The Cleveland Guardians have been struggling of late, yet still find themselves atop the American League with a 57-36 record even after losing ten of the last 16 games.
One analyst still thinks highly of the team and shared why he believes no team will want to face the Guardians in the playoffs.
Former MLB player and current analyst at MLB Network Mark DeRosa said “No one is going to want to play them.” in the postseason this week and added “They struggle to score runs in the postseason, we’ve seen it time and time again, but it’s a little bit different lineup.”
"No one is going to want to play 'em [in the Postseason]." – @markdero7 on the @CleGuardians
The Guardians have the best record in the American League! pic.twitter.com/yAQCVW3duE
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) July 11, 2024
DeRosa praised first-year manager Stephen Vogt for following a legend in Terry Francona and finding a way to get the players to buy in right away.
The Guardians lineup has been ice cold of late but the team still ranks in the top ten in the league in scoring.
DeRosa also mentioned the emergence of Josh Naylor as a huge boost for the postseason, as the team has not had a power-hitting corner infielder in the middle of the lineup like him in quite some time.
Come playoff time, having the league’s best bullpen is perhaps this team’s biggest asset.
If the offense can hold its own and the rotation can do just enough to hand leads to this bullpen anytime after the 4th or 5th inning, this team is going to be a tough out regardless of who it plays.
With a few weeks to go before the deadline, we’ll see if this roster gets any upgrades to fortify that run toward the postseason.
NEXT: Stats Show Suprising Similarities Between Guardians And Fellow AL Force
