Gavin Williams quickly shut down any concerns about his role as the Cleveland Guardians’ ace this season. After a first start in the opening series against the Seattle Mariners that was not up to his standards, the right-hander responded with a gem against the Los Angeles Dodgers in his second outing.
Williams held the two-time defending world champions scoreless for seven innings and struck out 10 batters in the process. He outpitched World Series MVP Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and the Guardians emerged with a 4-1 victory and two wins in the three-game series.
He looks to have carried over his emergence from last season, and Bleacher Report predicts that the Guardians pitcher will notch his first AL All-Star Game selection this year.
“Trevor Rogers (12 GS, 1.94 ERA, 71 K, 74.1 IP) and Gavin Williams (12 GS, 2.18 ERA, 78 K, 70.1 IP) were two of the best pitchers in baseball during the second half last season. They would be first-time All-Star selections, but certainly looked the part last summer,” Joel Reuter wrote.
Though Rogers excelled for the Baltimore Orioles late last season, Williams had a much greater impact, helping the Guardians overcome a record deficit to win the AL Central. He also started Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series and virtually matched Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal in a pitcher’s duel.
Williams did get off to a bit of a rough start to the 2026 campaign, walking six Mariners in just five innings and allowing three runs in Cleveland’s 5-1 loss. He bounced back in a big way at Los Angeles, with two hits and three walks allowed on just 85 pitches over seven innings.
He faced one batter over the minimum in the first five innings. In the sixth, with runners on first and second and no outs, he got Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani to ground into a double play before retiring Kyle Tucker to end the inning.
For the season, that gives Williams a 2.25 ERA and 17 strikeouts in his two starts. In 2025, he finished 12-5 with a 3.06 ERA and 173 strikeouts and 83 walks in 167.2 innings.
Now, he’s being counted on to lead a staff that includes Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi, and Parker Messick, with Cantillo getting the call for the home opener against the Chicago Cubs on Friday.
NEXT: Underrated Reliever Has Stepped Up When Guardians Need Him The Most
