The Cleveland Guardians entered the offseason with uncertainty surrounding the future of former ace Shane Bieber.
We say “former” because he was outperformed by Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams in 2023, and even Logan Allen (3.81 ERA) had a similar ERA to Bieber’s 3.80.
Given the fact he has a year left before he hits the free-agent market, he was also a candidate for a trade, knowing the odds of him getting extended were slim to none.
However, the pitcher decided that his fate was in his own hands, and went to Driveline and re-tooled his delivery.
With a lot of work, Bieber started regaining some of the velocity he lost in the last couple of seasons.
Now, while he is not quite the star he was in 2019-22, he has a chance to be much better than he showed last year when he averaged 91.5 mph on his fastball.
Early spring results have been outstanding, and his last start was particularly encouraging.
“#Guardians RHP Shane Bieber looked outstanding today in his spring start vs Texas. Line – 4.0(IP) 2H 0R 0ER 1BB 4SO,” Guardians Prospective tweeted.
#Guardians RHP Shane Bieber looked outstanding today in his spring start vs Texas.
Line – 4.0(IP) 2H 0R 0ER 1BB 4SO#GuardsSpring pic.twitter.com/dBRWH8d1DU
— Guardians Prospective (@CleGuardPro) March 12, 2024
His excellent outing came against the reigning World Series champs, the Texas Rangers.
The right-hander was in complete control, striking out four in four scoreless frames.
He only gave up two hits and a walk, and lived in the 93-94 mph range with his fastball.
If he is throwing harder, not only does that make it harder for hitters to catch up with the heat, but it also increases the effectiveness of Bieber’s already excellent breaking pitches.
He could return a very solid season for Cleveland if he is not traded at some point.
And if that last scenario takes place, he has only increased his value thanks to his solid winter and spring.
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