I don't think anybody is better at drafting and developing pitchers than the Cleveland Guardians. They've made it an art, essentially. This season they've had to rely on loaned free agents like Ben Lively and Carlos Carrasco [both of whom do technically have roots in this organization, even if Lively didn't sign with Cleveland out of school], but they haven't really needed to add on arms otherwise. Pretty much every pitcher that was succeeding for them this year was homegrown. Tanner Bibee, Hunter Gaddis, Gavin Williams, Nick Sandlin, Eli Morgan, Tim Herrin, and of course Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie. All homegrown.
And I think the really interesting part of this, especially as it corresponds to this year, is that the best bullpen guys for this Guardians team are all failed starters. You go back and look at so many of them, and they're people who the Guardians slotted in to start, it didn't work, and instead of completely giving up they let them work relief and they stuck. Eli Morgan started all 18 of his games during his rookie year, but his 5 ERA gave the team pause. This year, Morgan's been having an excellent season in relief. Sam Henges also started 12 games during the 2021 season, but was moved to the bullpen gradually, and since then he's become one of the most consistent middle relief options in Cleveland.
The most notable of these has been Hunter Gaddis, because Gaddis has been phenomenal in relief this year. He has a 1.34 ERA in 56 games, with 49 strikeouts and only 9 runs allowed. In 9 games as a starter, from the end of the 2022 season to the first month and a half of 2023, Gaddis had a 7.68 ERA, allowing 33 runs. I remember people in Cleveland lambasting Gaddis, who had looked good for a moment in April, and I worried he'd never get the opportunity to pitch again. But since he was moved to the bullpen he's become one of the most crucial pitchers on the team, and has been more consistent than even a lot of the starters. I've talked about the struggles that this starting rotation has had, but when you get past those guys and you get to either Cade Smith, Tim Herrin, Hunter Gaddis, Eli Morgan or Emmanuel Clase, you've gotta know you're probably not gonna get much done.
The Guardians are still among the best teams in baseball heading into the last third of the season. Jose Ramirez, Steven Kwan and Josh Naylor are gonna leave 2024 with a season to remember, and I do get the sense that this team could accomplish more in October than the last few iterations. With this offensive stronghold, and this bullpen, the other guys have their work cut out for them.
Coming Tonight: The latest guy to come back from overseas leagues with a story to tell and a new career outlook.
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