Guardians Have Work To Do, MLB.com's Early 2024 Power Rankings
The 2023 season feels like it just ended and we haven't even seen one of the top free agents sign or a blockbuster trade go down. That hasn't stopped MLB.com from putting together their early 2024 power rankings.
Unfortunately for Cleveland Guardians fans, they didn't show the team too much love on this list. The Guardians come in ranked as the 21st-best team in baseball as of early November.
For reference, here's where the rest of the American League Central finished:
- 10. Minnesota Twins
- 21. Guardians
- 23. Detroit Tigers
- 27. Chicago White Sox
- 28. Kansas City Royals
Clearly Will Leitch, the author of this article, is not very high on the AL Central next year.
I suppose it's fair to criticize Cleveland for not putting together an offense that many teams feared last season. They also have a first-time manager at the helm who looks like a home run singing, but we won't know until he actually gets in the dugout.
However, the Guardians were decimated by injuries last season and navigating them was a challenge for the front office, coaching staff, and players. This did allow baseball to see the emergence of Tanner Bibee, Logan Allen, and Gavin Williams who were some of the best pitchers in baseball despite being rookies.
Aug 25, 2023; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Cleveland Guardians center fielder Myles Straw (7) celebrates the win with shortstop Gabriel Arias (13) against the Toronto Blue Jays at the end of the ninth inning at Rogers Centre. Mandatory Credit: Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
© Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
If there's anything fans can take from these rankings it's that the Guardians have some work to do if they hope to make it back to the playoffs next season. Experts obviously aren't high on where they stand compared to the other teams in baseball.
