Yahoo Autos A ton of contact and aggressive base-running: Guardians' brand puts playoff spot in sight
The Guardians' roster has undergone a reconstruction in a relatively short period of time, and yet, it is a group of players who confidently know who they are and how they want to play the game.
And it all has led them to the doorstep of an unlikely divisional crown in 2022.
With the youngest roster in baseball — younger than some Triple-A clubs around the league — the Guardians have molded a cohesive group that has not only avoided a collapse during their first playoff push but excelled when it matters most.
The Guardians, with Friday's 6-3 win over the Texas Rangers, have won 14 of their past 16 games. Their magic number dropped to three, making it possible that the division title is clinched on this road trip and before the team returns home for a nine-game homestand to end the regular season.
Last week, Chicago White Sox shortstop Elvis Andrus said he knew the Guardians would eventually "crumble." This past week, the Guardians rolled into Chicago and outscored the White Sox 22-11 en route to a three-game sweep that effectively ended the American League Central Division race.
On the pitching side, Guardians player development remains arguably second to none in baseball. Shane Bieber has had an ace-like season and navigated a velocity drop to still put up peak Bieber-like performances. Triston McKenzie has matured into a top-tier starting pitcher. The bullpen has been arguably baseball's best since the All-Star break, anchored by All-Star Emmanuel Clase and bolstered by strong contributions from Trevor Stephan, James Karinchak, Sam Hentges, Eli Morgan and Nick Sandlin.
Offensively, it can be summarized in two ways: contact and base-running. The Guardians have built a lineup elite in both categories, and with it, have beaten outside expectations on a number of fronts.
The Guardians lead baseball with an 80.9 percent contact rate. The closet team to them, the Houston Astros, are at 78.6 percent. The difference between the Guardians and second place is greater than the difference between 2nd and 17th.
