The Myles Straw Emergence Could Not Come At A Better Time

The Guardiac Kids.

Nobody thought they would be where they are today. Nobody thought they would have a fighting chance at potentially winning the AL Central pennant. Quite honestly, some even thought they didn't stand a chance to have a winning record this season.

The youngest team in baseball and the 27th team out of 30 in the league when it comes to total payroll, the Guardians sit at the top of the division with just 14 games left to go. 

Nobody is perfect and no single player is ever going to stay hot for an entire season. The Guardians signed outfielder Myles Straw to a brand new five-year, $25 million-dollar contract this past off-season. 

I am one that enjoys being wrong if it means my team is having success. While it didn't look like Straw would ever turn it around at the plate, he has done a complete 360, and I am now eating my words, as he is fueling the Guardians to what has a very good chance of being a playoff-level season.

In what felt like a must-win game for the Chicago White Sox last night, they fell to the Guardians 10-7 in 11 innnings and are now hanging on by a thread when it comes to their hopes at coming back in the divisional standings.

Tied 5-5 in the top of the eleventh inning last night, Straw showed up in the clutch to put the Guardians out in front with a two-run double, and they never looked back. 

Just How Good Has Straw Been Recently?

When things were going really rough for Straw, his average dropped down all they way below .200, as it reached as low as .196 at one point. 

In his last 30 games, his average is .260 with a .635 OPS. In his last seven games, he's hitting .417.

Seven games might not seem like a lot, but we're talking about a guy who had been nothing but disappointing at the plate so far stepping up in some of the biggest games of the year, helping his team make a playoff push. 

If seven games isn't enough for you, here are Straw's September numbers in 75 plate appearances: .338 average, .400 on-base percentage, and an .822 OPS. 

If Straw can stay hot and keep on this tear he's been on since the start of September, the Guardians really don't have many holes in their offensive lineup. Guys like Owen Miller and Austin Hedges are the weakest links they have, but they are both more than capable of getting the job done.

The Guardians will continue down the stretch tonight as they will try to clinch a series victory in the three-game series with the White Sox. 

I know the saying that it isn't over until it's over, but if the Guardians can manage to take one more from the White Sox in this series, it would take a miraculous miracle for the White Sox to come back.