The Cleveland Guardians not only survived a difficult schedule to open the 2026 MLB season, but they have thrived. Powered by an excellent starting rotation, the Guardians are in first place in the AL Central, despite many preseason predictions giving them little chance to win the division for a third straight season.
Despite facing three playoff teams from last season in the Seattle Mariners, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Chicago Cubs, then taking on one of their biggest divisional threats in the Kansas City Royals, the Guardians are just one of two teams not to lose a series so far this season. With historic performances from starting pitcher Gavin Williams and rookie outfielder Chase DeLauter, the outlook for the Guardians has changed considerably.
Now, after third baseman Jose Ramirez added another franchise record to his list of accomplishments, the Guardians have made a significant move in ESPN’s latest power rankings, moving up three spots to No. 14.
“Jose Ramirez reached another milestone on his path to Cooperstown on Monday when he played in his 1,620th game for Cleveland, breaking a franchise record Terry Turner set in 1918. Ramirez, 33, is the only active player to lead his franchise in games played. Of the 31 franchise leaders in games played, 21 are Hall of Famers. Ramirez, also the franchise leader in extra-base hits and multi-home run games, will one day join that group,” Jorge Castillo wrote.
In what may be just a coincidence, since breaking that games played record, Ramirez started to perform better at the plate. A season-opening slump has his batting average well below .200, but in the finale of the three-game series against the Royals, he went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI.
That followed a 0-for-13 stretch that lowered his average to .133. Yet he was far from alone in Cleveland’s offensive struggles, as it managed just 36 runs in the first 12 games.
Fortunately, the Guardians’ starting rotation has been as good as the offense has been bad. Led by Williams and Parker Messick, it ranks first in the majors in strikeouts with 81, second in ERA at 2.67, and third in batting average against at .184.
Now, the Guardians will take on a fellow first-place team in the NL East-leading Atlanta Braves, who are the other team that has not lost a series. They will remain on the road to take on the St. Louis Cardinals before returning home to play the Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros.
If the offense can get going and the pitching remains strong, the Guardians should continue to rise in the power rankings throughout the season.
NEXT: Analyst Reveals Why Guardians Have So Much Success With Pitching Staff
