The Cleveland Guardians came out of the gate hot in 2024, and to the surprise of baseball fans around the country, they still maintain first place in the American League Central Division near the midway point of May. This is a young baseball team with a first-time Major League Baseball manager in Stephan Vogt. Nobody expected the Guardians to play this well this fast, but long-time fans know how the story tends to go in Cleveland. Multiple times throughout the last decade, this is a team that is often playing catch-up throughout the summer, chasing down Minnesota, Chicago, or Detroit. So the fast start to the season is a welcome sight for sore eyes, but one question remains heading into the back half of May: is it sustainable?
Cleveland comes into the 13th of May with a record of 25-16 through their first 41 games of the season. That is their best start to a season since 2011, when, coincidentally, they went 25-16 as well. Those days are long gone, much like the team nickname “Indians” and the Chief Wahoo logo. This is a new era for the Guardians, spearheaded by Vogt, and there are plenty of young faces in the clubhouse. It is worth noting that the team did end up collapsing and missed the postseason in 2011, so is a similar fate awaiting the 2024 Guardians? Well, that is yet to be seen, but it is certainly a concern at the moment after a rough couple of weeks to open up the month. They dropped two out of three to the Atlanta Braves and dropped another two out of three to the Houston Astros. Thankfully, Cleveland was kind of able to get back on track with two consecutive series wins against the Los Angeles Angels and Detroit Tigers before turning in an awful weekend performance on the road in the Windy City against the worst team in baseball, the Chicago White Sox’s.
As this is being written, Cleveland is set to open up a series on the road in the Lonestar State against the defending World Series champions, the Texas Rangers, which will be a huge measuring stick for this team. It will also provide another chance to get some narrative-changing wins against a top team in baseball. However, injuries have started to catch up with them, and it is very glaring on the mound, as the lack of depth in the rotation and bullpen is causing problems. Cleveland has already lost Bieber for the season, and McKenzie is struggling with arm issues as well. Carrasco has been inconsistent, and Allen got beat around the ballpark in his last start. Ben Lively has been decent at times but seems to be DOA at the moment.
Steven Kwan is recovering from a nagging injury, and his absence at the top of the lineup is clear, while Jose Ramirez and Josh Naylor are left to carry the load. The younger Naylor has struggled on both ends, and it makes the addition of Austin Hedges smarter with each mistake young Bo Naylor makes. Even the prodigal son that people begged for has struggled, as Kyle Manzardo did not exactly light the world on fire at first. Gabe Arias has been criticized for his apparent lack of effort by team media, and most of the outfield fails to show up every day with Kwan. However, on a positive note, David Fry has been a bit of a bright spot when called upon, and he will need to maintain that level of production going forward if Cleveland wants to remain in first place.
If you have made it this far into the article, I appreciate the time spent reading and rambling about my favorite baseball team. At the end of the day, I find myself harkening back to the question of whether their current performance is sustainable. The answer at the moment is maybe, yes, just maybe, not yes, not no, but simply maybe. Why is that, you might ask? Well, folks, it’s May 13th, and 121 games are remaining on the schedule. You should not be freaking out about dropping two out of three to Chicago, just like taking two out of three from anyone else does not mean this team will win the World Series.
I have a friend named Collin, and he is perhaps the most pessimistic, glass-half-empty fan I have ever met. In fact, I am not even sure if the glass is half empty. Sometimes, when Josh Naylor pops out instead of hitting a towering home run, I am convinced the glass is on the floor, broken, with liquid and shards of glass everywhere. I have a few other friends who are the glass is always full type, but the key is finding the balance and enjoying the season for what it is—a long bumpy ride with plenty of twists and turns along the way.
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