As Major League Baseball’s slogan from a few years ago read, the Guardians have “Let the Kids Play” as much as any team in baseball recently.
Such an openness to lean into a youth movement comes with a number of considerations, including a bigger range of outcomes with more uncertainty and an understanding that development is a process, even in the midst of trying to contend for a World Series.
And for the Guardians, that youth combined with their ability to develop pitchers has led to a number of moving parts with the starting rotation.
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Injuries to Triston McKenzie and Aaron Civale helped to open the door to the majors for Tanner Bibee and Logan Allen. But with McKenzie and Civale now healthy, and Bibee and Allen pitching at a high level, the two rookies aren’t going anywhere.
The presence — and high performance — of Bibee and Allen played a role in Zach Plesac losing his spot in the rotation, being optioned to Triple-A and then designated for assignment.
Of course, Plesac didn’t exactly help his case by injuring his own pitching hand in back-to-back seasons (once taking off his shirt, once punching the mound) and then posting a 7.59 ERA to begin 2023. It’s kind of like a NASCAR driver giving his own car a flat tire — twice.
A more difficult decision was facing the Guardians as McKenzie and Civale returned from the IL, although it was resolved when Cal Quantrill was placed on the injured list. Quantrill posted a 5.61 ERA in 59 1/3 innings, and with Shane Bieber joining McKenzie, Civale, Bibee and Allen in the rotation, it’s possible that he might have been moved back to the bullpen, where he spent the first half of 2021.
Barring an injury or a trade, the five in the rotation seem set at least for the near future.
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McKenzie was electric in his 2023 debut, striking out 10 hitters across five scoreless innings. Civale picked up where he left off before hitting the IL, also tossing five scoreless innings in his return. Bibee has a 3.05 ERA as his rookie campaign continues. Allen has been even better and is sporting a 2.76 ERA.
The starter with the highest ERA and FIP out of the current group of five: that’d be Bieber, at 3.57 and 4.06, respectively.
When Quantrill is ready to return from the IL, will there be a spot for him? Bibee and Allen’s introductions to the majors have pushed the issue for the club’s veteran starters who have fewer years of future control. They also play a role in the ever-present possibility that the club could deal Bieber before the Aug. 1 deadline should the right offer come along.
And that’s before getting to Gavin Williams, who has put up video game numbers in the minors this season (1.93 ERA, 71 strikeouts, 51 1/3 innings) and is a top-50 prospect in baseball. It’s only a matter of time before he breaks down the door to the majors as well. Daniel Espino, the organization’s top prospect, would also be in this discussion if not for shoulder surgery that will have him sidelined until next summer.
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Perhaps more so than with any other organization, it might be a good thing for veteran starters to keep one eye peeking over their shoulder due to the club’s propensity to churn out quality pitchers from its minor league system.
But in addition to the shuffling of the rotation to make room for the up-and-coming starters, the Guardians also understand that with youth comes development, and with development comes patience and bumps in the road.
The Guardians will need to closely monitor the workload for Bibee and Allen (and likely eventually, Williams) as the season progresses. Teams don’t want young pitchers seeing too much of an uptick in the stress put on their arms too fast.
Bibee tossed 90 pitches in five innings in Wednesday’s 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox. He didn’t have his best stuff from the first pitch and had to grind through the start, but did well to put up a solid outing. Rather than sending him back out for the sixth, manager Terry Francona made the call to go to the bullpen.
It’s a perfect example of how the Guardians are walking the tightrope between contending and developing. While the game that night is always the first priority, there are season-long goals to consider as well.
“Again, we’re trying to be somewhat cognizant that these are kids, so when you get up over 90 after five, that we’re just trying to help him along as much as we can,” Francona said of Bibee.
It can be a tough ask for rookies to develop while helping the major league club win during a run for the playoffs. It worked beautifully for the Guardians in 2022, as Steven Kwan, Oscar Gonzalez and others played vital roles in their run to the postseason. The rookie takeover in the rotation is in that spotlight in 2023.
“That’s kind of what we ask ’em to do,” Francona said of young players balancing development with winning. “But just because you ask doesn’t — they’re more than willing to be kind of like sponges and compete, and we appreciate that — but we have an obligation that, man, we want to win so bad, but we’ve got to take care of [and] develop these kids.”
Ryan Lewis can be reached at [email protected]. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians young rotation a mix of development and winning