Cleveland Baseball Insider

Guardians’ Triston McKenzie Eager For 2024 Season To Begin

The Cleveland starting pitcher looks to return to his mainstay role in the team's starting rotation after an injury-riddled 2023.

Logan Potosky

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The Cleveland Guardians had a trio of young starting pitchers in American League Rookie of the Year runner-up Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, and Logan Allen find their strides on the mound last season.

However, one of the team’s veterans in this position group unfortunately had a much shorter 2023 campaign than expected due to multiple injuries.

Hoping to build on an exceptional 2022 season, in which he finished top-10 in the AL in WHIP (0.95, third), opposing batting average (.201, fourth), innings pitched (191.1, sixth), ERA (2.96, ninth), and strikeouts (190, 10th), Triston McKenzie made just four starts last season.

But the fully-healthy 26-year-old is now ready to get back into the regular fold.

McKenzie described his eagerness for the upcoming campaign during his media availability at yesterday’s 2024 Guards Fest.

“I anticipate every season, I’m excited for every season. Next year’s always your best year in my mind. I’m really just excited to see how the team pans out. I’m excited to have [manager Stephen Vogt] with us. I’m excited to see some of the new coaches and have some of the guys that were kind of wide-eyed last year be a little bit more confident and be able to kind of settle in.”

Sep 24, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians starting pitcher Triston McKenzie (24) pitches against the Baltimore Orioles during the first inning at Progressive Field / © Aaron Josefczyk-USA TODAY Sports

A right teres major strain kept McKenzie on the injured list from March 30 through June 4 of last year. Then, after making two starts, the right-hander landed on the injured list again just 13 days later due to a right elbow sprain.

He eventually made two starts in late September to wrap up his 2023 season.

McKenzie looks to again serve as a pillar for a starting pitching staff which ranked tied for eighth in MLB with a 4.09 ERA last year.

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Logan Potosky
LOGAN POTOSKY

Logan Potosky is an aspiring play-by-play sports broadcaster who, to date, has called approximately 350+ hours of professional, college, and high school sporting events. He is currently the Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Lake County Captains, the High-A Affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. He graduated from John Carroll University in May of 2023 with a degree in Communication, with a concentration in Digital Media, and a minor in Entrepreneurship.

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