ARLINGTON — The Guardians have been the ultimate underdog of the 2022 season.
After an Opening Day loss to Kansas City, FanGraphs projected Cleveland to win 77 games, with just a 6.4% chance of winning the American League Central. Fast forward to Sunday afternoon at Globe Life Field and the youngest roster in baseball turned into kids in a candy store, dogpiling on one another in the middle of the field, as they clinched their first division title since 2018 when the White Sox fell to the Tigers just moments before the final out of Cleveland’s 10-4 win over the Rangers.
Maybe Cleveland never doubted the success it could have this season, but it’s not hard to see why one would. The team’s only offseason acquisitions included bringing back right-hander Bryan Shaw, signing righty Enyel De Los Santos to a Minor League deal and inking backup catcher Luke Maile to a one-year contract.
Although the Guardians’ front office insisted it had financial flexibility, no big deals were made. Mix that with a young group of kids who had little to no big league experience and it seemed like the club was destined for a rocky rebuilding season. Instead, Cleveland proved age is but a number, as rookies played like season veterans, as they learned than an old-school approach can compete in today’s game.
It started (and largely ended) with Steven Kwan. He stole the show and gave everyone a preview that Cleveland would be in the headlines this season when he saw 116 pitches to start his career before swinging and missing. He was a constant for the Guardians all season long, helping carry the team to its 11th title since the AL Central’s inception in 1994 with his first career grand slam on Sunday. And with Andrés Giménez settling in to be the player Cleveland knew he could be when the team acquired him and the sudden emergence of Oscar Gonzalez, the offense became much more threatening than anyone expected.
The Guardians are now the first team in AL/NL history to win a division or league title while seeing at least 16 rookies make their Major League debuts, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. MLB.com’s Sarah Langs and Elias also confirmed that the Guardians are now the eighth team to qualify for the playoffs as MLB’s youngest team (weighted by plate appearances and batters faced), and the first to do so since the Mets in 1986.
The Guardians had their first big test in June. They were slated to face the Rockies, Dodgers and Twins during a nine-game road trip, and when Cleveland went 7-2, it gave a glimpse of what this team was capable of. Although it hit lows throughout the season, most recently earlier in September, losing eight of 10 games, the young group never crumbled. Instead, it was a wakeup call that sparked an incredible run to earn the division title.
The Guardians have won 18 of their past 21 matchups. They’ve also extended their win streak to seven games — the longest they’ve had since June 2018. That year, the club was hoping to build on its 91-win series with a special postseason run. Instead, it ended after just the AL Division Series.
The Guardians have a much different team this time around. It’s only been four years, but the only two faces left from the last division-clinching roster are José Ramírez and Shane Bieber. This time, those two will look to lead this young group to heights no one expected this team could reach.
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