MLB Insider “Sells” Deep Guardians Playoff Run

In the AL East and West, even the current second-place teams would have the best record in the AL Central.

But hey, you can only play the teams in your division, right?

And if the Guardians can rise above the loaded White Sox and equally talented Twins, that’s an achievement in its own right.

Good Company

Rymer compared this Guardians team to two others that found deep postseason success recently: the 2021 Atlanta Braves and 2015 Kansas City Royals squads.

As a reminder, both of those iterations of the Royals and Braves won the World Series.

In terms of Atlanta, Rymer noted that there are some sound defensive similarities to the 2022 Guardians:

“If Cal Quantrill, Aaron Civale or Zach Plesac were to subsequently step up, Cleveland could overwhelm opponents with a top-heavy pitching staff much like Atlanta did in 2021, when it was Max Fried, Charlie Morton and Ian Anderson setting ’em up and Tyler Matzek, A.J. Minter and Will Smith knocking ’em down.

Another area where Atlanta excelled en route to winning the World Series was in fielding the ball. This is likewise part of the blueprint that the Guardians stand to copy. Their defense rates as one of MLB’s five best for outs above average, defensive runs saved and ultimate zone rating.”

If it comes down to a best-of-three series, a one-two punch of Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie will be tough outs.

Add in the strong bullpen play of late and the team has the complete pitching prowess to make a run.

But what about that pesky lack of power?

Look no further than the Royals:

“Rather than home runs, the ’15 Royals dispatched teams through excellent work from their front-end starters and back-end relievers, as well as shutdown defense and an offense predicated on situational hitting and baserunning.”

The Guardians have an established plan of attack that’s taken all season to master.

Fortunately, they aren’t alone in their strategy.