2024 wasn’t a season of perfection for the Cleveland Guardians, but it was still a season of remarkable success. That success was brought on most significantly by having the team’s stars play at the peak of their powers. While the Guards learned some things about younger talent like Jhonkensy Noel, Brayan Rocchio and Hunter Gaddis, and latched onto Lane Thomas via trade, they were propelled most by their established stars.
And after a season of proficient play that pushed Cleveland to 92 wins and an American League Central title, those players and the new manager who oversaw their success deserve recognition. That recognition came this week.
After much speculation, Major League Baseball named its 2024 award winners this past week and after a successful campaign, a few of our own Cleveland Guardians were among those receiving votes and hardware.
Let’s start at the bottom and work our way up. While we knew who the top three vote-getters would be for each award before this week because MLB names the top three of each award as “nominees”, this week we got to see the entire vote totals for each prize.
So, while reliever Cade Smith certainly had a noteworthy rookie campaign in the eyes of many Guardians’ fans who saw him put out fires day in and day out for six months, there was some question about if he would be recognized because he was not nominated for any awards. We now know though that the greater baseball world has indeed taken notice.
While it may not be much, Smith did receive a single AL Cy Young Award vote for his honest work this year. As such, he technically finishes tied for 9th in the award’s voting. For a player that was on the outside looking in coming into this season to even make the roster out of Spring Training, that is simply incredible. Smith posted a 1.91 ERA with a staggering 103 strikeouts in 75 1/3 regular-season innings, evolving throughout the season to be manager Stephen Vogt’s go-to guy in high-leverage situations. Using a fastball that averaged 96 mph and a six foot six frame that provided Smith superior extension on his release, Smith’s fastball was among the hardest pitches to hit in the entire sport.
And as such, Smith not only made the Cy Young rankings but also found himself among the Rookie of the Year voting results as well. Smith placed 5th in the AL’s Rookie of the Year and did actually receive a first-place vote. Making this even more impressive is the lack of shine relievers tend to get in awards voting. We have to go back to 2021 to find the last reliever to receive a 1st place vote for Rookie of the Year. But who was that reliever?
Well, it was Cleveland’s own Emmanuel Clase. That bodes well for Smith’s future, considering Clase was possibly the only reliever more dominant than Smith in the entire league this season. Clase led the AL with 47 saves, had a microscopic 0.61 ERA in 74 1/3 regular season innings and averaged about five outs for every base-runner he allowed.
With that level of supremacy, Clase actually received Most Valuable Player votes, coming as high as 7th on some voters’ ballots and finishing 11th in MVP voting. More notably, Clase was a Cy Young Award finalist, finishing third in voting for the league’s best pitcher and finishing as high as second on some ballots (Detroit’s Tarik Skubal received all 30 first-place votes). Lastly, Clase was also named the AL’s best reliever in two different ways, winning both the Reliever of the Year and being named to 1st-Team All-MLB. This is the three-time All-Star’s second time being named the league’s best reliever and his first time receiving either Cy Young or MVP votes.
Clase was not the Guardians’ only MVP vote-getter though. Franchise face and star third baseman Jose Ramirez also received recognition for his world-class play in 2024. Being easily one of the best overall players in the game since 2017, Ramirez is not unfamiliar with the MVP ballot. This season, he finished as the AL’s 5th Most Valuable Player while receiving votes for as high as 3rd place.
Ramirez has received MVP votes now in eight of the last nine seasons, having finished as the AL’s runner-up for the award in 2020 and having finished third twice. He also earned honors as the best hitting and best overall third baseman in the entire sport in 2024 as Ramirez won both the AL Silver Slugger for third base and joined Clase as 1st-Team All-MLB at third base. The Silver Slugger Award was Ramirez’s fifth in his career, as his trophy case continues to fill.
Clase and Ramirez weren’t the only individuals donning a Guardians uniform this season to earn award honors though. Manager Stephen Vogt, a player just two short years ago and in his first season as a manager at any level, received the AL’s Manager of the Year Award. Vogt becomes the manager with the shortest amount of time between his playing career and winning the award.
Vogt did this while taking over for a legend in former Guards manager Terry Francona. He did it by taking what amounted to basically the same roster as 2023’s Guardians who won 76 games and adding 16 games to that win total, winning the AL Central and landing as the second-best team in the American League.
He also did it by taking the qualities that Francona held that made him a great manager- a self-deprecating and affable personality, setting a culture and expectations, trusting his players to do their job- but also by being himself and bringing some new characteristics to the job.
Vogt made a point of playing his entire roster throughout the season, keeping all his players fresh and giving them ample opportunities so that when the big moments came, they would be ready. He leaned heavily on his team’s strengths, especially their elite bullpen led by Clase and Smith.
On the personal side, he provided a softer, gentler and more modern version of the male leadership that Francona awesomely exemplified. I cannot help but think of Vogt’s reaction after Kyle Manzardo‘s clutch September 16th home run vs. Minnesota when thinking of this award.
Manzardo’s home run, which put the Guardians in the lead that night and essentially put the Twins to bed for the season in the AL Central race, was a two-run shot with fellow first baseman Josh Naylor on base. Manzardo, a rookie and potentially the first baseman of the future for the Guards, didn’t have a bigger fan at that moment than Naylor- the player he could potentially be replacing in the future. Naylor celebrated his way around the base paths, ultimately waiting for Manzardo at the plate and finishing the celebration with a hug.
Vogt was emotional about Naylor’s reaction to the situation in his post-game interview with the media. He was emotional because it was a special moment not just because of the result, but because of the interpersonal element to it. This was a moment created by the groundwork and culture that Vogt helped set. That culture is one where the Guardians play to win and play for themselves, but also play for one another.
Vogt has been the perfect update to the Guardians’ culture, something they pride themselves on because they cannot out-spend other teams on the field. But with Ramirez and Clase locked up long-term, Smith as one of the best rookies in the sport and Vogt at the helm, the Guardians have the culture and core to find more success moving forward.
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