Do you want to know what pure dominance looks like? Just look at the Cleveland Guardians bullpen last season. They weren’t just good—they were lights out. With the league-best 2.57 ERA, they set the standard for relief pitching. Don’t believe anything but the stats. The next best team to them was the Milwaukee Brewers, and they clocked in at 3.11. That’s’ not even close to them, which says everything.
It wasn’t just one player carrying the load. Emmanuel Clase was untouchable and posted a 0.61 ERA and smashed the saves record in franchise history. Walters can crank it up to triple digits on the radar gun. And Erik Sabrowski racked up 19 strikeouts in just 12.2 regular-season innings. Talk about power!
Then there was Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin, who stepped up in the big moments. And their rookie, well, not really since he has a year under his belt. But he had the highest fWAE among all the MLB relievers. So what’s their big secret? How do they keep it all together? Cade Smith recently answered that.
“It didn’t become anything where pride got in the way.”
Cade Smith breaks down what it’s like pitching in the #Guardians bullpen with guys like Emmanuel Clase, Hunter Gaddis and Tim Herrin. @CleGuardians | #ForTheLand
https://t.co/fGPbvbj8w4 pic.twitter.com/CmYPRT5stH
— MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM (@MLBNetworkRadio) February 9, 2025
Speaking to MLB Network Radio on SiriusXM, Cade Smith highlighted it’s not the numbers but the vibe that matters. “It didn’t become anything where pride got in the way,” Smith said. “The older guys did a good job setting the culture from the start. They welcomed me, and I learned a lot from them. We had different guys pitching in different scenarios—it was all about when the phone rings, will everybody be ready for whatever is asked?” mentioned Smith. So no egos, no drama, just a group of guys doing everything it takes to win—isn’t that the chemistry most teams want?
Now is the best part; almost all of them are back for the 2025 season with Cleveland Guardians. So the bullpen going next season looks just as solid. The only concern right now is the world load. The guys worked super hard last season. So keeping them fresh is key. However, with veterans like Clase and Sewald and up-and-comers like Andrew Walters and Erik Sabrowski adding some depth, this group has everything to be dominant. So yes, culture is what makes this bullpen special, as per Cade Smith.
Cleveland Guardians Cade Smith’s meteoric rise
Relief pitchers are more important than ever in Major League Baseball. Gone are those days when starters would grind through 200-plus innings like it was nothing. Just ask AL Cy Young winner Tarik Skubal, who barely cracked 192 innings in the last season. Teams are leaning more on analytics and bullpen matchups; elite relievers are one of the most valuable assets in the game.
That’s exactly what MLB Network’s Top 10 Right Now spotlighted in a recent episode. Ranking the best bullpen arms of 2024. Ron Darling and Brian Kenny ranked no. 1 to Devin Williams. No shocker, right? But what was shocking is Cade Smith is on the list. “Occasionally, there’s a pitcher who has such an incredible rookie season that he absolutely deserves to be ranked this high,” Darling said. This is because Smith wasn’t a household name in 2024. But things changed fast for him. Smith became the Cleveland Guardians’ success story. In his debut season, he had 74 appearances, a 6-1 record, a 1.91 ERA, and 103 strikeouts over 75 1/3 innings.
When pressure mounted on him in October, he didn’t blink. He allowed just one run over 6 ⅓ innings in the ALDS. But yes, for a rookie reliever to end up behind the two-time All-Star on a national top-10 list is no joke. In 2025, everyone will be watching him! Do you think he will cement his name even more this season?
The post Guardians’ Ruthless 2024 Rookie Uncovers the “Pride” Factor Behind Cleveland’s Unprecedented Bullpen Prowess appeared first on EssentiallySports.
