Figured I would start a Guardians thread since baseball is starting back up. Josh. Aylir took and passed his physical yesterday, thats good news. Bieber is 100%. Jose looks like Jose. Would love to sign an OF that can hit for power.
Assume you mean Josh Naylor passed his physical? RH OF Nick Castellanos would be a great pickup for Cleveland, but I would be stunned beyond belief if that happened.
If I ever call them anything besides "Cleveland", it might be "G-Men". Or not. "Guardians" is retarded. Nobody ever cared about the statues on the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge. It was never an ingrained part of life in Cleveland like the team tried to sell it as. Its just lame.
Maybe not the Indians, Tribe, or Wahoos anymore, but they are still the Featherheads, based on their awful new logo. Either that or ... Paulie Walnuts, anybody?
I will never go back and watch baseball in Cleveland. My team the Indians are no more. Hope this team does not get supported and they move.
This past August, the Guardians and the city of Cleveland agreed to a 15 year lease extension through 2036 with an option the city can extend an additional 10 years keeping the team here through at least 2046. They aren't going anywhere for a long time.
In the end, Cleveland could have a professional "dung" shoveling team and I would root for them.
I will always have a Wahoo hat as long as they can be found somewhere or the last one I own still has threads holding it together. That said, Guardians it is even if I don't like the change in name.
I will never go back and watch baseball in Cleveland. My team the Indians are no more. Hope this team does not get supported and they move.
I find it hilarious how some people get so worked up about a name change but would welcome with open arms a QB with 22 civil suits over sexual misconduct pending. You couldn't make that kind of BS up if you tried.
I don't know what happens with Freeman, but is it possible the Braves are planning on Olson being their DH? It would also allow them to get Freeman off his feet once a week or so, and let him DH.
I don't know what happens with Freeman, but is it possible the Braves are planning on Olson being their DH? It would also allow them to get Freeman off his feet once a week or so, and let him DH.
Olson is is the best fielding first basemen in the league.
I find it hilarious how some people get so worked up about a name change
I'm not worked up, although I would have preferred the Cleveland Sliders over the Guardians. Sliders sound more like baseball. Sliding into second base.
I just hope the animal activists don't want to take animal names off a team's nickname.
I still wish they would have just called them the tribe.
I effing can not believe this. Freddie Freeman is gone. He was brought up by the Braves. He is gold glove 1st baseman. A MVP. He is clutch.
He is 32. One of the most popular guys in all sports. He would have retired a Brave and gone into the Hall as a Brave. He got us to the World Series.
We have the money. His teammates begged for the GM to sign him. I don't understand. Freddie is everything you can ask for as a player.
I do not understand this. I hate the GM he can suck eggs.
Let's see how it plays out. The NL just opened a DH slot, so maybe it isn't over.
As for pay, face it, if the Yankees, Mets, Dodgers and maybe a few others, if money is Freddies motivation, then he will leave because those teams are in different money leagues. The Braves can't outbid those teams.
Olson cost 4 high value prospects. He is a gold glove 1st baseman.
Freddie is gone. I am pissed off. Players like Chipper and Freddie you retire them. The GM should have gone to the owners and said we must keep Freddie.
So they lose Pache, Langeliers, Cusick was just drafted (100 + FB), Estes another good pitching prospect.
Freddie wanted 6 years and fair market value. He wanted to stay.
This is just wrong.
They will still be great with Olson. He is a very good player. That is not the point. You don't let Freddie go.
Sooooooo team friendly. Nowhere else can you get a hitter like Jose for 2yrs/$24 million, and he is already here. If they trade Jose, I might pack this season in, and pick them back up in ‘23.
Olson cost 4 high value prospects. He is a gold glove 1st baseman.
Freddie is gone. I am pissed off. Players like Chipper and Freddie you retire them. The GM should have gone to the owners and said we must keep Freddie.
So they lose Pache, Langeliers, Cusick was just drafted (100 + FB), Estes another good pitching prospect.
Freddie wanted 6 years and fair market value. He wanted to stay.
This is just wrong.
They will still be great with Olson. He is a very good player. That is not the point. You don't let Freddie go.
I guess we just disagree, and seems that Freddie has as well. I can agree if we didn't try to sign him or offered some low contract. I guess we will find out when we see what Freddie signs for. Trust me, I don't like it any more than you, but baseball is insane with the money being paid and the reality is that most teams just can't compete with the mega markets because the broadcast rights are just way above what even a city like Atlanta can generate. That's money you just can't make up by raising ticket prices or trying to charge broadcasters what the Yankees or Dodgers can charge.
The site says something else is on, but when you click the "listen live" button, the game is on. If you get a prompt for your location, use a Cleveland zip code - 44114. Good to hear baseball on a gloomy Saturday in March.
Guardians Inactivity Is Mind Boggling MW Cleveland Sports March 22, 2022 2 Minutes When baseball locked out its players, fans were left to think about all the transactions that could be made to strengthen their favorite baseball team.
Now that spring training camps are open, and have been that way for a couple of weeks, supporters of the Cleveland Guardians are still feeling the same way.
Since the labor agreement was reached, the Guardians’ front office has added one player, catcher Luke Maile, another defensive oriented catcher with a lifetime OPS of 568.
It is evident to us that one of two things are in play here: Either Chris Antonetti and Mike Chernoff are completely satisfied by the current roster or ownership isn’t giving them any money to spend.
And if the latter is true, that still doesn’t preclude the brass from making trades.
In case you missed it, the Guardians didn’t win the World Series last season. In fact, they finished under .500 for the season at 80-82.
Their current offense features one hitter with a slugging percentage of over .450 and also an on base percentage of .350 (Jose Ramirez) and two hitters who above those figures in just one of the categories (Myles Straw in OBP and Franmil Reyes in slugging).
Cleveland ranked in the middle of the pack in the AL in slugging a year ago, but were third from the bottom in getting on base. We have written about this ad nauseum all off-season, and suggested several available candidates, such as Andrew McCutchen, Anthony Rizzo, and Tommy Pham.
Only Pham is still available, as is Michael Conforto, who has a career .356 OBP. To date, the Guardians have not been linked with any of them.
Yes, there is still time to make a move, but the season opens two weeks from Thursday.
The Guards’ roster make up is very strange. They have 13 players on the current 40 man roster without any big league experience. They have a glut of middle infielders, including four of their top ten prospects.
The assumption was the front office would deal from strength to bolster the team’s holes, which would be the outfield and the bullpen.
Now, if the Guardians are going to make a commitment to play their young outfielders, such as Steven Kwan (.380 OBP in the minors), Richie Palacios (.409), or even Oscar Gonzalez (871 OPS at AAA/AA last season), then we can get on board with that.
However, our fear is they will trot Bradley Zimmer and Oscar Mercado out there for the first six weeks of the season, and wonder why they got off to a poor start.
Terry Francona has also said they are planning to use Amed Rosario at both LF and SS. This is another head scratcher. Shortstop is the key defensive position on the diamond, and Rosario is not very good at the position.
And it’s not as though Cleveland doesn’t need a left fielder. Just put Rosario out there and open up short for Andres Gimenez and/or Gabriel Arias.
Oh, and is Josh Naylor is ready for the opener, move him to first base and leave him there.
This organization seems to be terrified of making a mistake, and we believe that is why we continue to see Zimmer, Mercado, and even Bobby Bradley get chance after chance.
There is enough of a history with each of those players that most people can figure out what they will bring to a team. Unfortunately, the people in charge obviously cannot.
For years, people around the sport have praised the Guardians’ front office. Is it time to start judging them more harshly.
Ken Carman @KenCarman .@DreKnott just told us on @fox8news that Jose Ramirez's people are in Goodyear right now discussing possible extension with the Guardians.
There should be an organized fans protest against Dolan. He should be fined by the league, or forced to sell.
I love the Guardians but they are hard to follow because of their financial limits.
I live in Atlanta. I have been a Braves fan going back to when Hank Aaron was with Milwaukee. Then I moved to Atlanta in 1978.
So, I have been a Braves fan almost as long as I was a Indians fan.
So ready for Baseball. The worst time of year is after the Super Bowl. Not a big basketball fan. Playoffs some. After football I await baseball season.
The Braves have a really good team. Losing Freddie Freeman really hurt me personally as well as many other fans. But the Braves got Matt Olson.
No harm to the bottom line with their lineup and the new DH. Then they added Jansen to their pen which was already great. Can't wait to watch Ronold Acuna again. He is a great player.
It amazes me how some people get so worked up over things like this while trying to minimize and accept things that are far more important than this. It speaks to the society we live in today.
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Opening day for the Guardians is less than two weeks away. Here’s what I’m hearing from spring training:
1. Things like this are subject to change. A veteran looking for work could show up late in camp to help Cleveland’s outfield. But for now, I hear the plan is to go with young players – especially given how some of them have performed this spring.
2. Last week, I wrote about the possibility of Amed Rosario playing a lot of left field. He’s not done that much in spring training, but it’s still something the Guardians are considering. They are very excited about their young middle infielders.
3. There’s a good chance Yu Chang can be the opening day second baseman. He’s pounding the ball in spring training (.465, 2 HR). Chang seemed to find his confidence after the 2021 All-Star break, hitting .271 (.857 OPS) with 7 HR in 132 plate appearances. It feels as if he’s been around since Tris Speaker played in Cleveland, but he’s 26. His time is now.
4. Young shortstops Gabriel Arias (batting .583) and Andres Gimenez (batting .417) have been impressive. Arias skipped over Class AA last season, batting .284 (.802 OPS) with 29 doubles and 13 HR with 55 RBI in 115 games Class AAA Columbus. He turned 22 on Feb. 27. MLB.com rates Arias the No. 3 prospect in the Cleveland system – George Valera and Daniel Espino are the top two.
5. Gimenez was Cleveland’s opening day shortstop a year ago at the age of 22. He had a rough time at the plate, hitting only .218 (.633 OPS). But at Class AAA Columbus, Gimenez was a .287 hitter (.844 OPS) with 10 HR and 31 RBI in 51 games.
6. Gimenez came to Cleveland along with Rosario in the Francisco Lindor deal with the Mets. Arias was part of the massive 2021 trade with San Diego. Cleveland sent Mike Clevinger and Greg Allen to the Padres for Cal Quantrill, Austin Hedges, Josh Naylor, Owen Miller, Joey Cantillo and Arias. Clevinger is coming back from his second Tommy John elbow surgery. Quantrill is in the Guards’ starting rotation, Hedges is the starting catchers and the others are legitimate prospects. Miller is hitting .438 this spring.
7. The Guardians would love Bradley Zimmer to have a big spring. So far, he’s struck out 10 times in 16 at-bats, batting .133. He’s 29 and out of minor league options. I’ve heard one of two rookie outfielders will make the team – Richie Palacios or Steven Kwan. The Guardians believe both are close to being big league ready.
8. The Guardians could do something like Chang at second with either Gimenez or Arias at short. My guess is they’d open with Gimenez because he has some big league experience. They’d send Arias back to Class AAA. Ernie Clement (having a hot spring, batting .565) could be the utility infielder.
9. I keep hearing how the Guardians “want to give young players a chance.” They made huge trades with veterans to bring in prospects the last few years. They believe this is the time to see if they have a new wave of viable big leaguers coming. Josh Naylor is ahead of schedule recovering from his fractured leg last year. He may not open in Cleveland, but could be in the outfield soon. He is starting to play in some spring games.
10. So the outfield could have Myles Straw (CF), Rosario (LF) and Kwan or Palacios in RF. Naylor could be there soon. Oscar Mercado is having a better spring than Zimmer. I sense he is now rated ahead of Zimmer. Both are out of minor league options. The Guards’ top minor league prospect according to MLB.com is an outfielder – thank heavens! That’s George Valera, who batted .260 (.910 OPS) with 19 HR between Class A and AA last season at the age of 20. But he is not ready for Cleveland now.
11. Bobby Bradley also is out of minor league options. He is set to start at first base, but this could be a career-changing year for him. He either takes hold of the job, or he could end up out of the team’s plans by the end of 2022. He has tremendous power and the Guardians don’t want to give up on him too soon.
12. The Guardians are shopping for more veteran pitchers. They brought back Bryan Shaw (6-7, 3.49 ERA), who led the American League with 81 appearances for Cleveland last season. They want more veteran relievers to join the back end of the bullpen of Emmanuel Clase and James Karinchak. Eli Morgan, Trevor Stephan and Anthony Gose can help in relief.
13. Interesting comment from MLB.com’s Jim Callis, who writes extensively about the minors: “Daniel Espino has more upside than any Cleveland mound prospect since CC Sabathia and could force his way to the big leagues.”
14. I doubt the 21-year-old Espino will open the season in Cleveland. He split last year between two Class A teams – Lake County and Lynchburg – and was 3-8 with a 3.73 ERA. He needs more experience. Espino throws 100 mph with a sharp breaking ball. He struck out 152 in 91 innings last season. He is rated the No. 51 prospect in the minors by MLB.com.
15. I know Guardians fans want to talk more about payroll, not spending, etc. I’m headed to Goodyear on Tuesday for a week, and I’ll deal with that topic as I talk to the team’s executives in Arizona.
Honestly, I just don't get what they're trying to do or build.
If I were a manager of a team and didn't have much money or sway to get people here, I'd try to take things in small steps. Get better to a point where you're equal to or better than the competition (best teams in the league), specialize in something, and make your team the best at it. Maybe it'll be power hitting or home runs, maybe it'll be fielding. Keep working with that and add other pieces to the system and eventually, you have a good team that's fairly competent in all phases of the game.
That takes years and maybe I haven't been following them as closely as some people. I don't know what they're trying to do.
It's all about the mindset of ownership. You can see it when they want to win, it's easy to see because they'll do whatever they can and PAY whatever it takes. They're all in like the regular fan would be! They care because it's something they're responsible for and take pride in. A good example of this would be the Browns, Haslam, and their moves since Andrew Berry became GM.
The goal is to win the super bowl, the goal is to win a world series, not just win the division or get the AL pennant. You have to have a mindset and build your team in a mold that can accomplish that going into the process. You can't lose sight of that.
There is a problem when one team has a payroll of $40 and another team has a payroll of $240.
That should not be. It is a huge factor in attendance and overall popularity.
One of the main reasons for the popularity of the NFL is competitive balance. You can see that in the popularity of the NFL draft. The worst team sees a chance to improve quickly.
I love baseball. Love it. But I hate the financial structure.
If I were a manager of a team and didn't have much money or sway to get people here, I'd try to take things in small steps. Get better to a point where you're equal to or better than the competition (best teams in the league), specialize in something, and make your team the best at it. Maybe it'll be power hitting or home runs, maybe it'll be fielding. Keep working with that and add other pieces to the system and eventually, you have a good team that's fairly competent in all phases of the game.
The Guardians do this with pitching. They have one of the best rotations in baseball for several years. In the 2021 MLB draft they selected 18 pitchers out of their 20 draft picks.
Their problem has been a complete inability to field a major league outfield. Zero power from the corner outfield positions.
Honestly, I just don't get what they're trying to do or build.
If I were a manager of a team and didn't have much money or sway to get people here, I'd try to take things in small steps. Get better to a point where you're equal to or better than the competition (best teams in the league), specialize in something, and make your team the best at it. Maybe it'll be power hitting or home runs, maybe it'll be fielding. Keep working with that and add other pieces to the system and eventually, you have a good team that's fairly competent in all phases of the game.
Specialize in getting players on base, loading the bases and getting players home. That's baseball and that's what I enjoy the most. Strategy is key ! Home runs are fun when there are players on base running in.
Single run home runs are blah to me, yes it's a run, I just really enjoy base stealing and running, those hits over the infield players heads and short of the outfielders gloves !
On the deck listening to Tom Hamilton on the radio, looking forward to it !
Waiting patiently for Blitzer to run Dolan out of town !
Sorry about the irrelevancy of my comment... but this is a big part of the reason why I have a hard time following baseball. "Pearl clutching" (perfect description btw) over dumb unwritten rules is ridiculous. On top of that, nobody will do anything about it... just whining at each other.
What's the # of major league bats in this line-up? I say 3 or 4, depending on how charitable I feel about Reyes on a given day. I just don't understand how a team could have success developing pitchers and middle infielders, but never be able to develop corner infielders and outfielders (ie, hitters).
What's the # of major league bats in this line-up? I say 3 or 4, depending on how charitable I feel about Reyes on a given day. I just don't understand how a team could have success developing pitchers and middle infielders, but never be able to develop corner infielders and outfielders (ie, hitters).
Simple, you have to draft those to able to develop them. They almost never use a high draft pick on anything except pitcher and SS.
Love Steven Kwan, hope they give him time and let him develop. If George Valera continues to develop, Kwan, Straw, and Valera will be a very good OF in the future.
I like it. Any lineup without Yu Chang flailing at sliders well outside the strike zone is good with me. I’m ready for the Yu Chang experience to end. Bobby Bradley can go after him.
This team has 1 run in 19 innings and 3 XB hits. Leave Hedges on the bench and see what guys like Lavastida can do, although I’m sure he’ll be sent back to minors when Maile comes off the D.L..
Steven Kwan's MLB career is 5 games. He has 15 AB in 24 PA. He's hitting .677 with 10 hits in 15 AB, 2-2B, 1-3B, and 7 BB with 0 K. He has yet to swing and miss.
Think about that last sentence. A 23 y/o kid playing at the highest level for the first time in his life, has hit the ball every time he has swung his bat!
Late in the last 2 games I've seen umps give him the benefit of the doubt on close pitches, like they would with a veteran player with a reputation for having a good eye.
He looks nothing like him, but his combination of hand/eye coordination and bat control reminds me of Tony Gwynn. And I get the feeling that he has inspired the rest of his team.
We'll see what happens, but we may be witnessing something truly special.
It's bonkers. Kwan's approach at the plate is incredible.
Good analogy with Gwynn. I'd also say he makes contact and fouls off tough pitches like Ichiro. Good for him, great story for a guy who almost walked away from the game not too long ago.
Hats off to the organization for playing the young guys and keeping guys in the lineup that put that bat on the ball.
I'd consider moving Rosario to cleanup and Reyes to five to better protect Ramirez. Soon, they'll just pitch around Ramirez and let Reyes flail at sliders. Reyes is lost at the plate. Just really bad at bats.
Hat tip to Owen Miller for what he is doing.
Ride the hot bats on a young team. Let Lavastida play over Hedges. Hedges is garbage offensively. Defense is better, but Hedges is an automatic out.
Guardians currently have scored 37 runs in the last 3 games and owns the MLB lead for run differential, runs scored and team BA. Wild!
Let Lavastida play over Hedges. Hedges is garbage offensively. Defense is better, but Hedges is an automatic out.
The Indians...sorry, Guardians, under Tito, have preferred defense first catchers over good hitters. There is good reason for that approach. Sure, it's great to have one who's good at both, but given a choice, they (and I) prefer a good backstop.
Let Lavastida play over Hedges. Hedges is garbage offensively. Defense is better, but Hedges is an automatic out.
The Indians...sorry, Guardians, under Tito, have preferred defense first catchers over good hitters. There is good reason for that approach. Sure, it's great to have one who's good at both, but given a choice, they (and I) prefer a good backstop.
No doubt they have considered the C position an afterthought offensively. I'd look at this year as an opportunity to experiment more at the position. The team is young, expectations couldn't be lower and the SPs are dialed in for the most part. They aren't throwing sinkers in the dirt. Give me batted balls in play offensively!
Steven Kwan's MLB career is 5 games. He has 15 AB in 24 PA. He's hitting .677 with 10 hits in 15 AB, 2-2B, 1-3B, and 7 BB with 0 K. He has yet to swing and miss.
Think about that last sentence. A 23 y/o kid playing at the highest level for the first time in his life, has hit the ball every time he has swung his bat!
Late in the last 2 games I've seen umps give him the benefit of the doubt on close pitches, like they would with a veteran player with a reputation for having a good eye.
He looks nothing like him, but his combination of hand/eye coordination and bat control reminds me of Tony Gwynn. And I get the feeling that he has inspired the rest of his team.
We'll see what happens, but we may be witnessing something truly special.
The Tony Gwinn/Ichiro comparisons this early are amazing, he just looks so comfortable at the plate like he’s a 5 year veteran.
We gotta keep Rosario, Gimenez, Mercado, Clement, Miller, and Kwan in the daily lineup. How close is Reyes to losing some at bats. Franmil Reyes = Pedro Cerrano right now, and not in the good way.
Crazy how just a month ago everyone on social media were talking so much trash on our Guardians lineup, I know it’s early and quite possibly won’t continue but it’s been a good start.
The MLBPA is not going to be happy with Jose or his agent. He could have gotten a lot more, but then again if you're comfortable and happy somewhere, why not? Its still a bleepload of money, after all.
The MLBPA is not going to be happy with Jose or his agent. He could have gotten a lot more, but then again if you're comfortable and happy somewhere, why not? Its still a bleepload of money, after all.
Your post made me think about all the non athletes in this world who are sweating their asses off with not much pay or insurance to make ends meet. Yet they provide the food we eat. and all the other needs we need to live.
Then there's sports that raised a cost of beer to $12...
I can't get used to the name "Guardians." It's not as dumb as Commanders or whatever Washington is called, but it's really lame. Then again, I was never a comic book fan.
I think the Cleveland fans should simply make up their own name for the Cleveland Baseball Team...maybe something like "CBT"...
or, shorten up the name Guardians up to Guard..."The Guard"....or a shorter designation such as "TCG"... or "G-Men"...
In this day and age people come up with their own names or designations for all kind of things and people...why not do the same with Cleveland's baseball team?
1a : a social group composed chiefly of numerous families, clans, or generations having a shared ancestry and language 1b : a political division of the Roman people originally representing one of the three original tribes of ancient Rome 2 : a group of persons having a common character, occupation, or interest 3 : a category of taxonomic classification ranking [of plants or animals] below a subfamily also : a natural group irrespective of taxonomic rank the cat tribe the rose tribe
Bradley looked and played like he'd rather be anywhere else today. He was brutal in the field and not much better at the plate. I'm guessing he'll be DFA'd soon. Bring up Arias to help fill the middle infield/utility role, and put Owen Miller at 1B.
You're correct that Arias was called up for the DH. It was understood he'd be sent back down after the game(s). It's only a matter of time before he's up here permanently. He's the SS of the future.
JRam will be in the conversation for AL MVP this season. But he won’t win it because of Ohtani or Trout and that sucks. He could put up a .320 avg, 40 hr’s, 145 rbi’s, 50 doubles, and 30 sb’s and still won’t win it, and that sucks, but it is the reality for a Cleveland baseball player.
Don’t remember the actual stats but Albert Belle was far and away the best player in the AL in like ‘96 or ‘97 and he didn’t win it.
When Arias comes up for good, who goes? Rosario/Gimenez, one has to go, Arias has to play everyday, and so do they. Just to get him up do we DFA Chang or Bradley?
JRam will be in the conversation for AL MVP this season. But he won’t win it because of Ohtani or Trout and that sucks. He could put up a .320 avg, 40 hr’s, 145 rbi’s, 50 doubles, and 30 sb’s and still won’t win it, and that sucks, but it is the reality for a Cleveland baseball player.
Don’t remember the actual stats but Albert Belle was far and away the best player in the AL in like ‘96 or ‘97 and he didn’t win it.
When Arias comes up for good, who goes? Rosario/Gimenez, one has to go, Arias has to play everyday, and so do they. Just to get him up do we DFA Chang or Bradley?
Come on Frenchy, if he posts that, he wins. If not, what kind of numbers might the others post?
Albert is a different deal. He had some negatives in the minds of many.
JRam will be in the conversation for AL MVP this season. But he won’t win it because of Ohtani or Trout and that sucks. He could put up a .320 avg, 40 hr’s, 145 rbi’s, 50 doubles, and 30 sb’s and still won’t win it, and that sucks, but it is the reality for a Cleveland baseball player.
Don’t remember the actual stats but Albert Belle was far and away the best player in the AL in like ‘96 or ‘97 and he didn’t win it.
When Arias comes up for good, who goes? Rosario/Gimenez, one has to go, Arias has to play everyday, and so do they. Just to get him up do we DFA Chang or Bradley?
Come on Frenchy, if he posts that, he wins. If not, what kind of numbers might the others post?
Albert is a different deal. He had some negatives in the minds of many.
Ohtani will win it again because of his pitching stats combined with the batting stats.
The kid clearly dominates A ball players. Looks like a call up to AA is around the corner.
Espino is already on the AA team.
My bad. I thought I saw A but turns out it was the shortstop hitting a long homer.. That being the case, it isn't out of the realm to just jump from AA to the Bigs. A lot of teams keep their prime pitching prospects in AA so they can work on a few things and still remain confident in doing so until they are comfortable throwing a new pitch..
Also, that being the case, he probably won't move anywhere but AAA soon. A jump to the parent team might no come until the 2nd half of the season.
Josh Naylor first player with 8 RBIs in eighth inning or later, helps Cleveland Guardians stun Chicago White Sox
1:30 AM ET ESPN News Services
CHICAGO -- Josh Naylor hit a tying grand slam with two outs in the ninth inning and a three-run homer in the 11th, powering a huge comeback that carried the Cleveland Guardians past the Chicago White Sox 12-9 on Monday night.
Naylor also had a run-scoring double in the eighth and finished with eight RBIs for the Guardians, who stunned Chicago by rallying from an 8-2 deficit in the ninth aided by two White Sox errors.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Naylor became the first player since the stat became official in 1920 to have eight RBIs from the eighth inning on in a game. He also became the first player in major league history with multiple three-run home runs (or a grand slam) from the ninth inning on in a game.
"Nothing surprises me what he can do with the bat," teammate Franmil Reyes said. "That was amazing. A legendary moment."
Andrés Giménez led off the ninth inning with a homer and then doubled home a run in the 10th as the Guardians snapped Chicago's six-game winning streak. They have won eight of 10 following a seven-game skid.
It was the first multihomer game for Naylor, back from a horrific leg injury last season. He is 10-for-17 with runners in scoring position this year.
Naylor launched his first career slam off Liam Hendriks, handing the All-Star closer his first blown save since April 8.
Naylor's go-ahead drive came off Ryan Burr and barely cleared the right-field fence. Burr (0-1) started the 11th in place of Reynaldo Lopez, who felt lower back tightness while warming up and left the game.
"It stings," Hendriks said. "It should have been something I should have taken care of. We were one strike away and I couldn't get it done. That's what stings the most."
Burr was equally remorseful.
"It sucks," he said. "Some days you're the windshield, some days you're the bug. I was the bug today. I got squashed. It sucks to let this team down."
Emmanuel Clase (1-2) allowed a run in the 10th but earned the win. Trevor Stephan pitched a perfect 11th for his second major league save and first this season.
White Sox starter Michael Kopech allowed two hits through six innings, and Chicago got three-run homers from Gavin Sheets and AJ Pollock to build a big lead. But four errors, which tied a season high set April 20 in the first game of a doubleheader, haunted the White Sox.
Sheets dropped a line drive to right field with two outs in the first that allowed the Guardians' first run to score. Chicago shortstop Tim Anderson and third baseman Yoan Moncada committed costly errors in the ninth.
The White Sox loaded the bases on three walks in the bottom of the ninth, but third baseman Jose Ramirez made a diving stop and Naylor stretched far at first base to field the throw for the final out of the inning.
Kopech lowered his ERA to 0.93, and his six innings tied a career high set Aug. 26, 2018, at Detroit.
The game marked the return of Moncada and the White Sox debut of reliever Joe Kelly. Moncada hadn't played this season because of a right oblique strain. Kelly, who was out due to a right biceps nerve injury, pitched a scoreless seventh.
Information from ESPN's Jesse Rogers and The Associated Press was used in this report.
I turned it off after the 6th, didnt see them doing anything like that last night. Sad too, I checked the score right before bed and I coulda watched the whole thing.
After all the years of waiting for the Guardians to play their younger players, they are finally doing it now. Little more exciting to watch the youngsters than old, washed up vets. Hope Valera and Espino gets their shots this season.
After all the years of waiting for the Guardians to play their younger players, they are finally doing it now. Little more exciting to watch the youngsters than old, washed up vets. Hope Valera and Espino gets their shots this season.
Absolutely agree. Let the young guys play and .500 will be a successful season.
Also, Jose is racking up RBIs at a record pace. 5 more today.
After all the years of waiting for the Guardians to play their younger players, they are finally doing it now. Little more exciting to watch the youngsters than old, washed up vets. Hope Valera and Espino gets their shots this season.
Absolutely agree. Let the young guys play and .500 will be a successful season.
Also, Jose is racking up RBIs at a record pace. 5 more today.
I agree. If you see those guys as the future, and you aren't pushing for a crown of some sort let them play. You can always pull them out if the are having a tough go. A vet you might wait to let him hit out of 0-30, but a rook probably needs a little time to just catch his breath. Then put him back in and see what happens.
After all the years of waiting for the Guardians to play their younger players, they are finally doing it now. Little more exciting to watch the youngsters than old, washed up vets. Hope Valera and Espino gets their shots this season.
To be fair, they have been letting the young guys play.....they just ended up being really bad.
Zimmer Bradley Chang Bauers Mercado Naquin H. Ramirez (doing better in Tampa)
What do we do with Franmil we he comes back? Slated for his rehab to start shortly in Columbus. Kinda hoping we trade him and continue to let the young kids play. He reminds me so much of Pedro Serrano of the fictional Indians in Major League.
What do we do with Franmil we he comes back? Slated for his rehab to start shortly in Columbus. Kinda hoping we trade him and continue to let the young kids play. He reminds me so much of Pedro Serrano of the fictional Indians in Major League.
I think Cleveland HAS to find a way to get Naylor off the 1B position. He's beyond brutal there, with numerous critical errors at the worst times. He's also pretty bad in RF, so they have to use him at DH, IMO. That's a problem with regards to finding at-bats for Reyes, because he has to DH too, because of defensive shortcomings. Naylor has shown he can be clutch with the bat, so I think they should be trying to deal Reyes after he rehabs and - hopefully - shows an uptick at the plate. That long swing of his is always going to be prone to slumps - again - in my opinion.
The reports are good so far. High velocity and overall looks very good. He is a very good pitcher and the injury was not arm related.
Hard to say about control and touch on his pitches. Mike has a simple delivery and good mechanics. Once he gets streached out it is a matter of building stamina. That and how quickly he recovers between starts. The Braves will be conservative with him. He will have strict pitch counts.
After about four or five starts hopefully he will fall into a groove.
Astros become 1st team in MLB history to throw 2 immaculate innings in same game
Jack Baer·Writer Wed, June 15, 2022, 5:35 PM·2 min read 8:10 PM
MLB's most "blink and you'll miss it" achievement is the immaculate inning, but the Houston Astros gave fans a second chance on Wednesday.
The Astros became the first team in MLB history to throw two immaculate innings in the same game, with pitchers Luis Garcia and Phil Maton both throwing 1-2-3 innings with three strikeouts on nine pitches. They were the 107th and 108th immaculate innings ever thrown in MLB.
The achievement is so rare, it was also the first time multiple immaculate innings had been thrown on the same calendar date, let alone the same game or by the same team, per MLB.com's Sarah Langs. Entering Wednesday, the Astros had more no-hitters (13) than immaculate innings (seven).
The first one came from Garcia in the second inning, with the Astros already leading 6-1.
The second came from Maton in the seventh inning, against the same set of batters: Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Duran and Brad Miller.
They feel strikingly like the cavs. Super young team, few knuckle heads and low drama, some real talent but still super green. Surprising a lot of people but still have some serious questions about their ability to maintain it over a long season. Still, it’s a lot to build on. So much nicer to follow and talk about than the Browns right now.
They do and it will likely end in similar fashion... a couple untimely injuries, young kids just running out of gas.. maybe they limp into the playoffs, but I doubt it.
The future is bright, the Guardians will have about a 2 year window after this year, I'm guessing, to try to win something. Then a lot of this young talent will start to disappear. It's a shame really.
The future is bright, the Guardians will have about a 2 year window after this year, I'm guessing, to try to win something. Then a lot of this young talent will start to disappear. It's a shame really.
The positive is the G tribe's minor leagues is very deep. So there is still a lot to look forward to in the future. The caveat to that is obviously will the talent pan out or not and/or will the team trade off future pieces to take away from that depth. We do have some pieces that will have to move either this year or next (examples: Rosario, Tyler Freeman, and maybe Braccio) due to log jams at positions.
This is the best team ever ! They are young and they love playing with each other and it is so fun to watch. Although I mostly listen to it on the radio because of Hamilton and Rosey. Hopefully they do another amazing come back, even if not, ya can't win every game !
I follow the Guardians daily through box scores but don't get to watch them unless they are on national tv.
I watch the Braves. Last night Freddie Freeman returned to Atl. for the first time. They had a ceremony and gave him his Series ring.
One of the best things I have seen in sports in a long time. Freddie had a hard time talking. He was overwhelmed with emotion. He was drafted as a 17 year old by the Braves and grew up in the organization. He played 12 years and is on a HOF track. He lived about mile away from me. He wanted to stay a Brave. The whole free agency ordeal turned into a mess. He regrets it. Last night was really touching.
Freddie is one of my all time favorite players. Super popular guy. Great player who did everything the right way. His speech last night was heart felt to his soul. We forget that these players are human and are impacted like we all are from our surroundings. Freddie always was wearing that smile and loved playing for the Braves. The Braves have a great culture for a organization. Players love the team.
Through coaching and living here I have come in contact with a lot of Braves players and people in the organization. I hear the word "family" used commercially often but the Braves really do have a family reputation as an organization.
Great win for Cleveland. I had just gotten finished MF-ing Tom Hamilton for calling a HR on Naylor's foul fly, and Gimenez comes through. That young man deserves All Star votes. Great trade getting him and Rosario for Lindor.
I was not. Out of town for work. I did however give my mom my tickets to take my youngest son up to the 5-0 loss the day before!
That's the way it always works for me lol.
Haha, sounds like me. When I was stationed in DC the past few years, I would drive up to Baltimore for the one weekend series. That was one of my highlights every summer going to that O's/Tribe weekend series. A couple years ago, we had a solid team and the O's were terrible. Friday nights final score 16-0 O's.....Saturday nights final score 16-0 O's. Naturally, I didn't go Sunday and the Tribe ends up winning by a few runs. I did get to see a record of highest run total while being shut out in back to back games though!
Awesome game today!! Wow, was fun to watch both games.
Was so happy to see Josh hit that homer. I really hope he keeps improving here as he has the past two years.
I was just thinking about the O's series last year that I went for the weekend. I would get tickets the first game for first row behind the dugout, then the next two I usually would just hang out in centerfield at Camden. Anyways, the first game Josh was coming into the dugout right before the game started. I said to him, "hey Josh, (he looks up at me) tear it up today!" He just responded with a smile and a nod.
I just saw Memphis's post about Bieber, that reminded me that after the game Shane was hanging out waiting for a female (i think it was his fiancé/future wife at the time). I ended up talking to him for a few minutes before she arrived. Really cool guy, all smiles and etc.
That just got me thinking Josh ended up having that gruesome injury a few weeks later, then Shane ended up having shoulder issues. So I am part of the blame for the last years season.
The positive is they shipped me far enough away from the team.
It will be as long as six years before David Blitzer can become majority owner of Guardians – Terry Pluto Updated: Jul. 02, 2022, 6:07 a.m. | Published: Jul. 02, 2022, 6:06 a.m. PAUL DOLAN WILL KEEP CONTROLLING FOR 6 YEARS Paul Dolan is bringing in David Blitzer as a minority partner. John Kuntz, cleveland.com
By Terry Pluto, cleveland.com CLEVELAND, Ohio – Paul Dolan and his family have owned the Cleveland baseball franchise since 1999. They are one of the few MLB franchises not owned by a group.
1. David Blitzer is buying slightly less than 25 percent of the Guardians from Dolan. It has been revealed that Cleveland businessman Matt Kaulig is part of the Blitzer group. I’ve heard there are several other minor investors.
2. A little history: In 2016, John Sherman bought 15 percent of the franchise. It was the first time the Dolans added a minority owner. The deal included a road for Sherman to become majority owner in six years. Sherman later bought another 10 percent, giving him a 25 percent stake in the franchise.
3. In 2019, Sherman’s hometown Kansas City Royals became available. He put together a group of several investors – including Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes – and purchased a controlling interest in the Royals for $1 billion. As Sherman departed, Dolan bought back 10 percent from his former partner.
4. The remaining 15 percent went into an escrow account as Dolan shopped for a new minority owner. Major League Baseball didn’t like the idea of anyone owning parts of two franchises. Sherman also wanted his money, and Dolan wanted to settle this situation. The first 15 percent of Blitzer’s purchase went to Sherman. The next 10 percent goes to Dolan.
5. Within three years, the Blitzer group is to add another 5-to-10 percent ownership.
JOINING FORCES WITH PAUL DOLAN David Blitzer has made a good first impression with several members of the Guardians organization. Getty Images
6. Fans who are expecting the Blitzer group to gain a controlling interest in the franchise will have to wait. The deal states that it will be six years before that can happen. After that point, Dolan will remain a part of the ownership group as a minority owner. But it doesn’t have to happen. Big point is Dolan will retain controlling interest for at least six years.
7. Dolan spent more than a year talking to Blitzer before cutting the deal. It was the same lengthy process he used with Sherman. This is important. One of the reasons not only is the need for Dolan and the new minority investor to share the same basic values and vision, it’s to make sure the key people in front office can connect with Blitzer.
8. Blitzer met with President Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff and others in the organization. I hear those meetings went well, which was very important to Dolan. Part of the reason the Guardians have had eight winning seasons in the last nine years (five trips to the playoffs) is the ability of ownership, front office and manager/coaches to work together. Manager Terry Francona has been with the team for all nine years, along with Antonetti and Chernoff.
9. “We have to make hard decisions (about trades),” said Chernoff at his Thursday press conference. “It’s a tribute to Paul as an owner that he is willing to take the short term pain for the sustainability of the future.”
10. The Guardians have traded stars Francisco Lindor, Mike Clevinger, Trevor Bauer and Corey Kluber. Some of those moves were economically driven, but others were done because the front office believed it was time to trade an older player for young talent. Current Guardians Emmanuel Clase, Andres Gimenez, Amed Rosario, Franmil Reyes, Josh Naylor, Owen Miller, Cal Quantrill and Austin Hedges are products of those deals.
Dolan trusts his front office, which is not true with every franchise.
MIKE CHERNOFF Guardians GM Mike Chernoff said the team's way of doing business will not change dramatically with David Blitzer joining the ownership group.
11. Blitzer is worth an estimated $1.3 billion. Along with Joshua Harris, he has ownership stakes in the Philadelphia 76ers (NBA), New Jersey Devils (NHL) and Pittsburgh Steelers (NFL). Blitzer also led a group that bought Real Salt Lake (MSL Soccer), but Harris is not a part of that group. The deal with the Guardians does not include Harris. I heard Blitzer is a baseball fan and owning a franchise has been one of his goals for a while. He appears to be branching out on his own with his own group.
12. Chernoff on Blitzer: “He’s a great compliment to Paul. I know how excited (Dolan) is to bring him on as a partner. He brings a lot of expertise in other sports and other areas. We’ve already started to tap into that, just in conversations. We’re excited to grow some of those partnerships.”
14. More Chernoff: “I wouldn’t expect our operating philosophy to change. The industry economic model is what it is and so we know what our challenges are being a small market. We don’t shy away from those at all. We’re not expecting that to change in any way and yet we still need to compete with all 29 other teams and our goal is exactly the same as every one of those other teams, to win the World Series.”
15. The Guardians aren’t going to become a large market, big spending team with Blitzer in place. The payroll could go up some. But as Chernoff said, “We have to make a lot of trades to compete.”
This team will be fueled by young talent and smart moves adding veterans at the right time.
Now if we can just get Valera for Mercado (DFA again), Noel for Reyes or Miller (trade or DFA), and Naylor for Leon (DFA), or Maile (DFA) we might be on to something.
Maybe also trade Bieber, he’s lost his fastball. Might get a really good return if a team hasn’t been watching him this year.
Baseball is loaded with stats. The game today is driven by analytics.
Once in awhile you see a stat that makes you go damn.
The Braves batting order by RBI's
hitters 1-3 126 RBI's
hitters 4-6 124 RBI's
hitters 7-9 124 RBI's
This year is the first season of the DH in the national league. I was a purist and did not want the DH. I have changed my tune. More offense plain and simple.
Michael Harris is the youngest player in baseball at 21. He is batting ninth. He was brought up to the majors May 29th. He is batting 310 with 7 hr's, 24 rbi's, 28 RS.
The DH gave him the chance to play. They knew he could play a great CF. They knew he could hit but in the bigs?
Damn 4 for 4 last night 4 rbi's and a absolute bomb to the chop house(upper deck).
1 game back of Minnesota, and a true 1 game. At one point we were something like 6 games back in the win column, and now we are only 1. Let's go Tr ... err ..... Guardians.
Feel so good about the Guardians fielders/hitters right now. Seemes set up for a really long run:
LF: Kwan = Future SS: Rosario = Future 3B: JRam = Future 1B: Naylor = replacable, probably by N Jones next season 2B: Gimenez = Future DH: ??? = maybe Noel, has tons of power C: Hedges = replacable, either by B Naylor next season or a Sean Murphy trade today RF: N Jones/W Benson/Brennan/Gonzalez = one is the future, which one is it CF: Straw = replacable, probably/hopefully by G Valera
What do we do with all the middle infielders we have? We gonna have to trade some of them. The only holes we have right now are C and DH.
Last nights game was so much fun to watch. Was sure Benson was going to get that walk off hit. Oh well he scored the walk off run.
imagine what Tito could do with even an average owner. So frustrating watching knowing how good we could be if we just spent some money
You have to make money to spend money. We are, or were in first in our division. The latest attendance figures I could find have us as 25th out of 30 teams.
At some point, a teams ability to spend depends on the revenue it generates. Attendance figures factor in to that. Being a smaller market team, the ad dollars brought in don't compare to the large markets. That is just a fact of life. That money is static. It isn't going to change very much except over a longer period of time.
It really doesn't matter all that much how much money a owner has if the revenue base of the franchise is limited. It isn't realistic to expect a owner to pump in "extra" money from their personal wealth if the teams ability to generate revenue is limited.
I think in terms of the team being a house. If you have a modest sized house in a modest neighborhood, you can pump in a $million. You will have a house with all the bells and whistles, but in the end you are still going to be limited and won't be able to sell the house and expect to get back the money you spent.
If the team was bringing in 30,000 people a game, then I would expect the owner to be a little more willing to spend some of that money on a few fat contracts.
I know you weren't necessarily taking the conversation down that road but it is what it is. It's fun to dream I suppose.
I think they have plenty of revenue streams to spend more than they do. I also believe the adage "spend money to make money" I mean you want to get people in the seats, give them a reason. While this team is overachieving, I think fans know that. They are just waiting for it to go the way it probably should go.. Theres no "star" power here. Look at the 90s with Jacobs.. spent ton of money, 455 straight sellouts. People came when you have the stars and expectations. I know its kind of trying to find that happy medium, but we've been so close to being able to do something and the owners just sit on their hands and we never get over that hump. At some point you need owners that are willing to try to invest to get over the hump. Dolans aren't those guys. We have excellent coaching and I think our GM does a good job with what he has to work with, getting good value on trades when its apparent we are just a farm team at this point for the clubs spending money. But this fanbase has also shown that come end of season when we are in it still they show up. So thats what makes it frustrating.
I don't get to watch the Guardians because of living in Atlanta. I get the NFL package from directv.
I don't the MLB package.
I check the box scores daily and see highlights.
They have a team in first place in mid August. Why are they not drawing fans?
Damn near impossible to get Braves tickets. ===========================================================================
I get that Cleveland is a small market. You have to be profitable. But if you have a team in first place you should draw fans.
The Braves are 12th in payroll and they just won a World Series. What they do. They have done just recently. They identify young talent and sign them to team friendly long term deals. Ozzie Albies, Ronald Acuna, Austin Riley, Matt Olsen, Michael Harris. Michael Harris is 21. He was called up in June. He just signed a 8 year deal for $78. In two years he will be a $20 m player. They just called up Vaughn Grissom. He is tearing it up. He was a minor league teammate of Harris. Watch they will lock him up. Max Fried, Spencer Strider, Kyle Wright watch they will get long term deals.
The Guardians wait for a guy they develop becomes great before they lock him up. They waited for Jose to be a MVP candidate before they paid him a team friendly deal. When you are a small market team. You have to be creative. And you have draft well and develop well.
I dispise the financial structure of MLB. They have monopoly and will not change to the NFL, and NBA model.
The Guardians need to attract another owner and get to the mid level of salary. They have a good farm system. They bring up talent to the MLB. They just don't keep talent.
I guess it is like the question of which came first, the chicken or the egg?
I agree that a team in 1st place in mid-August should be packing the house nearly every game. I think the stadium holds around 35,000. I don't see why they can't draw 25-30,000.
Maybe due to time, distance, cost, and work responsibilities?
I know I won't be going to any Browns games this year due to ticket prices. I'm not poor, nor destitute, but to buy tickets now? (and I would assume the cost will be going down soon due to all the recent news)............hey, that grand, for a day (and night - and food, and beer, and hotel). That's a lot of cabbage for a guy like me.
Indians games? I can't do the week day games. Even the Saturday games. I spend my money on the Mudhens. Cheaper, closer.
Maybe due to time, distance, cost, and work responsibilities?
I know I won't be going to any Browns games this year due to ticket prices. I'm not poor, nor destitute, but to buy tickets now? (and I would assume the cost will be going down soon due to all the recent news)............hey, that grand, for a day (and night - and food, and beer, and hotel). That's a lot of cabbage for a guy like me.
Indians games? I can't do the week day games. Even the Saturday games. I spend my money on the Mudhens. Cheaper, closer.
I understand. I also think there are a lot of people who live a lot closer than the 100 miles away that you do. I don't have any population figures in front of me, but how many people live inside 30 or so miles of the stadium? It has to be over a million. Maybe near 2 million?
At any rate, if the team isn't drawing, no matter the reason, that isn't going to give the owner much motivation to up the payroll.
It got me wondering so I did quick check. It shows 3.6 million in the metro area, but that includes Akron/Canton. Canton might be far enough away to limit the number of people willing to head out for a Tuesday night baseball game. That is about a hour drive away with traffic and all. On a weeknight that might be getting people home a bit late.
Both my teams are in the thick of it. September right around the corner. A month of big games to be played.
Playoffs looming. Best time of the year Fall. Baseball in full bloom. Football getting ready to start. Beautiful.
Braves are a much better team than last year. More power. More speed. Better starters and pen. Really good team. ===========================================================================
Once playoffs begin the regular season means nothing. I don't believe in favorites in the playoffs.
I remember when he was in the minors with the Braves. At that time Ned Yost was the third base coach for the Braves. Josh, Ned's son was my sons catcher. We used to work out together during the winter in cages.
Dero was going to get the call up to the big club. Ned was telling me about him.
He has become an excellent tv guy. I was really happy for him to get Team USA manager job.
The Guards are a real cinderella team. I am stoked about how well they are doing. When I was living in Reno I got the MLB package and became a giant Jose fan. He is a treasure.
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