The Cleveland Guardians proved the doubters wrong.
To be fair, even most of their fans didn’t think what they pulled off was possible.
But now that they’re about to enter the playoffs as a division champion, it’s only right that they finally get the credit they deserve.
With that in mind, Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report moved the Guardians from No. 14 up to No. 10 in his weekly power rankings.
“The Guardians were 15.5 games back in the AL Central standings on July 18, but they went 46-26 the rest of the way to set a record for the largest deficit overcome to win a division title in MLB history. The rotation lacks a true ace, the bullpen is not as deep without Emmanuel Clase, and the lineup remains inconsistent outside of superstar Jose Ramirez, but they have the momentum at the perfect time,” Reuter wrote.
The Guardians were the best team in the game in September, and it wasn’t particularly close.
Given the way they are constructed, it was hard to believe they would have enough firepower on offense to get to this point, especially after watching the front office stand pat at the trade deadline.
Cade Smith emerged as an elite replacement for closer Emmanuel Clase, and the rotation stepped up.
Rookies Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo also deserve a lot of credit for what they did on the mound, and hitters C.J. Kayfus and George Valera showed why they earned a spot on the roster.
All things considered, the Guardians likely feel they are playing with house money.
Teams that play as if they have nothing to lose are usually the most dangerous.
Even though it would obviously be great to go all the way, Cleveland should play without any type of pressure after what it was able to accomplish just to get here.
NEXT: Insider Reveals How Guardians Can Win World Series
