Three Positives From the Week of April 14th

Three Positives From the Week of April 14th

Yes, Mondays suck. However, Mondays where your baseball team has the best record in the league are a lot better. Today is a lot better.

Best in the Biz

At 16-6, your Cleveland Guardians are the best team in Major League Baseball. Off to their second best start in franchise history, this team is special. While some equate it to our “easy schedule” so far, I don’t agree. We have had the _ of playing some not so great teams like the Chicago White Sox, but most of the other teams we’ve played are sitting at or above .500 when their losses against Cleveland are taken out. We were even able to take a game from the powerhouse New York Yankees and lost game two by just one run.

It’s certainly unclear if this will continue through the entire season, but for right now let’s just enjoy it. After a rough 2023 season it’s extremely refreshing to see this team grow and learn from each other. Whether this season results in another below .500 effort or a World Series championship, what we have now is what matters on April 22nd. Enjoy it.

Josh Naylor is… Josh Naylor

The most important part of this hot start is that the boys are having fun. While the club has been rocked by Shane Bieber’s season-ending injury, Triston McKenzie’s elbow issues, and a starting rotation unable to make it past five innings in most games, the team has not let any of this get to them. Between the return of Austin Hedges and the way that Josh Naylor reacts to big moments, it’s clear to see that this team has the vibes back.

This was encapsulated in a single moment in Saturday’s game versus the Oakland Athletics when Josh Naylor broke the 2-2 tie with a two-run home run to center field. Instead of a cookie-cutter bat flip, he took the Josh Naylor approach as he trotted to first base. He took the bat, hit it against his head (protected by a helmet), and threw it to the ground with all his might. Is there reason to do this in the middle of April with 140 games left to play? Probably not. Is it awesome? Absolutely.

Vogt Has My Vote

Again, we are only 22 games into a 162 game season. However, (mostly) everything I’ve seen from rookie manager Stephen Vogt so far, I’ve liked. His lineups have been somewhat unconventional at times, but they’ve worked 16 out of 22 times. Even in times they didn’t net us a win, they’ve still given us close games and multiple runs.

What I like most is that he awards playing time to those who need it most. Say Gabrial Arias or Estevan Florial have a good game Friday night, Vogt will find a way to make sure they’re in the lineup Saturday afternoon. This consistent playing time helps them craft their skills and continue to grow and improve. This is something we never really saw from Tito, so it’s been a breath of fresh air.