It’s not a secret that the Cleveland Guardians are good, but you might not know that they are the youngest team in the league.
They are currently tied for first in the AL Central division with a 57-52 record, and will likely fight with the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox for the remainder of the season for the division lead.
They are doing it with some young blood, which makes fans dream about the sustainability of the franchise.
This graph by data visualizer David Hrusovsky shows just how young the team is in comparison with the rest of the league.
“This Guardians team just keeps getting younger & younger…but they also just keep winning as well. #ForTheLand,” Hrusovsky tweeted.
This Guardians team just keeps getting younger & younger…but they also just keep winning as well. #ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/m6laK69Sly
— David Hrusovsky Sports (@davehrus) August 10, 2022
The Youngest Team In Major League Baseball
As you can see, the Guardians have the lowest average pitching age, at a little over 26 years old.
However, their hitters are the youngest in MLB, too, at around 26 years old.
In fact, many of the Guardians’ breakout stars of 2022 are around that age: Andres Gimenez and Nolan Jones are 23, Josh Naylor is 25, Amed Rosario is 26, Steven Kwan and Oscar Gonzalez are 24, just to name a few examples.
Recent call-ups such as Tyler Freeman and Will Benson are also very young.
The same can be said about pitchers: Triston McKenzie is just 24, the same age as Emmanuel Clase.
Sam Hentges is 25, and Trevor Stephan, Eli Morgan and Enyel De Los Santos are 26.
The organization has a myriad of prospects in the upper minors waiting for an opportunity, too.
The Guardians may not be active in free agency and trades, but they do know how to develop their own young contributors.
Leave a Reply