The Cleveland Guardians struggled to get much going at the plate all season.
However, that wasn’t the case on the mound.
The pitching staff took care of business more often than not, especially down the stretch.
Though there were some down times as well, manager Stephen Vogt recently gave pitching coach Carl Willis the credit he deserved for the way he helped his unit become dominant.
“Carl’s presence is invaluable, let alone his ability to develop pitching and help these guys continue to grow,” Vogt said. “The ball is in his court at all times. As long as I’m here and he’s wanting to be here, Carl Willis will be our pitching coach. … We intend to have him back if that’s what he would like to do.”
The Guardians chose to trade Shane Bieber shortly before he was healthy enough to make his season debut.
That was a difficult decision, but they knew that he was more than likely to opt out of his contract to become a free agent, so they dealt him to the Toronto Blue Jays.
Also, at the time, the Guardians weren’t likely to make the playoffs.
Yet, as big a setback as that could’ve been, they proved to have more than enough in the rotation to get by just fine without him.
Granted, Tanner Bibee didn’t live up to the sky-high expectations, failing to take over as the ace in Bieber’s place.
Despite that, almost everybody else stepped up, particularly Gavin Williams, especially during their historic comeback to win the AL Central.
The future is also bright, as young pitchers Parker Messick and Joey Cantillo showed more than enough to earn a spot in the rotation next season.
As for the bullpen, it continued to be one of the best in baseball, with Cade Smith helping it overcome the loss of All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase to an MLB gambling investigation.
NEXT: Stephen Vogt Reveals How Guardians Are Addressing Offensive Struggles
