The Cleveland Guardians are off to a surprising start to the season, thanks primarily to the performance of their starting rotation. With the offense, other than breakout rookie Chase DeLauter, failing to hold up its end of the bargain, for the most part, the starters have allowed the Guardians to hold first place in the AL Central after the first two weeks.
Gavin Williams has led the way with his history-making efforts, but Tanner Bibee, Slade Cecconi, Joey Cantillo and Parker Messick have each made their mark as well. They have helped the Guardians become one of just two teams not to lose a series so far.
Analyst Jason Benetti has revealed why the Guardians have so much success with their pitching staff, saying it’s because they allow each individual to do what he does best.
“Judge their rotation negatively at your own peril. They let people be what they want to be with their own arsenal. They’ve always had success getting pitchers to come out of nowhere,” Benetti said.
"Judge (Guardians) rotation negatively at your own peril… They let people develop into what they want to be with their own arsenal. They've always had success getting pitchers to come out of nowhere."
⚾@jasonbenetti on the #Guardians ability to develop pitchers pic.twitter.com/GD751t7NDn
— 92.3 The Fan (@923TheFan) April 10, 2026
Cleveland held a six-man competition for its five-man rotation during spring training, with Logan Allen winding up as the odd-man out. It looks like the Guardians chose wisely, as their starters have been dominant to open the year.
In helping Cleveland to an 8-5 record, the starting rotation ranks first in the majors in strikeouts with 81, second in ERA at 2.67, and third 3rd in batting average against at .184. It has one analyst predicting that the Guardians could ride this performance all the way to the World Series.
Though it would be difficult to single out one starter from the rest, Williams has shown why he is a true contender to win the AL Cy Young Award. He became just the fourth pitcher in MLB history to strike out at least 25 batters while allowing fewer than six hits in his first three starts of any season. The right-hander has allowed five hits and struck out 25 batters in 17.2 innings, with 14 walks allowed the only real blemish on his ledger.
The Guardians will look to keep things going on the road with two three-game series against the Atlanta Braves and St. Louis Cardinals.
NEXT: Analyst Reveals Reason To Be Encouraged About Chase DeLauter's Future
