The Cleveland Guardians completed the biggest comeback in regular-season history, stunning the Detroit Tigers to win the American League Central Division and earn home-field advantage for the club's hotly anticipated Wild Card Series face-off. Stephen Vogt should earn serious consideration for a second consecutive Manager of the Year crown after guiding this undermanned and adversity-stricken group to the postseason. Ultimately, though, those accomplishments will be a footnote.
Detroit ended its prolonged stumbles when it mattered most, avenging a late-season collapse with a 6-3 Game 3 victory to advance to the AL Division Series. A rabid home crowd, which helped spur the Guardians on throughout their incomprehensible September run, leaves Progressive Field in despair. Vogt is proud of what his team accomplished, but he is not downplaying the disappointment that permeates the Cleveland clubhouse.
“That stings,” the second-year skipper told reporters after the season-ending loss, per MLB Network. “It stings for it to end that way…. That's the message. Let this sting. We're close, we were really close. We're not quite there yet. There's things we need to improve upon… but the overarching theme is I'm so proud of that group for not quitting.”
Vogt's message is admirable and characterizes the undying tenacity that has come to characterize this franchise for a decade-plus. But the sad reality of the situation is that this version of the Guardians was not built to go all the way in the playoffs.
Guardians always had a steep climb
An elite bullpen can only take a squad so far if it does not have the starting pitching depth or situational hitting prowess to back it up. Cleveland ranked 29th in MLB with a .226 batting average, just one point better than the 72-90 Los Angeles Angels. The Chris Antonetti-led front office did not acquire the necessary reinforcements for this ailing lineup at the trade deadline.
Heck, this group was essentially a seller, sending former Cy Young Shane Bieber to the Toronto Blue Jays. That move seemed practical at the time, since Cleveland was just .500 entering August, but this squad needed at least one more dependable starter. Stephen Vogt did not allow Slade Cecconi the chance to fill that role in Thursday's do-or-die Game 3.
The 26-year-old righty allowed one run on two hits with one walk while striking out three batters in just 2 1/3 innings of work. He was not incredibly sharp, but perhaps it would have been wiser to extend additional trust rather than relying heavily on the pen yet again.
Erik Sabrowski and Hunter Gaddis surrendered two runs each in the seventh inning, turning a 2-1 deficit into a Tigers runaway. Relievers have a breaking point, and unfortunately, the way this roster is currently constructed hinges on them being extraordinary for a bunch of high-stress games. More than anyone, that predicament falls on the Dolan ownership group.
A bottom-third payroll is severely limited in this era of baseball. Although those limitations do not always show up in the summer, they tend to be exposed in October.
Vogt is right. The Guardians achieved a great deal this season. They beat the system once again, but he might be wrong on one crucial point. Despite a couple of correctable mistakes here and there (Jose Ramirez's base-running blunder in Game 1), is this team close to contending for a title? Neither he nor anyone else wearing that uniform can afford to ask such a question. The fan base will, though.
