Ex-player’s Guardians prediction will catch Yankees, Rays’ attention

The Cleveland Guardians have earned seven consecutive victories and are beginning to find their rhythm. Cleveland has been one of the more consistent contenders over the past decade despite often being overlooked. Sure enough, the Guardians are a sneaky contender once again this year. Of course, the Tampa Bay Rays and New York Yankees currently lead the way in the American League, but are there any teams outside of the AL East that could make things interesting in the postseason? Former star pitcher Dontrelle Willis believes Cleveland will be a team worth closely watching in the postseason, via FOX Sports: MLB.

“The Cleveland Guardians, especially the adds they had on the offensive side. Love what I’ve seen from Jo Adell, playing with a lot of confidence, 18 RBIs in his last 15 ball games. Steven Kwan’s been an absolute monster since the All-Star break, hitting .385, that leads all of baseball,” Willis said. “Chase DeLauter, the young rookie, the power has been up and down, but he’s hitting .377 over his last 15 ball games… You pair that with the rotation that is very solid.

“You have (Gavin) Williams at the top of that rotation as well as (Parker) Messick, who I love watching that lefty because he throws the baseball and he attacks the strike zone with all three of his pitches.”

The Guardians’ offense was the biggest question mark for most of the season. Cleveland acquired Jo Adell as well as Nathaniel Lowe at the trade deadline to give the lineup a boost. With Jose Ramirez leading the way and Steven Kwan playing at an All-Star level again, the lineup has become a strength in August.

The pitching remains the real strength of the team, though. As Willis said, Parker Messick and Gavin Williams are leading the rotation. Meanwhile, Cade Smith is arguably the best closer in the game.

Not only do the Guardians have talent, but they have belief — which is crucial in baseball.

“Stephen Vogt always believes in this locker room. They don’t care where they are placed at as far as the betting odds or anything in Cleveland. They believe that they have a chance every single year to be able to win the World Series.”