Emmanuel Clase Brings The Heat In Spring Debut
The Cleveland Guardians had one of the best bullpens in all of baseball in 2022. This was in large part due to the dominance of Emmanuel Clase at the end of games.
Clase was arguably the best reliever in all of baseball in 2023. He had a 1.36 ERA, 0.729 WHIP, with a SO/W of 7.70. He also pitched a league-high 77 games and also led the American League in saves with 42.
These numbers are obviously impressive but just by watching him pitch you could tell how dominant he is by how silly he makes hitters look.
Needless to say that Clase will continue to be the Guardians' closer in 2023. He picked up right where he left off in his Spring Training debut on Monday afternoon. Clase had not pitched yet even though the Guardians had played 10 games up to this point.
This was all a part of Terry Francona and Carl Willis' plan to not overwork anyone too early on. Clase did not disappoint when he finally got his opportunity to take the mound.
Clase only pitched one inning, but he was present in that appearance. He only needed 12 pitches to retire the side and struck out one batter.
A lot of pitchers are going to have to adjust this season because of the new rules. In some cases, this could affect their production on the mound. However, Clase has worked quickly in the past, so begin with so there's a good reason to believe he won't be too cause him much change.
This means he could be in for another All-Star year and this first appearance of the year is a great indication of this.
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Read More:
Guardians Standouts One Week Through Spring Training
Who Will Be The Guardians' Opening Day Starter?
Terry Francona Provides Update On George Valera's Wrist Injury
Guardians Reliever To Miss Time With Shoulder Injury
Triston McKenzie Looks Strong In First Start Of Spring Training
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Cover Story Photo Credit: © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
