First Pitch: Guardians cannot be overlooked in crowded AL playoff picture

The American League is home to several of MLB's juggernauts such as the Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, and Houston Astros, just to name a few. When discussing the American League's elite, many leave out the Cleveland Guardians.

It was easy to not expect much from the 2024 Guardians. They went 76-86 in 2023, lost their manager Terry Francona, lost players like Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo Lopez in free agency without adding much, and even lost Shane Bieber after just two starts this season.

Well, here we are on Wednesday, Sept. 11, and the Guardians pulled off a sweep against the Chicago White Sox improving their record to 84-62, the best in the AL. If the regular season ended right now, the AL side of the postseason would run through Cleveland.

They aren't often considered among the favorites to win the AL Pennant, but that shouldn't be the case. With the postseason just weeks away, the Guardians cannot be overlooked for several reasons.

The Guardians offense is much more than just Jose Ramirez

The Guardians are fortunate enough to roster one of the best players in the game, Jose Ramirez. He puts up star-level production year after year and (somehow) can easily still be considered underrated and is having another terrific season in 2024.

He garners most of the attention, and rightfully so, but what makes this Guardians team so good is that it is not just Ramirez running the show.

Steven Kwan has slumped lately, but he's one of the best leadoff hitters in the game. He's constantly on base wreaking havoc in front of Ramirez and the team's other great hitters.

Josh Naylor has quietly had a monster year. His average has dipped substantially but he has added a lot more power, slugging a career-high 29 home runs and driving in 101, providing Ramirez with some much-needed protection in the lineup.

David Fry and especially Jhonkensy Noel are two .800+ OPS hitters with tons of power, adding length to the lineup. We also can't forget players like Andres Gimenez and Lane Thomas who despite having down years in 2024, are really good players capable of turning it on offensively and especially defensively in Gimenez's case at any given point.

Their offense might not be as high-powered as the other elite teams in the AL, but the Guardians have enough talent to hang around with the tough competition. Jose Ramirez is the star, but they have a lot more than just him, which will come in handy come October.

The Guardians bullpen can carry them in October

Rotation questions when discussing this Guardians team are very legitimate. Bieber is done for the year, as mentioned prior. Triston McKenzie struggled so mightily to the point where he was sent down in late June and hasn't been back. Young arms like Gavin Williams and Logan Allen haven't progressed how Cleveland would have liked after strong showings in 2023. As of now, the Guardians have very little reliability in their rotation outside of Tanner Bibee.

As frustrating as the rotation has been for Guardians fans, the performance of their bullpen should be enough to ease most of the rotation concerns. It's that lethal.

Their 2.76 bullpen ERA not only leads the majors, but is the best by a wide margin. The Milwaukee Brewers rank second with a 3.14 ERA. Their bullpen being as good as it is isn't the norm, and there's no reason to believe it can't carry into October.

Emmanuel Clase is a legitimate AL Cy Young contender. He almost certainly won't win it thanks to the year Tarik Skubal has had, but he has to be a finalist for the award at least, right? I mean, Clase has allowed five earned runs in 66.1 innings of work pitching to a 0.68 ERA in 66 appearances. He leads the league with 43 saves in 46 opportunities and has easily been the most valuable Guardian perhaps with the exception of Ramirez. The Guardians have the best reliever in the game, but as is the case with their offense, they have more than just Clase in this elite unit.

Hunter Gaddis leads the AL with 70 appearances and has a sparkling 1.49 ERA in 66.2 innings of work. Cade Smith is right behind him with 69 appearances and a 2.06 ERA. Those two relievers form the best set-up tandem in the majors in front of the best closer in the majors.

For those worried that the three best relievers in this bullpen are all right-handed, Tim Herrin is an elite left-handed reliever nobody talks about. Herrin, in his first full MLB season, has a 2.03 ERA in 67 appearances and has held left-handed hitters to a .350 OPS. Lefties have 10 hits in 81 at-bats against Herrin this season (.124 average) with a total of two extra-base hits (both doubles). Guardians fans have reason to be confident with him going up against the likes of Soto, Alvarez, Henderson, and other elite left-handed hitters in the American League.

With more off-days in the postseason, length from starting pitchers isn't as important as it is during the regular season. The Guardians have an insane amount of quality bullpen depth to give their fans reason to believe that if they have a lead in the fifth or sixth inning, the game will be over.

Home field advantage will go a long way for the Guardians in particular

If the regular season ended today, the Guardians would have the No. 1 seed in the AL meaning that they'd not only get a bye and automatically advance past the Wild Card Series, but they'd have home-field advantage until the World Series (if they make it that far). That's a huge deal, especially for this Guardians team.

Cleveland has an absurd 43-25 record at Progressive Field compared to just 41-37 on the road. That's a massive difference, and can only be amplified in October when crowds are rowdy and into every single pitch.

The Guardians find ways to win close games, especially at home. Their elite bullpen aided by a solid lineup and the comfort of Progressive Field could be the recipe for Cleveland to go on a deep run in October.

Should they be considered the favorite? That can be up for debate, but it absolutely should not be a surprise to see Cleveland in the ALCS and potentially the World Series with a real chance to win it all. They have as good of a chance as any of the elite teams in the AL to win.