Gavin Williams’ Strikeout Prowess Puts Him In Elite Company

On Thursday, Cleveland Guardians right-hander Gavin Williams earned his 12th win of the year after limiting the San Francisco Giants to two runs in 5.2 innings of work. He allowed four hits and walked three batters, but his 11 strikeouts helped him get out of any potential jams.

For the first time in his career, Williams eclipsed the 200-strikeout mark, reaching 201. That’s tied for most in the American League with Dylan Cease before Friday’s games, and second-most in the majors behind Jacob Misiorowski’s 216. The Guardians’ righty has a 3.72 ERA while the other two are much better in that particular stat, but that doesn’t mean Williams hasn’t been dominant.

His ability to get swings and misses is nothing short of amazing. It has helped him to be in a tie with Misiorowski and Cease in double-digit strikeout games.

“But what makes Williams’ run truly remarkable is the company he’s keeping. His nine double-digit strikeout games this season tie him with Dylan Cease and Jacob Misiorowski — frontrunners in the American and National leagues for Cy Young Awards. These are not just good pitchers. These are generational talents. And Gavin Williams is right there with them,” the guys over at the Cleveland Baseball Talk Podcast discussed.

As they explained, Williams is competing in a cool stat with the primary Cy Young Award candidates in each league. If his ERA was a tad lower, he could be a top candidate himself, but his 3.72 mark is not in the same tier as Cease’s 2.42 and Cam Schlittler’s 2.19 before the young Yankees righty took the hill on Friday night.

The Guardians pitching staff has given us some exciting developments: Messick’s 2.54 ERA is elite, but Williams’ strikeout power is amazing to watch.

If the two young starters remain healthy in August and September, the Guardians will have a fair chance to fight for a spot in the postseason. That’s two-fifths of their rotation pitching on a whole different level, and Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, and Foster Griffin are also solid.

Cleveland needs its offense to take off to really hit its stride, but the pitching staff represents the foundation of the team. Williams and Messick do a commendable job leading it.