CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The good thing is the Guardians won’t have to wait to see who’s left on their draft board when it comes time to make their first pick in MLB’s draft on July 14 during the All-Star Game festivities in the Arlington-Fort Worth, Texas area.
The bad thing is the Guardians won’t have to wait to see who’s left on their draft board when it comes time to make their first pick in MLB’s draft on July 14 during the All-Star Game festivities.
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Such is the excitement and pressure of having the first pick in the first round as Cleveland does for the first time in franchise history.
The Guardians are taking the approach that this is a great opportunity to add talent to the organization. No doubt they’re right, but no team wants to miss on the first overall pick in the draft.
Reportedly there is not a Bryce Harper or Jackson Holliday-type player in this draft waiting to be selected No.1. It is generally considered to be a college-centric draft with several promising hitters at the top of the class.
In that regard Cleveland’s selection of spring-training sensation Chase DeLauter, their No. 1 pick in 2022 out of James Madison University, is encouraging because at least they know what a college hitter looks like.
The college season is nearing its halfway point. Conference tournaments will soon start. Cleveland’s scouts have been on the job since before the season started in February, but as an organization they haven’t made any radical changes in preparation for the No.1 pick.
The search and selection process will be a collaborative effort starting with the Guardians’ scouts. Then comes Paul Gillespie, senior vice president of scouting, and Ethan Purser, the new director of amateur scouting. Chris Antonetti, president of baseball operations, GM Mike Chernoff, assistant GM Matt Forman and the rest of the front office will be involved as well.
Purser replaced Brad Barnsby as director of amateur scouting a few days before the Guardians won the No.1 pick in the draft lottery at the winter meetings in December. Barnsby is now a special assignment scout.
Friday’s game
Triston McKenzie allowed one run over five innings and Tyler Freeman and Josh Naylor homered in a 10-2 victory over the A’s at Progressive Field.
McKenzie’s velocity still hovered around 90 mph, but it was by far his best start of the season. He struck out six, walked three and allowed just one run.
The Guardians put the game away with a five-run fifth inning off Joe Boyle. Steven Kwan doubled home two runs and Andres Gimenez singled home two runs.
Freeman, the converted center fielder, made a great catch in the top of the second inning and then hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the inning. The homer barely made it over the right field wall, but it gave Cleveland a 2-1 lead.
Saturday’s game
Josh Naylor played his version of the Headbangers Ball with a go-ahead two-run homer in the fifth inning in a 6-3 win over the A’s. Naylor, to celebrate the homer that broke a 2-2 tie, hit himself in the batting helmet with his bat on the way to first base.
Asked if it hurt, Naylor said, “Not really.”
Logan Allen (3-0, 5.06) pitched 5 1/3 innings for his second win of the season against the A’s. Emmanuel Clase pitched the ninth for his sixth save in eight chances.
Sunday’s game
The Guardians completed a three-game sweep of the A’s with a 6-2 win on a frosty (44 degrees) April afternoon.
Tanner Bibee (2-0, 4.44) almost reached the sixth inning for the first time this season. He worked 5 2/3 innings with eight strikeouts and two walks.
Josh Naylor delivered again, hitting a three-run double in the seventh inning to turn a 3-2 lead into 6-2 lead.
The Guardians have the best record in the AL at 16-6 and Naylor is a big reason why. He’s hitting .325 (24 for 77) with six homers and 20 RBI. He leads the team in homers and RBI.
The left-handed hitting Naylor is batting .400 (8 for 20) with two homers and seven RBI against lefties. Against righties, he’s hitting .298 (17 for 57) with four homers and 13 RBI.
The Guards won the season series against Oakland, 6-1. Overall, they’ve won seven of their last year games.
Trivia time: The Guardians own a 1,052-925 record against the A’s. Can you name the five names the Cleveland franchise has been called while forging that record? Answer below.
What’s next
Here’s what’s next for the Guardians following Sunday’s series finale against Oakland.
- Monday is an off day.
- The Guardians open a three-game series against Boston on Tuesday night at Progressive Field. The pitching matchup features Boston’s RHP Tanner Houck (3-1, 1.35) vs. RHP Ben Lively (0-1, 3.60) at 6:10 p.m. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WMMS, WARF and the Guardians radio network will carry game.
- RHP Carlos Carrasco (1-1, 3.44) will start for the Guardians on Wednesday night. Boston has not named a starter. Game time is 6:10 p.m. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WMMS, WARF and the Guardians radio network will carry game.
- On Thursday, RHP Triston McKenzie (2-2, 5.00) will face Boston and RHP Brayan Bello (3-1, 3.04) at 1:10 p.m. Bally Sports Great Lakes, WTAM, WARF and the Guardians radio network will carry the game.
- On April 26 the Guardians travel to Atlanta for a three-game series against the Braves.
- On April 30 the Guardians open a three-game series against Houston at Minute Maid Park.
- On May 2 the Angels visit Progressive Field for a three-game weekend series.
Trivia answer: Cleveland, a charter member of the AL, has been called the Guardians, Indians, Naps, Napoleons, Bronchos and Blues.
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