The Cleveland Guardians are showing the full signs of their potential with their recent streak of nine wins in 10 games. It was highlighted by their just-completed four-game sweep of the Detroit Tigers, which extended their current winning streak to six games.
The Guardians are a season-high eight games above .500, and they have opened up a 3.5-game lead over the second-place Chicago White Sox in the AL Central. It may not be a coincidence that this best stretch of the season came after top prospect Travis Bazzana was promoted.
Since the second baseman made his MLB debut on April 28, the Guardians are 15-7. They’ve only had three losses in their past 15 games, each by one run.
That is why the Guardians have made a notable move in ESPN’s latest power rankings, climbing to No. 9 from No. 12.
“After a feeling-out process during his first few games, Bazzana has taken off the last couple of weeks. Already, he has become one of three Cleveland rookies that might figure into AL Rookie of the Year balloting, joining Chase DeLauter and Parker Messick. The Guardians may be more reliant on their system than any other organization but when you turn out young players like this, who can blame them?” Bradford Doolittle wrote.
Bazzana started his MLB career without a hit in his first 12 at-bats. Since then, he has been batting .344, with two home runs, nine RBIs, and seven stolen bases. His slash line for the season is .288/.409/.384.
In hindsight, it could reasonably be argued that the Guardians should have promoted Bazzana when they first had the chance, instead of opting for Juan Brito when Gabriel Arias went on the injured list in early April. However, it could now also be said that those extra couple of weeks in the minors may have been the perfect amount of time for Bazzana to develop.
Bazzana is the latest product of Cleveland’s heralded farm system to make an impact this season. Messick has been one of the top pitchers in the game since his debut last August, and DeLauter has lived up to his high expectations since the outfielder made his regular-season debut on Opening Day, which has put them both among the favorites for AL Rookie of the Year.
With other homegrown young players such as Angel Martinez and Brayan Rocchio also having excellent breakout seasons, the Guardians are likely to climb even higher in these power rankings, thanks to their recent hot streak.
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