Will Simulated Games Be Enough For Guardians' ALDS Preparation?

Stephen Vogt says that Cleveland Guardians' sim games were "was as close as we could get" to MLB Playoff games.

Sep 3, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez (11) waits to take batting practice against the Kansas City Royals prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Guardians and Detroit Tigers will face off in Game 1 of the ALDS on Saturday at 1:08 p.m. However, the two teams have had polar opposite weeks leading up to the series.

The Tigers played two tightly contested and intense games in the ALWS against the Houston Astros, a recent World Series-winning franchise. This gave a young and inexperienced team plenty of valuable playoff experience heading into their matchup with Cleveland.

On the other hand, the Guardians enjoyed the rest that came with their bye but still got work done by playing simulated games over the last three days.

While a bye in the playoffs is inherently a good thing, a valid question can be asked as to whether these sim games will be enough of a preparation for Cleveland. History of this playoff format has shown that not playing a big league game for a week may not

Guardians manager Stephen Vogt insists that the Guardians have taken these workouts with intent and the coaching staff has done the best the can to

"We had a blast. These last three days, the guys got after it. I mean, it's hard. You can't replicate games, but that was as close as we could get," said Vogt on Thursday.

"We had guys jabbing at each other, challenging each other. We had some competitions going on inside. Just different things going on for the guys to really compete over the last three or four days, and they've done a great job of that. Tomorrow, they'll work out as we head into Saturday."

Sep 3, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Cleveland Guardians second baseman Andrés Giménez (0) fields grounders against the Kansas City Royals during warm ups prior to a game at Kauffman Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

In the end, will these simulated games be enough preparation for the Guardians? There are definitely some advantages that come with them.

For example, Cleveland hasn't finalized a postseason roster yet, but they've been able to get another look at some of their minor league players, such as Logan Allen, Tyler Freeman, Gabriel Arias, Triston McKenzie, Myles Straw, and others who have participated in workouts. Some players could even crack the playoff roster when it's announced later this week.

These sim games also ensure the Guardians head into the series with a fully-rested pitching staff. This is something the Tigers are still trying to figure out as Saturday rapidly approaches.

We won't get the full answer to this question until Game 1, and maybe even Game 2, of the ALDS is played. However, it seems like the coaching staff and players have done their best to make this unique situation pay off in the long run.