The Cleveland Guardians of 2024 will be built around pitching, a few offensive building blocks, and lots of high-upside players.
The more members of the third group who join the second one, the better the Guardians will be this upcoming season.
The starting rotation, however, is the foundation of the team.
It has a former AL Cy Young award winner in Shane Bieber and four excellent young starters: Triston McKenzie, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Logan Allen.
Those five are likely to enter the season as the members of the rotation.
It’s, as MLB insider Jon Morosi notes, a homegrown rotation from top to bottom.
“The @CleGuardians could begin the regular season with 5 starting pitchers drafted *and* developed within their organization. Bieber. McKenzie. Bibee. Allen. Williams. Rare in today’s game. And very impressive,” Morosi tweeted.
The @CleGuardians could begin the regular season with 5 starting pitchers drafted *and* developed within their organization.
Bieber. McKenzie. Bibee. Allen. Williams.
Rare in today's game.
And very impressive.@MLBNetwork @MLBPipeline @923TheFan
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) March 6, 2024
The Guards’ rotation is actually proof of how good their scouting and player development areas are.
They were all drafted, and not all of them were first-rounders.
But not only that: they were developed in the Guardians’ farm system, with their instructors, managers, and coaches.
They were modeled into the pitchers they are today, and some of them are or can reach All-Star status because of the knowledge acquired in Cleveland’s minor leagues.
All five hurlers have the potential to finish the season with an ERA under 4.00, and some of them can even get below 3.00.
If any of them gets hurt, the team also has Carlos Carrasco, Hunter Gaddis, and Ben Lively available as cover.
It’s a talented and deep group, and most of it was developed at home, in Cleveland.
That’s very, very impressive.
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