Manager Terry Francona prioritizes a catcher's ability to manage games and get pitchers through their starts over what they can offer at the plate. While the club waits for top prospect Bo Naylor to finish developing in the minors, it added veterans Mike Zunino and Cam Gallagher to handle the pitching staff, and kept a third catcher in Meibrys Viloria to bring some pop off the bench. Below is a look at Cleveland's catchers, the franchise's depth at the position and what to expect this season.
The Cleveland Guardians will open their 2023 season when they face the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park at 10:10 p.m. ET on Thursday night. With that in mind, here are three things to look for from the Guardians this season as they look to build on last season's success. Despite laying claim to the youngest roster in baseball, with a franchise record-tying 17 players making their MLB debuts, Cleveland tallied a 92-70 record in 2022, winning the American League Central Division by 11 games. In doing so, the Guardians became the first team with baseball's youngest roster to make the playoffs since the 1986 New York Mets and proceeded to beat the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card round before falling to the New York Yankees in five games in the American League Championship Series.
Last season, the American League Central was a one-horse race. The Cleveland Guardians waltzed their way to the division title, winning 11 games more than the second-best Chicago White Sox. Chicago and Minnesota have improved in the offseason, and they'll be looking to dethrone Cleveland this year. Below, we'll dive into each team in the AL Central and discuss their odds of winning the division.
No | Player | Pos |
---|---|---|
57 | P | |
80 | P | |
43 | P | |
48 | P | |
62 | P | |
70 | P | |
31 | P | |
73 | P | |
99 | P | |
24 | P | |
49 | P | |
36 | P | |
34 | P | |
47 | P | |
52 | P | |
37 | P |
No | Player | Pos |
---|---|---|
35 | C | |
46 | C | |
10 | C |
No | Player | Pos |
---|---|---|
8 | SS | |
55 | 1B | |
0 | 2B | |
22 | 1B | |
11 | 3B | |
1 | SS |
No | Player | Pos |
---|---|---|
63 | CF | |
39 | RF | |
38 | LF | |
7 | CF |