They are so back.
While we’re only two weeks into the young season, the Guardians have seemed to turn things around. That has made it extremely easy (finally!) to write about all of the positive moments they provided us with this week.
Back on Track
After a dismal 3-6 start to the season, the Guards decided to flip the script with a 5-1 week. With a sweep of the Chicago White Sox (thank God) and a 2-1 series win over the Kansas City Royals, Cleveland is sitting comfortably in second place in the division. Just one game behind the first place Detroit Tigers, it seems like it might be a tight race to the division championship all season. If the team can carry this momentum into the heat of the season, there will be next to no worries about their performance. A comfortable 4.5 game lead over the fourth place Minnesota Twins isn’t really where most people saw the team sitting early on. However, I can’t think of a single person (other than Twins fans) that would be disappointed by that.
Schneeman’s (Almost) Little Leaguer
While Sunday’s game versus the Kansas City Royals didn’t result in a win, it did provide us with some very entertaining scoring. In the bottom of the second inning, the Guards took their only lead of the day. This was the result of the hitting power and speed of utility man Daniel Schneeman. While it was scored as a double and an E6, I’d like to credit him with an inside-the-park home run. Jhonkensy Noel was on base after a single at the top of the inning, and it was clear that he would come around to score on Schneeman’s 338 foot hit. What wasn’t so clear, however, was the fact that Scheeman would score too. Thanks to an errant throw home by Gold Glover Bobby Witt Jr., Scheeman was able to coast home and put the team up 2-0.
Martínez Making Big Moves
Ángel Martínez, in his sophomore season, is beginning to prove himself already. The young outfielder is showing fans just how much work he put into the offseason by making Gold Glove plays at every turn. Most notably, he made a 94.6 mph throw to third base to eliminate Maikel Garcia on the base paths. What makes this so notable is that his maximum arm strength in the 2024 season was 92.1 (via @tim_stebbins on Twitter). Not only that, his throws have been crazy accurate. Oh, and that’s not even mentioning his current .500 batting average (ignore that he’s only had 10 at bats). He’s definitely a player you want to keep an eye on heading into the summer.