The Cleveland Guardians boast, as of Friday afternoon, the best record in the American League at 54-31.
The rotation is rather mediocre, or at least has been to this point, but there are a lot of positive things going on around the roster and the organization that can explain the excellent form.
The bullpen, for example, is the best in the league, and the offense has been surprisingly productive.
The Guardians have gotten excellent performance from their prospects and minor leaguers, and player development is an organizational strength.
In addition to all that, they are a well-coached team and have very talented fielders all around the diamond.
The folks at MLB Network recently highlighted a perfect relay throw executed by the Guardians defense to get the runner out at home plate.
“This @CleGuardians relay is a perfect example of mastering the fundamentals,” they tweeted.
This @CleGuardians relay is a perfect example of mastering the fundamentals 🤩 pic.twitter.com/9lSlAlDW3L
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 5, 2024
The play was fantastic, and the analysts, with former infielder Mark DeRosa among them, marveled at the play.
Lenyn Sosa doubled to center field, where Tyler Freeman fielded it cleanly off the wall.
Freeman then executed a quick throw to the infield, where second baseman Andrés Giménez grabbed it and threw it to catcher Austin Hedges, who tagged Paul DeJong to end the frame.
But the play is much deeper than that.
Gimenez, a two-time Gold Glove award winner and the reigning Platinum Glove in the American League, not only moved a bit out of the infield to catch Freeman’s throw sooner, but he started positioning his body to prepare his throw before catching the ball.
That allowed him to quickly receive the ball and throw a bullet to home plate to nab the runner.
You can tell the entire Guardians defense, Gimenez in particular, knows what it’s doing.
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