MLB awards season is upon us and after a highly successful 2024, a number of Cleveland Guardians are within the award-winning ranks.
Among the officially named award winners, star third baseman Jose Ramirez was named as the American League’s Silver Slugger Award winner at third base on Tuesday. This is the fifth time that Ramirez has received the award, offered to the best-hitting player at each position in the league. Ramirez earned the award by being the most potent hitter in the Guardians lineup, playing in 158 games with 152 of them coming with him hitting in the number three spot in the order. Ramirez slashed .279/.335/.537 on the season with 39 home runs and 39 doubles, narrowly missing a season in which he hit 40 homers and doubled 40 times (to go along with 41 stolen bases).
No third baseman in all of baseball hit more home runs, scored more often (114 times), drove in as many runs (118) or had as strong of a wRC+ metric (141). While the lineup around Ramirez improved in 2024, he still has to be considered the Guardians most feared hitter. He was a huge asset in what led to the Guardians pushing themselves to 92 wins, an AL Central Division title and a Championship Series appearance.
As was closer Emmanuel Clase.
The most dominant relief pitcher in the sport in 2024, Clase has been named as a finalist for the American League Cy Young Award. Having led the AL in saves with 47, Clase was nearly impossible to score on during the regular season. He allowed just two home runs and 10 walks, which amounted to just five earned runs in 74 1/3 innings over 74 regular season appearances. That was good for a paltry 0.61 ERA. No other pitcher with 30 innings pitched or more this season came within half a run of Clase’s ERA. In short, he was superhuman.
What makes “La Kabra’s” story even better though is that he was able to be so successful after having an underwhelming 2023 that saw him look quite the opposite of superhuman. Teams were putting the ball in play on him in 2023, making solid contact and generating traffic on the bases. Some poor batted ball luck was certainly part of the issue, but ultimately, Clase would blow 12 saves and post his first ERA above two in his career.
He would return to form this year by making an adjustment that saw him go back to the basics. Known for throwing a cutter that tops 100 mph with movement, Clase leaned heavily on this devastating pitch. He threw it 78% of the time in 2024, rather than the 67.5% of the time he threw it in 2023. That cutter would average 99.5 mph and teams would hit just .150 off of it all season, making it one of the best pitches in the sport. Clase’s decision to emphasize its use turned out to be more than a sound investment.
While the post-season may not have been as rosy for Clase, the Guardians don’t get nearly as far this season without him. Clase held down the back end of a bullpen that was their greatest source of strength for more than six months.
The Cy Young Award winners will be named on November 20th. The other two finalist for the award in the AL are starting pitchers- Kansas City’s Seth Lugo and Detroit’s Tarik Skubal.
One other award to be named in the coming days will be Manager of the Year. One of Cleveland’s own is among the finalists here as well as Stephen Vogt has been named as one of the final three in the American League.
Vogt, of course, piloted the Guardians through their 161-game campaign to all the accomplishments I mentioned before- 92 wins, an AL Central title, and an ALCS birth. He did it though, while dealing with the immense pressure of following a legend.
It is never easy to be the guy that follows greatness. I always think back to Jhonny Peralta– by all means, a decent enough shortstop who had some pop and made every routine play- but he was always the guy that replaced Omar Vizquel. It’s hard not to short-change a guy in that situation a little bit, especially if he isn’t as otherworldly.
However, while the Guardians season might not have hit “otherworldly”, it was pretty close. Vogt seems to have taken all of previous manager and aforementioned legend Terry Francona’s positive qualities, such as his affable personality, ability to relate to ballplayers and operate a clubhouse as well as set a culture around making the most of every opportunity. He also did all of this while embracing some of the new school, both with his decision-making on the field as well as how he handled the interpersonal aspect of the job. I think there can be little doubt the Cleveland has found the right manager for a new age.
The Manager of the Year Award will be announced on November 19th. Much like Clase, Vogt is accompanied by AL Central rivals as the other finalist for the award. Kansas City’s Matt Quatraro and Detroit’s AJ Hinch are the other potential award-winners.
Before I close this out, I would also be remiss to not mention that Steven Kwan and Andres Gimenez were also named as Gold Glove winners earlier this month. This is the third time for both to win the award at their positions of left field and second base, respectively. In particular, Gimenez’s reputation as one of the best fielding players in the sport continues to grow.
2024 could have easily been a step backward for the Guardians. No one would have blamed them for trying to find themselves after they had their Hall of Fame manager depart the organization. They are also just 12 months removed from having the most punch-less offense in all of baseball. And yet, 2024 was a season of substantial success.
With talent and leadership from the likes of Vogt, Ramirez, Clase, Kwan and Gimenez as major contributors, the Guardians gave us a really great summer. With all of them coming back along with more of the same core (that still includes one of the youngest rosters in baseball) perhaps the Guards can eclipse their success in 2025.
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