First, let's take a moment to take this all in. The 2022 Cleveland Guardians are the AL Central Champions. Youngest team in baseball. Great to watch. Way to represent Cleveland, guys, and congratulations on a great accomplishment.
Reading the AJ Pierzynski comment about the White Sox winning the division by 20 games, let's look back at some of the things (including the dumb things) I said about this team in the past year.
Nov. 4, 2021 - about rostering Kwan - "But, still, unless something drastically changes about his game, and the only thing that could really improve to move that needle is his power, the guy is just and under-sized tweener who doesn't project to be any better than a good 4th outfielder on a good team if he reaches his ceiling. Could he be more? Absolutely if something drastically changes. But, from my experience that is not likely to happen."
Yeah, that puts me right up there with AJ, I think. But there is more.
March 28 - "Looking at Kansas City's roster, we're screwed"
March 30 - "6. In all the years I have followed the Indians this is clearly the most difficult team to predict I have ever seen. Will the starters remain healthy and will the lineup hit? And, if both those things happen, will the bullpen keep from blowing games before they get to Clase? I am not going to make a guess at their final record but my hope is that the Guardians get back on the right side of .500 by the end of May and never look back."
March 30 - 2. I look at Steven Kwan and how he takes what the defense gives him and then I look at Bradley, Mercado and Zimmer and I just say to myself "Why?" Bradley and Zimmer should be doing whatever they can to get hits and that includes slapping the ball the other way to get hits when they are shifted against. Starting Kwan in the outfield with Rosario and Straw is almost made mandatory by how bad this offense is.
3. This is a huge year for Gimenez and the Indians. His hitting philosophy should be more like Kwan than Lindor.
4. I know people will think I am crazy but two of the most important players on this team, in terms of making this lineup productive, will be Yu Change and Owen Miller. Chang is penciled in at second base and Miller will play first when Bradley sits. If Bradley remains a pathetic hitter, Miller will get more chances at first base.
5. The key for this team is the bullpen. It is beyond me how they could let every good reliever be signed and even let the questionable relief veterans go to other teams as minor league free agents. I mean even Blake Parker just signed with the Cardinals on a minor league deal a few days ago. I know we have roster problems but we need more bullpen arms."
March 13 " Here are the expendable guys I see:
Owen Miller
There are lots more comments, many of them stupid, that I made during the last year about the Guardians but I will say this. They had a plan. They stuck to the plan. They (especially Francona) made the plan work. No one gave them a chance because, frankly, this (having this young of a team and this young of a roster and sticking with it all year) had even been done, let alone ever worked.
People are excited about the rest of the season and the playoffs, and rightly so. But I am also excited about the 3-5 years after that. If this year's draft doesn't totally tank, that number will be closer to 5 than to 3. For a guy who was, is and will be, all about the prospects, this is truly baseball Nirvana.
Enjoy it brother Cleveland fans. Enjoy the heck out of it!
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