The 2022 ALDS between the Yankees and the Guardians will be a keenly contested series. The Yankees are the third-highest-paid team while the Cleveland Indians have the fourth-lowest payroll and are the youngest team in the league. The Guardians made it to October because they won a division that no other team finished above .500. They are clearly underdogs.
The batters in Cleveland’s lineup make contact at the highest rate in baseball, which puts pressure on the defenses of other teams. But the Yankees can stop the Guardians from doing some of the things they do the best and that makes them unique. The Yankees’ pitching staff gave up the fourth-fewest hits to opponents (74.3%), and their defense saved the second-most runs of any team in MLB (63). When these two teams played each other during the regular season, New York beat Cleveland 38-14 and went 5-1.
But Cleveland has a really interesting team that is getting more and more confident. It is built in a way that we don’t usually see in the playoffs. And after sweeping the Rays in the Wild Card Series, the Guardians see New York as just another destination on their wild and amazing tour this season. Here are seven things in the Cleveland team that the Yankees should be worried about.
#1. The Jose factor
The fact that the Guardians made it this far in a season in which a franchise-record 17 rookies made their debuts. But their homegrown superstar Jose Ramrez is still at the center of their world. And in his career, he has done a fair amount of damage to the Yankees.
Ramrez’s OPS is in the top 10 for all players who have faced the Yankees at least 200 times in the regular season and postseason, and he is first among active players.
Also, Ramrez’s 1.256 OPS is the best of any player who has hit at least 50 times in the regular season or postseason in this version of Yankee Stadium.
Ramrez has an OPS of 1.052 and 1.228 against Yankees’ Game 1 and Game 3 starters Gerrit Cole and Luis Severino. But Game 2 starter Nestor Cortes had him 0 for 7 with 4 strikeouts.
#2. A solid bullpen
The Guardians have a clear advantage over the Yankees in the bullpen. In the second half of the MLB season, Cleveland’s relievers had the lowest ERA in the league, and in the Wild Card round, they went 10 1/3 innings without allowing a run. It’s true that in this area, edges can vanish overnight. Also, the Guards have a closer and the Yankees don’t.
Right now, Emmanuel Clase is a force of nature with his 100 mph cutter and 92 mph slider. This season, he led the Major Leagues with 42 saves and 67 games finished. His 1.36 ERA, 0.73 WHIP, and 7.7 strikeouts-to-walks ratios were also very good.
The schedule also favors the Guardians to use their Clase advantage to its fullest. Clase can give the Guards more than one inning, as he showed in Game 1 against the Rays when he got the last four outs. And because there are two days off before the ALDS starts, and oddly enough, two days off between Games 1 and 2, and then again between Games 2 and 3, manager Terry Francona can turn to Clase again for longer chances.
#3. A spirited defense
The Yankees have a fairly strong defense, and it’s also a big part of why Cleveland came in third in defensive runs saved, right behind the Yankees (60). Andres Giménez, Myles Straw, and Steven Kwan were all in the top 30 in all of MLB. The clincher against the Rays showed how the Guards’ gloves can make a difference in a game.
This season, the Yankees had the fourth-worst batting average on balls in play (.276) and contact rate (74.3%). If they want to beat the Guards, they’ll have to hit the ball over the wall.
#4. The pitching strategy
The Yanks are hitter and their trump card Aaron Judge wins by hitting over the wall. thus, the home run is the most important thing for the Yankees. This year, 50.8% of their runs came from home runs, which was the most in the MLB. And that can be a good thing since teams went 25-2 in the playoffs last year when they hit more home runs than the other team. The Guardians’ pitching staff has shown that it can limit the damage done by the long ball.
#5. The Judge factor
Yankees’ power hitter Aaron Judge by himself hit 62 home runs. Well, the Guardians, all of them together, only got 127, which is just a little over twice as many. In the short time, these Cleveland pitchers have faced Judge, they have done that better than most. Judge is 0-for-5 and has walked twice against Game 1 starter Cal Quantrill. Against Game 2 starter Bieber, he is 1-for-8 with a home run, a walk, and three strikeouts. Against Game 3 starter Triston McKenzie, he is 0-for-3 and has struck out once. And against Clase, he’s 0 for 2 with a walk.
6. Youthful team
With a team average age of 25.9, the Guardians are a great example of a youthful lineup. This gives them the hunger for success. They won 30 games in their last turn at bat and 12 games when they were behind after seven innings. However, their carefree attitude and inexperience may help the Yankees.
7. Midges: The X-factor
In 2007, they were seen in the middle of Game 2 of the ALDS between New York and Cleveland. At the time, the ballpark was called Jacobs Field. The Yankees training staff sprayed Joba Chamberlain with bug spray, but it only brought more midges. The Yanks lost the game beaten by both midges and the tribe.
How should the Yankees plan to neutralize these seven strengths of the Guardians?
