The Cleveland Guardians are going to win the World Series!
The odds of Cleveland actually winning it all in 2022 may seem slim. After all, teams such as the New York Yankees and Houston Astros are standing in their way in the American League. And even if the Guardians power through the AL they will have possibly have to face the Los Angeles Dodgers or New York Mets from the NL in the World Series.
But can this Cleveland Guardians team upset the odds and snap their 70-plus year World Series drought? Let's take a look at 3 reasons why the Guardians will win it all in 2022.
Pitching, pitching, and more pitching
The Guardians earned the nickname “Cleveland Pitching Factor” for a reason. This organization develops pitching at an elite rate. And it extends to the rotation and bullpen.
Shane Bieber leads the starting staff. The 2020 AL Cy Young award winner owns an ERA under 3 and is enjoying another successful campaign in 2022. Bieber's breaking pitches have been his bread and butter and have helped him overcome a dip in velocity.
Triston McKenzie is in the midst of a breakout season. He still loses control of the strike zone from time-to-time, but he's one of the better pitchers in the game when he's hitting his spots. Cal Quantrill has been the X-Factor in Cleveland's rotation.
Meanwhile, Emmanuel Clase is arguably MLB's best closer. His ERA is in the 1's and his 100 MPH cutter is virtually unhittable. James Karinchak has been electric as the Guardians primary set up option. The remainder of the bullpen has impressed as well.
The Guardians pitching staff will give Cleveland a chance to shock the MLB world during the postseason.
Guardians dynamic duo
I've heard plenty of people say that the only threat within Cleveland's lineup is Jose Ramirez. But that is an extremely disrespectful sentiment to Andres Gimenez. Gimenez leads the Guardians in WAR and was an All-Star this season. His batting average has hovered right around .300 all season long and he features sneaky power.
Jose Ramirez has a fellow offensive star and his name is Andres Gimenez.
Additionally, Gimenez plays a quality second base. He's made a number of defensive highlights this season and will be in the running for the AL Gold Glove award at second base.
Jose Ramirez continues to tear the cover off the baseball. He's an RBI machine in every sense of the word who features power and speed.
Ramirez and Gimenez's consistency will go a long way during Cleveland's World Series run.
Cleveland does not strikeout
The Cleveland Guardians don't strikeout often. In fact, they have the lowest amount of offensive strikeouts in the game, per ESPN. As of this story's publication, the Guardians have just over 1,000 total strikeouts on the year. For reference, the Los Angeles Angels lead the league in strikeouts with a mark of over 1,400.
The Guardians' lineup consists of contact hitters who put the ball in play. Cleveland's 2022 strikeout leader is Franmil Reyes… who was designated for assignment over a month ago.
Cleveland's ability to put the ball in play forces opposing defenses to constantly be on their toes. Teams tend to make quite a few errors and mistakes when facing the Guardians since they don't strikeout much. In today's game which is dominated by strikeouts and home runs, Cleveland's contact-first approach is what sets them apart.
And it may be what carries them to a 2022 World Series victory.
Follow Us
Subscribe