Cleveland Guardians' Surprising Pitcher Earns Major Recognition

This Cleveland Guardians pitcher has been a very pleasant surprise this season.

Sep 15, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Ben Lively (39) celebrates after leaving the game during the sixth inning against the Tampa Bay Rays at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians' starting rotation has been a hot topic of discussion all year long, but the Guardians actually do have a couple of pitchers who have been consistent all season.

There is Tanner Bibee, who has been Cleveland's clear-cut ace throughout 2024 and appears to be a star in the making.

But there is also Ben Lively, who signed a cheap one-year deal with the Guardians last offseason and proved to be a revelation for the club's starting staff.

Bleacher Report's Joel Reuter has included the Lively signing among a group of moves that shaped the 2024 MLB playoff picture, giving the right-hander the respect he deserves.

"The 32-year-old entered the 2024 season with a 5.05 ERA in 208.2 career innings in the majors, but he has been an invaluable member of a Guardians rotation that has been hit hard by injuries and ineffectiveness," Reuter wrote.

Lively went 13-10 with a 3.81 ERA while allowing 139 hits and registering 118 strikeouts over 151 innings of work.

It was, by far, the best season of Lively's major-league career.

The Pensacola, Fl. native broke into the bigs with the Philadelphia Phillies back in 2017 and spent time between the Phillies and the Kansas City Royals through 2019 before heading over to South Korea.

Lively returned to the MLB by signing with the Cincinnati Reds in 2022, but he didn't actually throw a pitch in the majors again until 2023.

The Guardians signed him to a $750,000 deal last December, and it has ended up paying massive dividends for a team that has had one of the worst starting rotations in baseball this season.

We'll see if Lively can again be a steadying presence for Cleveland in the playoffs.