The Cleveland Guardians entered last season with some question marks in their starting rotation.
Shane Bieber was going to miss the first half of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery, and though Tanner Bibee was in line to take over as the team’s ace, there were doubts about some of his colleagues.
Now, analyst Tommy Wild is gushing about Gavin Williams, who showed “tremendous growth” over the course of the campaign.
“Even though Williams began last season as a similar version of himself as he was the previous two years, the 26-year-old saw tremendous growth as the season progressed. By the time Williams took the mound in Game 1 of the ALWS, he was a completely different pitcher than he was in March. No player on Cleveland’s roster took a bigger jump in 2025 than Williams did. During the final two months of the regular season, Williams made 12 starts and registered a 2.18 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP. The right-hander showed much better command of his pitches over this stretch, with his strikeouts sitting at 27.6 percent after the All-Star Break,” Wild wrote.
All things considered, Williams exceeded every expectation.
He proved to be much more reliable than some people thought, and the consistency was there for most of the year.
He delivered, especially when it mattered most.
Manager Stephen Vogt will now have a great problem on his hands.
He will have multiple options to make the rotation, and that unit looks much better and more solid than it was at the beginning of last season.
There will be no gambles or question marks like Triston McKenzie or Luis L. Ortiz.
Young pitchers Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick also performed down the stretch, Bibee should bounce back, and Logan Allen and Slade Cecconi should also do fairly well.
The Guardians still have to make a decision regarding John Means’ future with the organization, but even if they cut ties with him, they should be more than set for the 2026 campaign.
NEXT: Guardians Named Favorites To Sign Intriguing Shortstop Prospect
