The Cleveland Guardians aren’t getting much respect from pundits and predictors heading toward the 2026 season, even though they are the two-time defending AL Central champions and have made the playoffs in three of the past four years.
The dire forecasts are due in large part to the fact that the Guardians did very little this offseason to improve an offense that ranked near the bottom of MLB last season. Cleveland is also putting a lot of hope into young, unproven players, which is not necessarily a recipe for success.
However, some of those young players are considered among the top prospects in baseball, and the Guardians already have one of the best players in the game in Jose Ramirez and another All-Star in Steven Kwan. That is why they are likely to fare much better than most people expect.
With that in mind, Carlos Collazo of Baseball America has named the Guardians as his “biggest surprise” team in 2026, based on their homegrown core of talent.
“I expect the Athletics to be a popular pick, and because of that I’m not sure if they will even count as a surprise team. It seems like the Guardians are viewed as a bottom 10 team entering the season, but I have a lot of belief in this homegrown core. I could see players like Chase DeLauter and Travis Bazzana making a big impact and helping keep Cleveland in contention all year,” Collazo wrote.
DeLauter is expected to provide a major boost to the lineup after making his MLB debut in last year’s playoffs. Though the outfielder has been slowed a bit by an injury during spring training, he is projected to be one of the best first-year players and could challenge for AL Rookie of the Year.
Bazzana was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, and this spring, the second baseman has shown the power that has him ranked among the top 20 overall prospects. He hit a long home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers in spring training, and he also had one for Australia in the opening game of the World Baseball Classic.
With a starting rotation of pitchers between the ages of 25 and 27, an up-and-coming closer in Cade Smith, and potential breakout candidates in first baseman Kyle Manzardo and catcher Bo Naylor, not to mention the two-time Manager of the Year in Stephen Vogt, any success the Guardians have should not really be seen as a surprise.
NEXT: Steven Kwan Had Massive Swing Improvement In Offseason
