It’s not a secret that the Cleveland Guardians had a myriad of starting pitching options to choose from to round out their rotation when spring training camps opened last month.
Tanner Bibee and Gavin Williams were considered locks while Luis L. Ortiz was virtually assured a spot.
Then you had Triston McKenzie and his track record, Slade Cecconi and the fact he is the return of the Josh Naylor trade; solid veterans such as Jakob Junis, Ben Lively, and Vince Velazquez, and promising youngsters such as Joey Cantillo and Doug Nikhazy vying for the last two openings.
There is a name missing among them, and it’s actually an undervalued lefty who ran circles around most of those pitchers in the Cactus League: Logan Allen.
Written off by many after his subpar 2024, Allen is actually enjoying a phenomenal spring.
On Wednesday, he tossed yet another gem and moved another step toward securing a rotation spot.
“Logan Allen today: 4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6Ks. Logan Allen has really shown some improvement this offseason and in Spring Training. He has a 1.89 ERA this spring and 16SO. Looking really good,” writer Andrew Hagenbaugh posted on X.
Logan Allen today:
4.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 6Ks
Logan Allen has really shown some improvement this offseason and in Spring Training.
He has a 1.89 ERA this spring and 16SO. Looking really good #ForTheLand
— Andrew Hagenbaugh (@DrewHagenbaugh) March 20, 2025
Right now, Allen is looking like he belongs in the rotation.
With his excellent ERA and 19 strikeouts in 19 innings (per his player page on MLB.com), it would be unfair to break camp with Allen in the minors or the bullpen.
Yes, he was fairly mediocre last year with a 5.73 ERA in 97.1 innings, but his excellent rookie performance in 2023 (3.81 ERA in 125.1 frames) should also be included in the equation.
He doesn’t have overpowering stuff, but it’s good enough to be a quality MLB starter if he commands it well.
If he is confident and is consistently throwing strikes, Allen has a lot to give to Cleveland.
NEXT: Guardians Analyst Takes A Look At Spring Training Position Battles
