3 Keys To Another Cleveland Guardians Division Title

The Cleveland Guardians won the AL Central last year and got to the playoffs as a result. Now, they go from being the hunter to the hunted, as the rest of the division will try to chase them down to take the division crown away from them this year. 

If the Guardians can take care of business in these three areas, though, the rest of the Central will not be able to keep up with them.

Pitching

Pitching is always going to be the key to victory for any team in baseball, but it is especially important for the Guardians this year. Cleveland gave up the fewest runs in the AL Central last season, giving up 50 fewer runs than the second place Twins in that department. But with some of the changes made in the division in the offseason, pitching will be even more crucial to Cleveland’s success in 2023.

Specifically, the big contract of Carlos Correa in Minnesota will make the Guardians’ pitching staff a bigger focal point.

 Minnesota already had a potent offensive club, and keeping Correa in that mix will only make them more dangerous. As a result, the Guardians will need to be even better than they were a year ago on the mound to avoid Minnesota mounting a serious challenge for their division crown.

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Maintaining Consistent Offense

Last year, the Guardians led the AL Central in runs scored as well, scoring two more runs than the Twins for that distinction. But the offense of the Guardians let them down in the postseason, as they scored more than two runs in just two of their seven postseason games. 

This season, the Guardians cannot afford to fall victim to inconsistent hitting again, or their reign atop the Central could be over.

If Cleveland is going to be a consistent offensive threat in 2022, it will start with the hitting of Jose Ramirez. Ramirez hit .280 last year for the Guardians, leading them in home runs with 29 and RBI with 126. He needs to pace the Guardians offense again this year to prevent any regression on the offensive side of things.

Winning On The Road

Baseball is a sport where home field advantage is muted compared to sports like basketball and football. However, there is still a ton of value in being a team that is capable of winning on the road on a regular basis. 

Last year, that is exactly what the Cleveland Guardians did, and it is something that they will need to do again if the Guardians are going to remain the top dogs in the AL Central.

Last year, the Guardians went 46-35 away from home, which was the second best road record in the American League behind the Houston Astros. Cleveland also needs to take care of business against division opponents once again, after they went 47-29 against teams from their division in 2022. 

If they can check those boxes during the 2023 season, the Guardians could qualify for the postseason once again by way of a division championship.