Former MLB Pitcher Gives Guardians Young Reliever Core High Praise

Dan Plesac gives the Cleveland Guardians bullpen a lot of credit.

Oct 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Cade Smith (36) throws in the fifth inning against the Detroit Tigers in game one of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images / Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Those who haven't watched the Cleveland Guardians all season haven't had the opportunity to see just how dominant their relievers group has been. Well, Saturday's Game 1 win over the Detroit Tigers in the ALDS showcased each of Cleveland's weapons in their bullpen.

Former MLB pitcher Dan Plesac broke down the bullpen's effort following the win and had a lot of great things to say about specifically the young-reliever core.

"Cade Smith is, simply, filthy."@Plesac19 breaks down the impressive @CleGuardians bullpen after their stellar performance in Game 1 of the #ALDS. pic.twitter.com/onsYuRbC6v

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 6, 2024

"You're always a little apprehensive when you have a stable of young pitchers, like they do with the Execpetion of Emmanuel Clase. How are they going to react in the month of October? You're just assuming these guys have had really good years, and that's going to carry over," said Plesac.

"Cade Smith is simply filthy. Swing-and-miss, he faced four batters, he struck them all out, and made them look bad doing it too. Then they turned it over to [Tim Herrin] from the left side. Another guy, 96 from the left side. What does he do? He gives them two-thirds of an inning. [Hunter Gaddis] throws the ball really well ... They're just a really, really deep team right now."

Oct 5, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians pitcher Tim Herrin (29) throws a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the seventh inning in game one of the ALDS for the 2024 MLB Playoffs at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: David Richard-Imagn Images / David Richard-Imagn Images

Plesac made a great point here, saying there's always going to be an unknown about how a pitcher performs in the playoffs, no matter what their regular season stats look like. Game 1 answered a big question about how their young pitchers would perform in high-leverage moments and they're deserving of the praise.

The Guardians had four pitchers make their playoff debut on Saturday, yet they combined to throw a shutout and gave up four hits.

It's becoming very clear that Cleveland's postseason success will depend on how efficient this bullpen can be if the offense can give them a lead.