Cleveland, this one's for you: What we wish the White Sox would learn from consistent Guardians
Cleveland Guardians are a perfect example of who the Chicago White Sox should aspire to be.
For the Chicago White Sox fans hanging in there and enduring the end of this brutal season, watching the series against the Cleveland Guardians proved two things remain true: the White Sox are terrible and the Guardians are very good.
Since the AL Central was formed in 1994, the Guardians never finished last in the division. They have won 11 division titles and have made the playoffs in five of the last eight years.
Cleveland has consistently put the pieces together to compete well above their market size and embrace the underdog role.
With the White Sox losing their 114th game and getting swept for the 23rd time this season, we'll look at how Cleveland has been able to sustain their success and where the Sox should be taking notes.
Investing in the organization should not just be monetary
As the adage goes, good things come in threes. If you're the Guardians, they come in fours.
Before the start of the 2024 season, The Athletic conducted a poll across Major League Baseball and asked 40 executives to rank the top five front offices. Points were awarded for each position with organizations earning 10 points for first place votes and one point for fifth place.
To little surprise, Cleveland’s front office was a popular nominee, garnering enough votes to earn them fourth place behind juggernauts like the Dodgers and Braves.
In July, it was revealed that Cleveland's front office worked extensively with their players in the offseason to alter their batters' approach at the plate, increasing bat speed at the expense of strikeouts.
Guardians hitters excelled at making contact in 2023 but the front office saw room for improvement and essentially trained their players to accept failure in the new approach. The change could ultimately end up seeing Cleveland go from a playoff team to a serious title contender, as they sit atop the American League at the time of this article.
Accepting swing-and-miss is the smaller message here. When organizations are run by good front offices it's easier for the players and staff to buy in to the culture because of the domino effect that happens when there is vision. It is then that we see teams build something long-lasting as the Guardians have been able to do.
The White Sox...well, they're definitely putting together a season for the ages.
a first place team vs a last place team, a one-act play pic.twitter.com/QHBHGD0YdK
— SoxOptimist (@OptimistSox) September 11, 2024
Having an identity and sticking to it goes a long way
The Guardians also own the fourth-best farm system, according to MLB.com's latest ranking.
Selecting Travis Bazanna in this year's draft, Cleveland elected to add to their offensive firepower with the second baseman out of Oregon State. The addition is just one of many that have emphasized their presence and hunger, finding players that fit their mold and style of play.
Current products of the "Guardians Way" include Shane Bieber, Steven Kwan, and frontman Jose Ramirez, who have made a name for themselves as homegrown products. Before them came Corey Kluber and Francisco Lindor to name a few, all of whom were acquired via trade and the MLB draft, crucial to those Cleveland playoff teams.
Travis Bazzana comes up clutch!
— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 13, 2024
The No. 1 pick in this year's Draft by the #Guardians lived up to his billing, captaining Lake County's sweep into the Midwest League Finals: https://t.co/qOSQqDIamc pic.twitter.com/TU15gindiT
Cleveland hasn't made big splashes in free agency too often, nor do they need to, because there is a sense of pride in their ability to develop players.
The organization ranks in the bottom third in terms of total payroll, spending their money efficiently and not being defined by any financial constraints. If the White Sox can figure out who they are and who they need to be, they won't have to look far in search of talent.
One position brings everything together
Prior to naming Stephen Vogt as manager, Cleveland was led by Hall of Fame manager Terry Francona. In 2013, Francona took over the reigns of a ballclub that had just lost 94 games the year before. Cleveland won 92 games that year and didn't see a losing season again until 2021, the first of two in his 11-year tenure.
Today, the move to make Vogt Francona's replacement has paid off as the transition has been practically seamless. His experience, youth, and authenticity have propelled his squad into yet another winning season with the postseason on the horizon.
Getz: "If you would have told me we were going to end up flirting with the record, I would have been a little surprised. Now if you would have told me prior to the year that we would have ended up with over 100 losses, 105, 110, I wouldn't have been as surprised."
— Scott Merkin (@scottmerkin) September 9, 2024
Earlier this week, White Sox GM Chris Getz clarified he is in no rush to fill the managerial position as his vision for the future remains unclear.
The Sox have an opportunity to meet this all-time low in the organization's history with something that will justify the pain and suffering they put the fans through this year. Appointing a manager to oversee this long-term project should be Getz's last opportunity to keep his job.
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