The Cleveland Guardians beat the Chicago White Sox in extras on Wednesday, thanks to a game-winning single by Bo Naylor.
With the win, they took their record to an impressive 9-3 so far, and they lead the AL Central by one game.
Only the New York Yankees (10-3) have a better record than the Guardians in MLB.
So far, the Guardians lead an interesting stat that is actually very telling over the course of the season: run differential.
The organization dedicated a post to it on Twitter.
An offensive, defensive, and pitching stat, and we lead the Bigs in it.#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/KyYHysuPc6
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 11, 2024
Cleveland is at +35, and while it’s fair to point out that most of that is a byproduct of facing the Oakland Athletics (+18 runs against them), they also hold positive marks against all other foes: the Seattle Mariners (+10), the Minnesota Twins (+4), and the White Sox (+3).
Simply put, the Guardians have been amazing and they deserve their credit.
Are they legit title contenders?
It’s too early to say, and we will have to watch their performance against truly elite teams like the Yankees, whom they will be playing this weekend.
Are they AL Central contenders?
Everything seems to be pointing that way.
The\ Twins certainly aren’t invincible, and emerging teams like the Kansas City Royals and the Detroit Tigers still lack the Guards’ quality and depth.
So far, Cleveland has impressed, but they also know that it’s still very early and they have accomplished nothing…yet.
The road will be long (especially now that they will not have Shane Bieber), but there seems to be the will and the skill to achieve big things.
NEXT: Analyst Compares Stephen Vogt To Guardians Franchise Legend
