A rough week for the Guardians was still full of some good news.
I’ll be the first to admit that this wasn’t a great week for the Guardians. Going 2-5 over the last week, ending with a tie in yesterday’s game, isn’t how you want to start the season. However, the good news is that’s not how they’re starting the season because it hasn’t really started yet. Spring Training is the time to learn from the growing pains and work them out before the games start to count. So here are a couple of things to look fondly back on from the first full week of Guardians baseball.
Big Scoring Game to Close out the Week
While it wasn’t a win, the Guardians finished the weekend with a huge 12-12 tie against the Milwaukee Brewers. Regardless of it being a Spring Training game, putting up 12 runs in any situation is good (even if giving up 12 runs isn’t so good). A total of 19 offensive players stepped up to the plate with 10 of them collecting at least one hit. The usual suspects like Steven Kwan, Carlos Santana, and Lane Thomas contributed to the 12 on the scoreboard, but so did prospects like Milan Tolentino (who’s hitting .571!) and Jorge Burgos. While it will probably be a while before we see them in Cleveland, I’ll happily continue to watch them in Goodyear.
Guards Acquire New Beat Coverage
Much like when you lose your favorite player to a trade or to free agency, fans often lose their favorite team writers. That happened to me this Spring when MLB.com writer Mandy Bell announced that she would no longer be the Guardians’ beat writer. While we’re all extremely excited for her to take on her new role in the youth content department, we will also miss her just as much. However, we’re also excited for her successor, Tim Stebbins, to take over. He’s already posting coverage from Goodyear and can be found at @tim_stebbins on Twitter.
Bieber Nearing Return
Perhaps the best news of the week is that staff ace Shane Bieber is on-track for a summer return. He threw a bullpen session on February 28th and is throwing five days out of the week. On top of that, he’s throwing from a distance of up to 135 feet. These leaps in his mechanics have also helped boost his confidence and keep him on schedule for that return. Associate manager Craig Albernaz also noted that his velocity is on par as well. If Cleveland can have him back for the majority of the summer, it will be a huge morale boost for everyone on the team.