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Cleveland Guardias Tag - Test Article for Bets Testing
Jun 26, 2024
It's rare that a managerial move should serve as a mission statement for a team's entire offseason, but the Chicago Cubs seemed to throw down a gauntlet when they hired Craig Counsell.
If Cubs president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer and owner Tom Ricketts really want to prove they are serious about making the Cubs live up to their status as one of the marquee franchises in MLB, they need to go all-in with a pursuit of Shohei Ohtani.
The Cubs hired Counsell away from the division-rival Milwaukee Brewers by making him the highest-paid manager in Major League Baseball on a five-year deal worth more than $40 million.
Josh Bell, Guardians Reportedly Agree to 2-Year, $33M Contract in MLB Free Agency
Dec 6, 2022
SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - OCTOBER 19: Josh Bell #24 of the San Diego Padres runs to first after hitting an RBI single against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fifth inning in game two of the National League Championship Series at PETCO Park on October 19, 2022 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Josh Bell's stay with the San Diego Padres was a brief one. The veteran first baseman agreed to a two-year, $33 million deal with the Cleveland Guardians, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.
The deal reportedly includes an opt-out.
Many expected Bell to be moved as the 2022 MLB trade deadline approached. The Washington Nationals were mired in last place, so it made little sense to keep an experienced first baseman who was headed to free agency in the offseason.
Bell's inclusion in the Juan Soto deal came as a surprise, though. Not only were the Padres getting a generational talent with Soto, but they also managed to strengthen another area of weakness. San Diego made a clear offensive upgrade over Eric Hosmer, and it was merely a footnote in a historic swap.
Josh Bell has a top-15 DRC+ in the league and he was a throw-in. I'm cackling.
Bell's raw power numbers across the 2022 season reflect the larger trend across MLB, but the advanced stats show he has remained an above-average slugger.
In 156 games between the Nationals and Padres, the 30-year-old had 17 home runs, 71 RBI and a .266/.362/.422 slash line. Per FanGraphs, he also boasted a .344 wOBA and 123 wRC+, as he put together one of the best seasons of his career.
Bell certainly picked a good time to rake at the plate as free agency loomed on the horizon, though his performance wasn't a significant outlier. He has slugged .459 with a .810 OPS and 120 OPS+ in seven seasons.
The 2020 campaign appears to be the one outlier. He had a .226/.305/.364 slash line that year, which can be attributed partially to the shortened season and general difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
While he wasn't the most prized free agent on the market, Bell figured to be in a nice position to cash in. Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter pegged his value at $60 million over four years in June.
In Bell, Cleveland landed a piece that should help the lineup in a big way.
MLB Manager of the Year 2022: Terry Francona, Buck Showalter Take Home AL, NL Honors
Nov 16, 2022
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 15: Terry Francona #77 of the Cleveland Guardians is introduced before the game against the New York Yankees in game three of the American League Division Series at Progressive Field on October 15, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Terry Francona of the Cleveland Guardians and Buck Showalter of the New York Mets took home top honors in the Manager of the Year voting announced on Tuesday.
Francona beat out Brandon Hyde of the Baltimore Orioles and Scott Servais of the Seattle Mariners for the American League award. It's the third time he's been named Manager of the Year with the Guardians (2013, 2016).
Francona received 17 of 30 first-place votes and 112 total points. Hyde, who led the Orioles to a surprise 83-79 record, finished second with 79 points (nine first-place votes). Servais finished third thanks to his second- and third-place votes that gave him 43 points.
Houston Astros skipper Dusty Baker finished ahead of Servais in first-place votes (three to one), but he was only named on a total of 13 ballots. Servais was named on 23 ballots.
Expectations were understandably muted for the Guardians coming into 2022. They were coming off an 80-82 record in 2021, had the youngest roster in MLB the third-lowest payroll this season.
The steady hand of Francona, as well as breakout seasons for some of those young players, resulted in Cleveland winning the AL Central for the first time since 2018. Andrés Giménez and Emmanuel Clase joined veteran superstar José Ramírez as All-Stars this year.
Steven Kwan finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting and won the AL Gold Glove award for his contributions in left field.
The Guardians' young roster included 16 rookies who made their big-league debut in 2022. Despite all of their inexperience, they rarely looked overmatched on the field. Their season came to an end with a five-game loss to the New York Yankees in the AL Division Series.
Francona led MLB's youngest team to 92 wins and the ALCS. He did it by investing/believing in his players and adapting his team's play style to his roster's strengths. He has already had a HOF career, but it may be his best managerial work yet.
Francona did start talking about the end of his managerial career because of a series of health issues that kept him out of the dugout for most of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.
"When the day comes that losses don't affect you," Francona told reporters shortly after Cleveland's season ended, "then it's probably time to hang it up. I'm not there."
The Guardians' success in 2022 and potential to keep improving next season appears to have given Francona a new lease on things. The AL's best manager will look to get his team over the hump in 2023.
Showalter joins Tony La Russa and Bobby Cox as the only managers in MLB history to win Manager of the Year four different times. He previously won in 1994 with the New York Yankees, in 2004 with the Texas Rangers and in 2014 with the Baltimore Orioles.
Brian Snitker of the Atlanta Braves and Dave Roberts of the Los Angeles Dodgers were the other finalists from the senior circuit. All three managers came from teams that won at least 101 games during the regular season.
Voting was incredibly tight, with each of the top three finishers receiving at least seven first-place votes. Showalter pulled ahead with 10 second-place votes and seven third-place votes.
Roberts only had nine total second- and third-place votes. Snitker received five votes each for second and third place, but he had to settle for third place overall because Roberts had one more first-place vote (eight to seven).
Buck Showalter wins his first NL Manager of the Year award to go along with his three from the AL. As in the AL, no manager appeared on all 30 ballots. The full vote: pic.twitter.com/AVPVP7X5fb
This is the first time a Mets manager has ever been honored as the NL's top skipper.
As has been the case throughout his managerial career, Showalter immediately stepped in and turned around a franchise lacking a consistent organizational vision. He's only had eight losing seasons in 21 years as a manager.
"He loves to point out other teams messing up, I'll tell you that," Mets pitcher Chris Bassitt told The Athletic's Andy McCullough and Ken Rosenthal in May. "It's everything—rundowns, cutoffs, relays, everything. He's like, 'Listen, this wins and loses you ballgames. This is how we're going to do it. We're going to do it the right way.' Not always the easiest way. But he wants you busting your butt and doing everything the right way."
Showalter got the Mets to do things the right way. They were starting from a position of power with the highest payroll in MLB after signing Max Scherzer and Starling Marte.
But Mets fans saw in 2021 what can happen when there is a lack of direction and organizational philosophy when the team collapsed in the second half of 2021 under Luis Rojas.
Things got so bad at one point in 2021 that Mets players were mocking the home fans for how they reacted to the team's struggles.
Congrats to Buck Showalter, who has won NL Manager of the Year. Of all the moves the Mets made last off-season, the most critical one was putting Buck in charge. He changed so much about how the team played and operated. It’s hard to overstate the significance of the hire.
Congratulations to Mets manager Buck Showalter on winning the 2022 NL Manager of the Year
He absolutely changed the culture here and led the Mets to only their 4th 100+ win season in team history. He also led them to a 24 win improvement from 2021
With Showalter at the helm and better injury luck, the Mets led the NL East for most of the season and made the playoffs for the first time since 2016.
Even though New York's season came to an early end with a loss to the San Diego Padres in the Wild Card series, Showalter's managerial expertise and owner Steve Cohen's deep pockets are going to keep the franchise close to the top of the NL standings in 2023 and beyond.
Terry Francona to Return as Guardians Manager Next Season After ALDS Run
Oct 21, 2022
CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 04, 2021: Manager Terry Francona of the Cleveland Indians walks to the dugout after a pitching change in the seventh inning against the Houston Astros at Progressive Field on July 4, 2021 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by George Kubas/Diamond Images via Getty Images)
Terry Francona will be back in the Cleveland Guardians' dugout for the 2023 season.
Even though it seemed like a given Francona would be back after the team's successful 2022, he confirmed the decision on Friday.
Terry Francona will return as the Guardians manager in 2023. He noted he’s thought more about when the end of his career could be this season, but said this group energized him this year.
“I want to see that group grow. I want to be a part of that.”
Francona told The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal on Sept. 10 he has started talking about his future with Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti and general manager Mike Chernoff.
"I want to enjoy what I’m doing," he said. "It’s getting harder to do that, just because physically it’s harder. I just want to be careful. And at the same time, I want to be fair to the team."
The 63-year-old has dealt with a number of health issues in recent years. Cleveland announced in July 2021 he would miss the remainder of the season. Francona explained how much he was struggling physically at the time:
Everything I do is hard, whether it's getting to the airport or getting to the clubhouse. You've seen me taking pitchers out, that's not even easy. It's just—it doesn't make it very enjoyable and I miss that. It's not like during the season I have a whole lot of life anyway, because I love being at the ballpark, but all I do is go to the ballpark and then come home and get off my feet and lay in bed. And I gotta give myself a chance to have a little bit of a life.
The Associated Press' Tom Withers reported in October 2021 that Francona was still on crutches and due to have a checkup that would help determine the manager's status moving forward.
Francona returned to the Cleveland dugout for the 2022 campaign. He made it through the full 162-game regular season for the first time since 2019.
Terry Francona made it through 162 games for the first time in three years. One of his daughters called him today to tell him that.
"She actually told me: 'I had the under.' Thanks a lot!"
This season was a huge surprise for the Guardians, who had modest expectations coming into the year after going 80-82 in 2021 and largely eschewing free agency. They finished 92-70 to win the AL Central for the first time since 2018.
Cleveland fielded the youngest roster in MLB this season (average age of 26.42 years old). Steven Kwan, Oscar Gonzalez and Will Brennan were among the many rookie contributors the team used to make the playoffs.
The Guardians' season came to an end with a loss to the New York Yankees in the American League Division Series. But the future looks very bright for the franchise with José Ramírez leading the way after signing a long-term extension in April.
When Francona first joined Cleveland in 2013, the team had missed the playoffs for five straight years but had the foundation laid for what would be an American League pennant-winning squad in 2016. He didn't have to toil for years in mediocrity or worse before the turnaround began.
During his 10 seasons managing the club, Cleveland has posted nine winning seasons and made the playoffs six times. He is the franchise's all-time leader in games managed (1,516) and wins (845).
Report: Guardians' Jose Ramirez to Have Hand Surgery; Played with Injury Since June
Oct 19, 2022
DENVER, CO - JUNE 15: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians runs a double against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field on June 15, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Photo by Isaiah Vazquez/Clarkson Creative/Getty Images)
Cleveland Guardians superstar Jose Ramirez will have surgery on his right hand in the coming weeks after playing through an injury for much of the season, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic.
Per that report, Ramirez could have opted for a midseason surgery but chose against doing so to avoid missing significant time.
Cleveland was one of the surprise teams of the regular season, winning the American League Central with a 92-70 record.
Ramirez was the driving force behind the Guardians' offensive success. The four-time All-Star hit .280/.355/.514 with almost as many extra-base hits (78) as (82)in 157 games.
Everything has been going right for Ramirez in 2022. He signed a seven-year contract extension with the club in April that keeps him in Cleveland through 2028. The $125 million deal is the richest in franchise history.
Ramirez sat out his first game of the season on June 18 against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Guardians manager Terry Francona told reporters the 30-year-old was dealing with thumb soreness that wasn't expected to be a serious issue.
One reason the Guardians emerged as a playoff team is that the players around Ramirez performed better than anticipated. Josh Naylor (.771 OPS), first-time All-Star Andres Gimenez (.837 OPS) and Steven Kwan (.373 OBP) added depth to the lineup.
The season ended against the New York Yankees this week. But a strong foundation is in place, led by Ramirez.
José Ramírez Touted as Underrated MLB Star After Leading Guardians to Win vs. Rays
Oct 7, 2022
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 07: Jose Ramirez #11 of the Cleveland Guardians hits a two RBI home run in the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays in game one of the Wild Card Series at Progressive Field on October 07, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
José Ramírez was the toast of MLB
Twitter on Friday after hitting a two-run home run in the Cleveland
Guardians' 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of the teams'
Wild Card Series.
The third baseman's sixth-inning blast
off Rays ace Shane McClanahan was the difference for the Guardians,
who also received 7.2 innings of one-run, eight-strikeout ball from
starter Shane Bieber to the delight of the home crowd at Progressive
Field.
Here's a look at some social-media
reaction to Ramírez's latest standout moment following a regular
season in which he ranked 13th among MLB hitters in FanGraphs' WAR
(6.2):
It's crazy that despite Jose Ramirez being one of the best players in baseball for the last 7 years he still manages to be criminally underrated
Tom Hamilton with a great (and accurate) statement about Cleveland’s superstar, a moment ago on the radio broadcast: “There’s not a more intelligent player in the game than José Ramírez.” @CleGuardians@MLBNetwork @LasMayores
Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase also
played a key role in the series-opening victory, recording the last
four outs to secure a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three matchup.
Rays center fielder Jose Siri posted
the only run for the visitors with a solo homer in the sixth.
As expected, it was a mostly
pitching-dominated game with the two clubs combining for just 11
hits while the pitchers racked up 16 strikeouts.
Game 2 is scheduled for 12:07 p.m. ET on
Saturday at Progressive Field. The expected pitching matchup will see
Tampa's Tyler Glasnow take on Cleveland's Triston McKenzie.
A Guardians victory would send them
into a Division Series clash with the New York Yankees. A Rays win
would lead to a decisive Game 3 on Sunday.
AL Wild Card 2022: Rays vs. Guardians Hot Takes from MLB Twitter
Oct 5, 2022
CLEVELAND, OHIO - OCTOBER 04: Closing pitcher Emmanuel Clase #48 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates after the last out against the Kansas City Royals at Progressive Field on October 04, 2022 in Cleveland, Ohio. The Guardians defeated the Royals 5-3. (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
The Tampa Bay Rays and Cleveland Guardians will face off for the second time in two weeks in the American League Wild Card series.
Tampa Bay and Cleveland gave us a sign of how their postseason series could go since they were involved in three one-run games and two that went into extra innings.
The first series to start play on Friday should be dominated by pitching. Shane Bieber and Triston McKenzie headline Cleveland's rotation, while the return of Tyler Glasnow from Tommy John surgery provided extra hope for the Rays.
Cleveland's pitching staff has been one of the best in baseball down the stretch. Codify Baseball broke down the September numbers last week as the Guardians were in the process of wrapping up the AL Central crown.
Shane Bieber: 2.05 ERA in last 12 starts Triston McKenzie: 2.21 ERA in last 16 starts Cal Quantrill: 2.32 ERA in last 10 starts James Karinchak: 0.76 ERA in last 34 games Emmanuel Clase: 0.97 ERA in last 68 games
Cleveland has an excellent one-two punch in Bieber and McKenzie that could shut down the Rays offense to win the series in two games.
The latter has been the breakout star of the season for the Guardians. MLB Network's Xavier Scruggs analyzed why the tall right-hander has become such a problem for opposing hitters.
Randy Arozarena, who was the star of the 2020 postseason, will be one of the many hitters the Cleveland pitching staff has to slow down. Arozarena started Wednesday on a 1-for-29 cold streak.
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times pointed out that the Rays need him to flip back into his old postseason form.
Arozarena now 1-for-his-last-29; #Rays are really hoping he turns back into October Randy starting Friday
Tampa Bay can try to counter Cleveland's strong pitchers with Glasnow and AL Cy Young candidate Shane McClanahan. McClanahan and the other left-handed arms on the Tampa Bay staff could give José Ramírez and others trouble, as WTSP's Evan Closky noted:
Looking at the numbers, Cleveland does not love lefty pitching, especially Jose Ramirez.
There is no doubt you want Springs and McClanahan pitching in this series. You also need to throw Glasnow and Rasmussen.
Raley, Cleavinger and Poche probably on the roster. Kluber off?
Against left-handed pitching, Cleveland ranks 27th in OPS and has the fewest amount of home runs.
Those numbers could persuade the Rays to start Jeffrey Springs over Drew Rasmussen in Game 3 if the series gets that far. Cal Quantrill would be Cleveland's likely Game 3 starter.
Cleveland has an edge in the bullpen, and it may be near unhittable in the final few innings thanks to a group led by Emmanuel Clase, who as Codify Baseball noted, has been tough to hit all season.
That is Emmanuel Clase's cutter circled in the chart. 😮
The Guardians may be the youngest team in baseball, but they are stacked with pitching talent that may have to lead them past the Rays if they continue to struggle against lefties.
Guardians Clinch 2022 AL Central Title with White Sox's Loss to Tigers
Sep 25, 2022
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - SEPTEMBER 21: Josh Naylor #22 of the Cleveland Guardians celebrates his two-run home run with Jose Ramirez #11 against the Chicago White Sox during the seventh inning at Guaranteed Rate Field on September 21, 2022 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Cleveland Guardians are American League Central champions for the first time since 2018.
Thanks to the Chicago White Sox's 4-1 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Sunday, the Guardians clinched their fifth playoff berth and fourth division title in the past seven seasons.
Manager Terry Francona has Cleveland in the playoffs for the sixth time in his 10 seasons with the club. It made the postseason once in the previous 11 years before his arrival.
Coming off an 80-82 record in 2021, expectations were understandably muted for the Guardians this season. Ownership continued to keep costs down with the fourth-lowest payroll in Major League Baseball.
The first indication of positive vibes this season came right before opening day. All-Star third baseman José Ramírez agreed to a seven-year contract extension that runs through the 2028 season.
The $124 million in new money for the 30-year-old more than doubled the previous franchise record for a contract (Edwin Encarnación: three years, $60 million).
In addition to Ramírez deciding to remain with the franchise, Cleveland was able to make significant strides this season thanks to many surprise performances.
Andrés Giménez, who was acquired from the New York Mets in the Francisco Lindor trade, was arguably the Guardians' best player in 2022. He ranks fifth among all AL position players in FanGraphs' wins above replacement (5.9) and was named to the All-Star team.
Steven Kwan made the 26-man roster out of spring training. The 24-year-old is likely going to be a finalist for AL Rookie of the Year after posting a .295/.371/.392 slash line and elite defense in left field.
The Guardians' offense stands out for how they succeed. They are a throwback group with a lot of contact and stolen bases, but minimal power. Their 121 homers are the second-fewest in MLB, but they are third in stolen bases (109) and first in strikeouts (1,032).
Per FanGraphs, the Guardians have the highest contact rate on pitches swung at both in (88.3 percent) and out of the zone (70.9 percent).
Cleveland's reputation as a pitching factory continued to produce big results this season. Former AL Cy Young winner Shane Bieber is on pace to have his lowest ERA in a 162-game season (2.81). Triston McKenzie, a first-round draft pick in 2015, has taken a huge step forward with a 3.04 ERA and 0.97 WHIP.
The bullpen, led by All-Star closer Emmanuel Clase, ranks second in the AL in FanGraphs WAR (5.8) and third in ERA (3.10).
This was a disappointing year overall for the AL Central. The defending division champion White Sox never found consistency, while the Minnesota Twins dealt with a number of injuries to key players and poor pitching.
The Kansas City Royals and Tigers remain mired in obscurity as their rebuilds have yet to pay off.
This wasn't expected to be a big year for the Guardians, but they took advantage of the opportunities presented to them and have a chance to compete for a World Series in October.
