A look into the names that made Cleveland’s 2024 postseason run so successful. Spoiler: It’s not the ones you think.
Cleveland’s most successful postseason run since 2016 saw numerous highlights from players you wouldn’t expect. It seemed that the team’s superstar bats got as cold as the October weather. Meanwhile, the players that fans were clamoring to trade back in August kept the team alive. Let’s shine the spotlight on these stars of the 2024 postseason.
David Fry
David Fry was acquired by the Guardians on March 13, 2022 as the Player To Be Named Later in a trade that sent pitcher J.C. Mejia to the Milwaukee Brewers. Prior to being traded, Fry spent 2021 between Double-A Biloxi and Triple-A Nashville where he hit a combined .255/.348/.449. With 80 hits across 94 games, he was definitely a good hitter. He just hadn’t been able to show off any power. He made his Major League debut with Cleveland on May 1, 2023 and saw his numbers dip just below his Minor League averages.
He ticked back up to a .263/.356/.448 line in 2024, giving him another average year. It wasn’t until October rolled around that he really started to shine. In Fry’s very first postseason appearance, he had two hits and a walk with two RBIs. One of his biggest moments came in game four of the ALDS when the Guardians were down 3-2 to the Detroit Tigers in the seventh inning. He entered the game as a pinch hitter with a runner on second, and did exactly what manager Stephen Vogt brought him into the game to do. He launched a go-ahead home run into the left field seats.
As the ALCS rolled around, the Guardians found themselves in an early 0-2 hole. When the series came back to Cleveland, the team knew they had to win. Fry knew this most of all when he stepped to the plate in the tenth inning with the game locked at 5-5. Down to the final strike before sending the game to the eleventh, Fry launched a sinker from Clay Holmes into left center field and sent almost 40,000 fans home happy. The Guardians would not have made it to game five of the ALCS without David Fry. From the scrappy utility guy who played almost all nine positions in April to the man who saved the Guardians season, nobody has had a more valued transition than Fry.
Jhonkensy Noel
Jhonkensy “Big Christmas” Noel was signed by the Guardians as an international free agent on July 15, 2017. Across six seasons in the Guardians’ Minor League system, Noel was a perfectly average hitter. He logged a .257/.334/.490 line across those six seasons including 112 home runs. He was never supposed to be anything spectacular. And in his first three months as a Major League Baseball player, he really wasn’t. Noel hit .218/.288/.486 between his June 26th call up and the final game of the season. However, much like Fry, he flipped the switch in October.
His first postseason appearance came in game one of the ALDS versus the Tigers. He earned a walk and later scored a run in the Guardians’ 7-0 blowout. He went cold for the rest of the series and into the ALCS with only one hit in game one. He sat out game two, but had the biggest game of his life just two nights later. Down to their final out, the Guardians were facing a 0-3 deficit that they would almost certainly not recover from. Noel took that prospect to heart and made sure it didn’t happen. Down 5-7 with a runner on second base, Noel took the first pitch for a ball. After seeing what Yankees reliever Luke Weaver was made of, he took the next pitch 404 feet into the Cleveland bleachers and forced extra innings. Cleveland would go on to win the game thanks to Fry’s home run and stave off an elimination game. No matter how many times he struck out or popped up in the regular season, Noel will be remembered for his season-saving heroics for many years to come.
Lane Thomas
Lane Thomas was acquired by the Guardians at the trade deadline as the return for three top prospects in Cleveland’s organization. While many other fans were upset about the loss of a top pitching prospect and two top hitters, I had the feeling that Thomas would bring something special. I was quickly proven wrong. In the two months he spent with the Guardians after the deadline, Thomas hit a measly .209/.267/.390. Striking out 35% of the time, Cleveland fans were wondering what he could bring to the team in the postseason and were hoping he would be left off the roster. Thank goodness he wasn’t.
In the very first postseason game, Thomas broke the game wide open with one swing of the bat. He hit a three-run home run to make it a 5-0 game in what would eventually be that 7-0 victory. In the fifth inning of game five, facing elimination, Thomas had the hit of the series. With the bases loaded, he hit a 396 foot first pitch grand slam to all but guarantee Cleveland the victory. As the Tigers began to claw back, Thomas provided some much-needed insurance with an RBI single in the seventh.
While he was quiet for most of the ALCS, he had one plate appearance that shifted momentum into the Guardians’ hands. Down to the final strike in a 5-7 game three, Thomas doubled on the sixth pitch of his at bat to extend the game. Without that hit, Jhonkensy Noel would never have had the opportunity to hit a game-tying home run. No matter how many struggles he faced in the regular season, Thomas was one of the main reasons the Guardians were able to return to the ALCS.
Matthew Boyd
The Guardians signed veteran pitcher Matthew Boyd as a free agent on June 29, 2024. He was recovering from elbow surgery and had not pitched since almost exactly a year prior. This meant signing him was a huge risk and nobody knew if he would perform as the old Matthew Boyd or as someone who had just recovered from elbow surgery. He very quickly proved that it was the former. In his first appearance with Cleveland, Boyd pitched 5.1 innings giving up just three hits and one run. While he had a few shaky outings of three or more runs, he provided a consistent four to five innings of work that the Guardians so desperately needed after the early loss of their ace, Shane Bieber.
Those shaky outings made no appearances in the postseason, and he was that same reliable pitcher that we had in the regular season. In game two of the ALDS, he provided 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball in an eventual loss. In game seven, he looked like an ace. He went just two innings before manager Stephen Vogt went to his trustworthy bullpen, but struck out five of the six batters he faced. If only Vogt had trusted him and not had to use the bullpen for seven innings, maybe the ALCS would have gone differently. However, there’s no use dwelling on that when we can just appreciate everything Boyd provided this team in 2024. Here’s hoping the team can agree on some kind of deal to bring him back. A Bieber-Bibee-Boyd 1-2-3 would be exactly what this team needs to go one step further.
Brayan Rocchio
In terms of up-and-down seasons, Brayan Rocchio probably had some of the highest highs and the lowest lows. Signed as a free agent on July 2, 2017, Rocchio made his Major League debut early last year. Since then, he seems to have lost his footing a bit. In his rookie year, he hit for a .247/.279/.371 line while his 2024 numbers declined to .206/.298/.316. In the battle for shortstop, his early season success helped him beat out Gabriel Arias for the job. Whether or not Vogt regretted that decision as the season went on is yet to be seen, but the postseason proved it may have been the right choice.
He played every single game of the postseason this year, making him a reliable choice for shortstop. While two costly defensive errors are sure to have tarnished his performance, he helped to seal the Guardians’ ALDS victory in game five with an insurance run in the eighth inning. He also secured the franchise record for most games to start a postseason with a hit at eight games in a row. While his error in game five of the ALCS is mostly seen as the reason Juan Soto was able to give the Yankees the lead, Rocchio’s offensive efforts should not be forgotten as he writes his name in the Cleveland baseball history books. You know what they say, “Build Rocchio statue now”.
The good news is that four of these five players are under team control for 2025, so all the Guardians need to do is find a way to sign Matthew Boyd to let Cleveland fans fall more in love with each of these under-the-radar stars!