At the end of the 2021 season, it was announced on social media that it would be renamed the Cleveland Guardians. After saying goodbye to the previous name that has been used for more than a hundred years, the development of the team seems to have come to a new stage. The Philadelphia Phillies ended the season with a record of 82 wins and 80 losses. Can the two teams with their core players regain their strength in the 2022 season? And let's find out.
A brief description of last season
After four playoffs in the past five years, the Guardians finished with 80 wins and 82 losses in the 2021 season, ending their record of more than half of the eight consecutive years since 2012. Although they remain second in the Midtown Midfield, they have a 13-game difference with the divisional top white sox.
The guardians who sent away the likes of Francisco Lindor, Carlos Carrasco and Carlos Santana in the last off-season have given enough hints for the team's near-term plans. With ace pitcher Shane Bieber starting just five games after May, and while the Guardians still had a 50% win rate before the trade deadline, they decided to send Cesar Hernandez, Jordan Luplow, Phil Maton and Eddie Rosario to follow through.
The Guardians are led by superstar Jose Ramirez and Franmil Reyes, who hit 30 hits in just 115 games. In addition to the level of blows close to the league average, Amed Rosario, who came to the Guardians in the Lindole trade, and Bobby Bradley, who has been away from the major league for two years.
The Defenders are more dynamic in terms of pitchers than playing line. Despite a long absence from team ace Bieber last season, Aaron Civale and Zach Plesac both scored double-digit wins. Cal Quantrill, who started from the cowshed at the start of the season, also won a starting rotation seat for his excellent performances, and he also shot 6 in 13 of the 16 starts since then. In addition, the Guardians have also developed a new Terminator, Emmanuel Clase, who has won 24 rescue points throughout the season with a 1.29 ERA.
Personnel changes
The Guardians chose to renew backup pitcher Bryan Shaw among veterans who became free agents offseason. Shaw swept away the previous years of decline in the 2021 season, achieving 20 relay points and becoming an important part of the Guardians' Cowshed. The 34-year-old will continue to help the Guardians' young cowshed in all aspects of the game and beyond in the new season. Apart from that, the Guardians didn't make much of a move on the trade and free agent markets, focusing mainly on signing multiple receivers including Luke Maile after Roberto Pérez left the team.
Key star: Jose Ramirez, second/third baseman
Ramirez is undoubtedly the Guardian's brightest superstar. He's good at both offense and defense, ranking fourth among American League attackers for his 6.7 2021 victory contribution and one of five players in the Major League last season who scored 100 points, 100 RBIs, 20 hits and 20 steals. Defensively, he tied for the top American League third baseman with a 10 DRS (Defensive Runs Saved, roughly measuring how many points were cut for the team), only to lose to Athletics Matt Chapman in the Golden Gloves. However, a player at Ramirez's level will naturally attract the attention of all parties. His contract with the Guardians has only one team option left for 2023 other than this year, and the future of the Guardians' own star third baseman will take time to answer.
Dark Horse Candidate: Triston McKenzie, starting pitcher
MacKenzie, the number one rookie in the 2019 Guardian Farm System, made a good start in 2020, but his performance in 2021 was somewhat disappointing. The misalignment of possession brought his SELF-DEFEAT to 4.95 last season, with the delivery rate soaring from 7.1% in 2020 to 11.7%. Fortunately, his three-hit ability has not diminished, reaching a 27.5% three-strike rate, ranking in the top ten among players who have pitched more than 100 innings in the American League. His ceiling is impressive, with a low SELF-defeating score of 1.76 in seven starts in August and September last year, and the 48-5 strike-up ratio also reflects an improvement in possession. As long as he can maintain his possession, the 24-year-old will be an important part of the guardians' starting rotation in the new season.
Recruit registration: Richie Palacios, second baseman/outfielder
The 2018 third-round outfielder can unleash his defensive all-round talent in the yet-to-be-formed Guardians playing line, and Palacios' 0.297/0.404/0.471 take-out 7-shot 20 steals at AA last season also gives experts confidence that he can steal the Guardians' outfield spot.
Outlook for the quarter
Although the Guardians are not the best time to strive upstream, they have accumulated a lot of potential rookies after years of operation. Their main lineup is basically not old enough to be established, and if some key pain points can be adjusted around Ramirez and Bieber, the Guardians will still be a force to be reckoned with in the Central Region of the United States.
2021 Season Review
Last season's Philadelphia man had no shortage of highlights, playing Bryce Harper, the League's most valuable player, and Zack Wheeler, who voted second in the National League. The introduction of Kyle Gibson in mid-season was a huge help to the Philadelphia's starting rotation, as well as barn surprises like Ranger Suarez.
On the other hand, the Phillies, who at some point seemed promising, eventually lost to the Warriors in the League East division by a 6.5-game win margin, and the weakness of all this was the offense and the bullpen. The Phillies averaged 4.53 points per game in the 2021 season, only 13th in the major leagues, and the team strike level is lagging behind in the league. On top of that, their cowshed is volatile, accumulating a major league-high 34 rescue failures this season. While excellent pitchers such as Hector Neris and Ian Kennedy have sprung up, the edge has faded over time. In addition, the overall defensive ability of the Phillies is also quite worrying, with a -54 DRS at the bottom of the major leagues.
In the offseason, the Philadelphiars fixed the reinforcements, bringing in Nick Castellanos and Kyle Schwarber in the playing line, and the new signings of the bullpen mainly included Corey Knebel, Jeurys Familia and Brad Hand. The Phillies, who have been heavily reinforced in recent years, have given Castellanos five-year and Four-year contracts this offseason, and they will be mainly in the new season on the left fielder and the new designated strike position in the National League. Castellanos, who has just played his career year, and Shuvabo, who hit 16 home runs in 18 games last season, will inject a shot in the arm for the Philadelphiars' offense. Similarly, the Phillies recruited several of these former terminator or victory group back-up pitchers, greatly enriching the previously unstable cowshed.
Among the veterans who were granted free agent status, the Phillies chose to keep Odúbel Herrera, a relatively average team player who has played for the Phillies 124 times this season. At the same time, it also means that established players, including Andrew McCutchen, Brad Miller, Neris, Kennedy, Archie Bradley and several other winning group back-up pitchers last season, have left Philadelphia.
Notably, the Philadelphia have also made a certain turnover in coaching, including the replacement of former Nationals strike coach Kevin Long, the new interior coach Bobby Dickerson and the appointment of Howie Kendrick as special adviser. This series of changes also reflects the all-round ambition of the Philadelphia people.
Key Stars:
Bryce Harper, right outfielder
After coming to the Phillies on a record 13-year, $330 million contract at the time, Harper finally regained his former skills in his third year. He paid in a single quarter of 0.309/0.429/0.615, with 35 hits and 84 RBIs. Harper led the major leagues in terms of standardized offense index (OPS+), long runs and second base runs, ultimately winning the 2021 League MVP award. Defensively, Harper made just one turnover out of 225 defensive chances. Unlike the general left-handed strong punch, which is only good at pulling, Harper also has his own experience in hitting in the opposite direction. Harper will receive more support from the playing line next season, and his performances are as exciting as ever.
Zach Wheeler, starting pitcher
Also as a big signing for the Phillies in previous years, Wheeler's ace style will be revealed in 2021. Last year, he won 14 and lost 10 games, and the 213.1 innings of the major leagues still pressed the self-blame rate to 2.78, and the most 3 finished shots in the major leagues, 2 finished blocks and led the National League with 247 strikeouts. Wheeler eventually lost to Corbin Burnes by a small margin in the national league pick, but that didn't hide his great season. In a way, Wheeler can be said to be independently carrying the Philadelphia people's starting rotation forward, and he is also looking forward to the outbreak from his peers.
Dark Horse Candidate: Alec Bohm, third baseman
Bohm, a former number one rookie in the Phillies system, made a perfect debut in the second half of the 2020 season, finishing second in the National League Rookie of the Year vote that year. But in 2021, the shortcomings of bohm's garrison were exposed, and the level of attack also dropped sharply. This off-season, he has also been actively working with the new coaching team to improve his own approach to hitting and defending, and hopes that the youngster will regain his skills in the new season.
Recruits: Bryson Stott, a guerrilla
Selected with the 14th pick in the first round of 2019, Stott is now arguably catching up with the Phillies' most needed partisan. Stott's combined performance of 0.299/0.390/0.486 in the A+/AA/AAA three tiers in 2021, coupled with his excellent performance in the Arizona Fall League, can now be said to be close to Philadelphia's guerrilla position. In the new season, we can expect to see the young man in philadelphia's guerrilla defense zone.
Outlook for the 2022 new season
The Phillies have targeted weaknesses this off-season, and the integrity of the team's lineup has been further consolidated. Of course, they also pay a lot of money in the process of continuing to compete, such as losing draft picks when signing players with qualified offers in the free market, and continuing challenges to the luxury tax line. As former powerhouses, the Phillies have now missed the playoffs for a decade in a row, and they are eager to make a breakthrough in this area. While they are not impeccable, this veteran strong team must be one of the strong contenders for the National League East and even the playoffs.
Do you think the Guardians and Phillies can regain their former glory in the new season? Hurry up and discuss it with us in the comments section!