The Cleveland Guardians surprised many people in 2022, winning 92 games and capturing their first American League Central title since 2018 and their first under the new name.
The Guardians took care of the Tampa Bay Rays in the AL Wild Card Series, clinching the series on Oscar Gonzalez’s walk-off home run.
They then advanced to the ALDS, where they took the New York Yankees the full five games before bowing out.
But after a surprisingly successful season, people are expecting big things from the Guardians in 2023.
On Twitter, an MLB analyst made a rather bold prediction, stating that he believes the Guardians will be the team to come out of the American League in the World Series.
World Series winner = San Diego Padres
Runner-up = Cleveland GuardiansAL MVP = Shohei Ohtani
AL Cy Young = Tyler Glasnow
AL ROY = Gunner HendersonNL MVP = Nolan Arenado
NL Cy Young = Julio Urias
NL ROY = Jordan WalkerTotal bunt doubles = 3 https://t.co/Nq1fMdiZvy
— Joshua Jacobs (@joshjacoMLB) January 3, 2023
Obviously, the Houston Astros were the team to come out of the American League to reach the World Series in 2022, defeating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games to capture another title.
But the Guardians certainly turned some heads last season.
It was the Chicago White Sox who many picked would win the AL Central, but that did not come to pass.
The Guardians spent much of the season behind the Minnesota Twins, taking off after the trade deadline and ultimately running away with the division.
This offseason, they’ve made some key moves to enhance their roster, signing veteran catcher Mike Zunino and slugger Josh Bell.
The Guardians now look stronger heading the 2023 season and appear to be the clear-cut favorites to win the division for a second straight year.
These are early predictions, but we’ll see if they hold up.
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