Three x-factors ahead of Guardians Wild Card series vs. Tigers

For the third consecutive week, the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians will go head to head. Only this time, by Thursday night someone will be headed to Cancun and someone will be moving on to face the AL West Division Winner, the Seattle Mariners.

For much of their storybook run throughout September, Cleveland relied on grit (and a few lucky bounces) to complete a historic comeback, and division crown.

Playoff baseball is a whole different beast. In order to ensure that #GuardsBall continues deep into October lets take a look at three players who will be x-factors in this series.

1) Steven Kwan

Following Emanuel Clase's season-ending suspension for gambling, and the Shane Bieber trade, many considered moving Kwan to be a logical option for the Guardians. It turned out that maybe the best decision at the MLB trade deadline was Cleveland GM Chris Antonetti's refusal to move on from the cornerstone left fielder.

As he has done so consistently across his first four seasons Kwan was a key cog in the Guardians engine especially during their September push. The season numbers look a little streaky, and during the final week of the season Kwan hit just .185 and only drew a single walk in 27 plate appearances. However, on the year he has been the clubs best clutch hitter at .336 with 44 RBI, combine that with elite, gold glove caliber defense and you will get the full picture on just how valuable he can be to this team.

2) Erik Sabrowski

In a bullpen full of talented arms Sabrowski may be the most underrated. With names like Hunter Gaddis, and Cade Smith rounding out the back end of said bullpen it's not hard to understand why.

Sabrowksi has sparkled as the club's late inning left specialist pitching to a 1.84 across 29 innings with 42 strikeouts. The problem for Sabrowksi has been command, he has 21 walks for a K:BB rate of just 2:1. Bullpen management is huge when it comes to October baseball and if the 27 year old lefty can find consistent command, he is unhittable (.144 opponent batting average against). Look for manager Stephen Vogt to deploy him in key matchup spots against Detroit's lefty power hitters such as Riley Greene and Kerry Carpenter.

3) Chase DeLauter

It may finally be Chase DeLauter time in Cleveland. The much anticipated power hitting prospect was added to Cleveland's taxi squad on Monday morning and all signs point to him making the Wild Card Series roster.

DeLauter is Cleveland's No. 2 prospect, and was their first round draft pick in 2022. DeLauter has battled injuries, but boasts above average defense and plus power at the plate. Guardians fans have been awaiting the arrival of DeLauter for the last year, and if he does make his MLB debut he would join a select handful to do so during the playoffs. For a team desperate for power hitters, if healthy, DeLauter could make a significant impact during this playoff run.

One thing is clear, as Cleveland looks to advance to the ALDS for the second consecutive year, they are going to need contributions from everyone on the playoff roster.