If you watched the Cleveland Guardians in their 2022 late run that included a trip to the AL Division Series, you know their clubhouse and dugout were highly energetic places.
Players had incredible chemistry and they were loose and relaxed as opposed to being under pressure, or tense.
You can remember how everybody raced to the field after Oscar Gonzalez’s walk-off hit against the New York Yankees, Josh Naylor’s ‘rocking the baby’ after homering against Gerrit Cole, and more as if it happened yesterday.
Two years have passed, but some of the same guys remain in the dugout: Naylor, Andres Gimenez, Jose Ramirez, Emmanuel Clase, Will Brennan, Steven Kwan, Tyler Freeman, Nick Sandlin, Eli Morgan, and more.
Those players, plus some new, fiery, and fun-loving personalities have kept the competitive, yet college-like Guardians dugout to this day.
MLB insider Ken Rosenthal talked to two Guardians newcomers, Matthew Boyd, and Alex Cobb, about how they feel around their teammates and they both said there is a lot of chirping, trash talk, and similar activities.
“It feels like a college dugout.” Alex Cobb, Matthew Boyd relishing time with Guardians,” he posted on X.
“It feels like a college dugout.” Alex Cobb, Matthew Boyd relishing time with Guardians. Story: https://t.co/R5uX1ygdcT
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) September 6, 2024
They mean it positively: it’s a fun place to be around and you can see there is a lot of camaraderie.
This leads to guys playing loosely, which is better than being tense and under pressure to perform.
It’s all in good nature, though.
“I haven’t been part of a team with the amount of energy these guys bring every single night,” Cobb said, per Rosenthal.
The pair has definitely fed from the energy: Boyd has a 2.38 ERA in four starts, and Cobb is at 2.76 after three.
NEXT: Guardians Have Another Top Reliever Prospect Waiting In The Wings
