The Cleveland Guardians lead the American League Central despite having the youngest roster in Major League Baseball. Many people around the league felt as if Cleveland was a couple years away from contending ahead of the 2022 season. But the Guardians have found a way to compete with their extremely youthful roster. So what has led to them leading the Chicago White Sox and Minnesota Twins in the AL Central?

Manager Terry Francona has done an excellent job. But hitting coach Chris Valaika, who was hired ahead of the season, has turned an offense that was near the bottom of baseball last year into a respectable scoring unit. Valaika discussed the Guardians' offensive success with The Score.

“We really made them points to focus on as a group in spring training: two-strike approach and situational hitting,” Valaika said. “We work on it during our batting practice, we focus on situational hitting every day. … I know those are buzzwords that get thrown around every year, but I think our guys have really made that part of their identity. Just continue to be tough outs. Choking up. Putting balls in play. Forcing pitchers to make pitches. It's part of our work. It hasn't just been cliche eyewash. Guys have bought in. It's important because it's who we are.”

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The Guardians rank just 29th in home runs. They aren't a team that is going to consistently hit the ball out of the park. But Valaika and Terry Francona have strategized around productive at-bats. They want to see Cleveland's hitters move runners over, put balls in play, and make opposing defenses work.

The Guardians hit a lot of singles and get on base. They seem to always have traffic on the base paths. Their superstar, Jose Ramirez, is their main RBI producer who tends to drive those runners in. And breakout seasons for Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, and Josh Naylor have been vital to their success. Additionally, Steven Kwan needs more respect in the Rookie of the Year conversation.

In the end, this Guardians team has defied expectations in 2022. They will aim to put the finishing touches on a magical year down the stretch.