CLEVELAND — With the Cleveland Guardians winning their first division title since 2018, Assistant General Manager Matt Forman said the new era for the team is off to a good start.
What You Need To Know
- The Guardians are in the playoffs for the first time since 2018
- The team made the playoffs in their first season as the Guardians
- The Guardians were one of baseball’s leaders in hits and stolen bases
“Cleveland’s always been the most important part of our name,” Forman said. “But we’re excited that we’re able to have a division championship winning season with the first year of Guardians as the nickname.”
The team opened the playoffs on Friday with a 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rays in Game 1 of their best-of-three Wild Card Series matchup.
The team also has a low payroll according to Yahoo Sports, which reported their payroll as the third lowest in baseball. But Forman said that isn’t something they think about much during the season.
“Our role is to operate within the constraints we have and put the best team we can on the field,” Forman said. “So that’s where we focus our time and energy.”
Manager Terry Francona said during a press conference that the team simply strategized around the strengths this season. The team was near the bottom in home runs, but in the top ten in hits and stolen bases.
“We play the baseball that we play out of necessity,” Francona said. “If you have home run hitters, you don’t run analysis on the bases. If you have guys that don’t hit a ton of home runs and are fast, then you let them run.”
Pitcher Cal Quantrill told reporters he simply blocked out all the noise this season.
“I don’t think very many of us care what anyone has to say,” Quantrill said.
The Guardians also have one of the youngest teams in baseball. Forman said more than a dozen players on the team made their major league debut this season. He said the farm teams and scouts are how they built this group.
“So many players who are contributing to this team now came through our farm system,” Forman said. “The 2021 Akron Rubber Ducks championship of the Eastern League. Many of those players are now contributing in the major leagues for us today.”
