweeted.
Highs, lows and in between ⬆️♾️⬇️. Blessed and happy to be here and yet I’m still hungry for more… 🖤👿
— Triston 😵💫👁🗨 McKenzie (@T_eazy24) October 19, 2022
That last part is the most important one: the Guardians roster had a taste of postseason baseball, and want more next year.
They want to play a World Series.
That is part of the process, and it could come soon.
McKenzie will be a big part of it: with a 2.96 ERA in 191.1 innings in 2022, he cemented his place as an unquestioned ace.
The Guardians have a sustainable roster and are eager to show the world they have another gear in them.
NEXT: Steven Kwan Cemented His Status In The ALDS