You can’t be a great baseball team without a great bullpen, and while there may not be quite as many big-name closers as there used to be and seemingly every team has multiple guys they can call upon to come in and throw 100 mph, there are still teams that separate from the pack.
One team’s bullpen is standing alone in 2024 and is a major reason why they are sitting comfortably atop their division as one of the most surprising stories of the young season so far.
MLB Now shared a post on Twitter that highlighted how dominant the Cleveland Guardians’ bullpen has been in 2024, noting that they rank first in the AL in ERA (2.35), strikeouts (262), WHIP (0.97), opponent batting average (.193), and strikeouts per nine innings (9.8).
The @CleGuardians‘ bullpen is a force to be reckoned with ⛽️#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/fHByeZriaR
— MLB Now (@MLBNow) June 10, 2024
It’s tough to make a case for any other bullpen when one team leads in all those categories.
The Guardians bullpen is led once again by Emmanuel Clase, who has been arguably the league’s most dominant closer with a 0.57 ERA and 0.64 WHIP with 19 saves, a huge improvement from the step back he took last season.
Clase has not been alone in carrying this bullpen, as Hunter Gaddis, Tim Herrin, and Cade Smith all sport an ERA under 2.00 with 89 appearances combined.
Nick Sandlin and Eli Morgan have been lights out as well, while Scott Barlow also features a 3.81 ERA in 30 appearances.
This is a deep and talented bullpen that has done a great job anchoring this team in 2024, and they have done a great job making life easier on a starting rotation that has had to piece things together after losing Shane Bieber to Tommy John surgery while still awaiting the 2024 debut of Gavin Williams.
