The Cleveland Guardians are one of the youngest teams in the American League. The roster isn’t perfect, and it could certainly use more power and pitching depth, but they are second in the AL Central and just one game behind the Chicago White Sox for a reason.
They are flawed, like the vast majority of squads, but they are a good ballclub. The fact that they have so many young players contributing is the icing on the cake, as they can grow and become even better, raising the team’s overall ceiling.
Chase DeLauter, Parker Messick, Brayan Rocchio, Travis Bazzana, Angel Martinez, Kyle Manzardo, Khalil Watson, Daniel Espino, and Cooper Ingle are all 25 or younger. Gavin Williams, Tanner Bibee, Joey Cantillo, Slade Cecconi, Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski, Franco Aleman, Gabriel Arias, Daniel Schneemann, Steven Kwan, and Patrick Bailey are all under 30.
That’s not a bad foundation for a roster, is it?
Guardians’ President of Baseball Operations, Chris Antonetti, recently raved about the young talent on the roster and said that they have helped the team win many games.
While the executive praised the Guardians’ young guys, he left the door open for himself and his staff to work on bringing in veteran, win-now players before the August 3 trade deadline. He threw the hypothetical question of whether the organization can continue to grow, learn, and get better, and a lot of that has to do with how active they are in the market.
Yes, he could also be talking about in-house player development, but the truth is that the only way that the Guardians push their ceiling is by acquiring a few established stars. The offense, at least, needs one bona fide power hitter with proven production, specifically a right-handed bat.
Will he show the necessary aggressiveness to get his team over the top?
NEXT: Steven Kwan Is Quietly Turning His Season Around
