From Akron ring ceremony to ALDS: Cleveland Guardians succeed in player development

CLEVELAND — As the Guardians wrapped up a magical year, manager Terry Francona attempted to tell a second-hand story that illustrated how the youngest team in baseball pulled off a 92-70 season.

Francona fumbled as he tried to recall the quote that impressed him, so President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti jumped in.

It came from reliever Sam Hentges during his exit interview with Antonetti and General Manager Mike Chernoff, when the 26-year-old left-hander summed up his 2022 journey.

“He said, ‘At the beginning of the year Tito was looking to find opportunities for me to succeed. And by the end of the year, I felt like Tito was looking for opportunities for me to help the team succeed,’ which was a pretty cool way to frame that,” Antonetti said Friday during a writers session at Progressive Field.

Francona knew he would have botched the delivery, but he wanted to underscore the message.

“That to me, that was really cool. We have some guys that took some responsibility beyond their experience and did pretty damn good,” Francona said.

Not every team could have pulled off what the Guardians accomplished. Not expected to win the American League Central when the season began, they reached the brink of the ALDS before losing to the New York Yankees in the deciding Game 5.

With 17 rookies making their major league debuts, handling that responsibility wasn’t by accident. It happened because of the Guardians’ top-notch player development department, along with Francona’s staff.

During spring training, Francona watched some of the young Guardians receive rings from the RubberDucks' Double-A Northeast Division championship. Among them were left fielder Steven Kwan, right fielder Oscar Gonzalez and eventual Guardians callups Bo Naylor and Will Benson.

“I remember wanting to be there that day because I thought it was really cool,” Francona said. “Whenever you win, that's what's so special because that's where you are.”

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Kwan was the perfect example of how the Guardians developed prospects who helped their stunning run. Splitting 2021 between Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus, Kwan made the Opening Day roster and burst onto the scene hitting .354 in March/April. He batted .298 in the regular season and was among five Guardians named Gold Glove finalists, tied with the Arizona Diamondbacks and Yankees for the most of any team.

Kwan’s hot start was enough for Francona to ask members of the player development staff such as special assistant Tom Wiedenbauer and field coordinator John McDonald if the young outfielder was for real.

“They were like, “What you're seeing is what you're getting,’” Francona said. “Everyone one of them, whether it was Johnny Mac or Wiedie, they all said he'd be fine. And they were right.”

Chernoff said Kwan showed his mettle during May, when he hit .173.

“All that happened in the first month of the season was amazing, probably even to Steven,” Chernoff said. “But then he struggled a little bit, and he was able to adjust and respond in just such an amazing way to get though that. He never had a bad day mentally despite all those struggles.”

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Closer Emmanuel Clase is another example of the Guardians’ player development system, although his improvement came after he’d reached the majors. The right-hander had appeared in 21 games with the Texas Rangers when he was traded to Cleveland for right-hander Corey Kluber in December 2019. Suspended for the 2020 season for performance-enhancing drugs, Clase was named to his first All-Star Game in 2022.

Antonetti summarized the approach with Clase, which applies to all in the organization. The Guardians try to identify attributes they believe can lead to success and provide the “best environment and support and resources” for them to maximize their potential.

“In Emmanuel’s case, he had a pitch that was really unique and his arm strength, there aren’t too many guys that throw 100-mph cutters. That was intriguing,” Antonetti said of Clase. “The development of his slider has really been a difference-maker for us. The work he’s put in with our coaches and our [strength and conditioning] staff has allowed him to continue to grow and mature into the player he is.”

Naylor, one of three catchers to make the playoff roster, might be the next product, especially if the Guardians elect not to re-sign free agent Austin Hedges.

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But the Guardians system didn’t work perfectly. They took their lumps with some they thought would become future stars. They started the season with Bobby Bradley at first base, Yu Chang at second and outfielders Oscar Mercado and Bradley Zimmer. All were let go.

“We don’t always have the answers. But you try to watch and make good decisions as you’re going,” Francona said of those four.

“The roster at the end of the year looked very different than the roster at the beginning of the year,” Antonetti said.

After watching the Guardians win playing small ball, fans will gnash their teeth over Antonetti’s trademark reference to “financial flexibility” and wonder when the big bat they’ve sought for years will arrive. One of the best front offices in baseball will continue that search, although shoring up the bottom third of the lineup is also a priority.

But the success of Kwan, Gonzalez and some of the other rookies showed the Guardians may already have that big bat. Loyal followers just haven’t seen him yet.

Marla Ridenour can be reached at mridenour@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MRidenourABJ.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Guardians player development success key for playoff run