It took contributions from everyone on the roster for the Cleveland Guardians to make history by winning the AL Central last season. They overcame the largest deficit ever to win an MLB division.
Among all of the players, perhaps no one made a more significant contribution than Gavin Williams. The third-year starting pitcher thrived once manager Stephen Vogt deployed a six-man rotation.
In August and September, Williams was 6-1 in 10 starts. Now, he will try to carry that momentum into this season.
Insider Tim Stebbins believes he can, and the MLB.com writer made a big prediction about Williams in 2026, saying he will challenge for the AL Cy Young Award.
“Gavin Williams finishes top three in Cy Young Award voting,” Stebbins wrote. “Williams’ breakout was one of the biggest developments for the Guardians in 2025. Coming off his tough ’24 campaign, the 26-year-old recorded a 3.06 ERA with 173 strikeouts in 167 2/3 innings over 31 starts, all of which were new career highs. The right-hander was one of the Majors’ best starters in the second half, when he had a 2.18 ERA (tied with Tarik Skubal for second in MLB among qualified starters) over 12 outings. Here’s predicting it will all translate into a dominant ’26 in which Williams cements himself as one of the best starters in the American League.”
Overall, Williams was 12-5 last season. He almost made history with the Guardians’ first no-hitter in more than 40 years, but he fell just short in an August game against the New York Mets.
It was a pleasant surprise after Williams was 3-10 with a 4.86 ERA in 2024. But given more responsibility with ace Shane Bieber out while recovering from Tommy John surgery and then traded to the Toronto Blue Jays, Williams responded in a big way.
Without any significant upgrades to the offense so far this offseason, the Guardians will again have to rely heavily on their pitching staff. A rotation led by Williams, Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen and Slade Cecconi should have Cleveland in contention for a playoff spot.
In addition, if the Detroit Tigers do move on from Skubal, the two-time defending Cy Young winner, as has been rumored, Williams could wind up earning the award as well.
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