The Cleveland Guardians will have their home opener at Progressive Field on Friday, with the ‘play ball’ command expected at 4:10 pm ET. The first road trip of the season can and should be considered a success, with a 4-3 record.
It’s not just the record; it’s against whom these games were played. Cleveland took two out of four in Seattle against a very solid Mariners team that won 90 games last year and took the AL West crown, and then won two out of three against the 2024 and 2025 World Series champions, the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Not bad for a team that half the baseball universe sees as the second or third-best in the AL Central. The Guardians are out to prove the doubters wrong and are off to a good start.
ESPN, for example, had the Guardians listed in the 20th spot in their preseason Power Rankings. Yes, you read that right, 20th. The Guardians, who made the AL Championship Series in 2024 and took the division in 2025, weren’t even a top-half team in their minds. They were excessively punished by a quiet offseason.
In the most recent update of their Power Rankings, the folks at ESPN are starting to realize that this Guardians team is perhaps better than they imagined. They had them in the 17th spot.
That’s still not in the top half, but the Guardians have time and patience to play their own way and prove they have the pieces to put together another run at the title.
In fact, they won the AL Central last year with one of the worst offenses in the league, and the unit should be much, much better this time around, even though they are struggling a bit at the moment. It has exciting rookie Chase DeLauter already showing off his power and boasting a 219 wRC+, and it could have Travis Bazzana up and contributing in a matter of weeks.
Additionally, Jose Ramirez could start heating up at any minute, and you can be sure he won’t finish the year with a 51 wRC+. Cleveland still has a top-tier leadoff hitter in Steven Kwan and plenty of pitching talent.
They are good now, and they have the potential to be even better.
NEXT: Surprising Detail Emerges About Steven Kwan's Role Change
