5 Forgotten Guardians Who Contributed to AL Central Crown

The end to September for the Cleveland Guardians was like a movie with the way they overcame the Chicago White Sox.

The ending had them finishing as the two seed in the American League. And just like a movie, this season rolled the credits that acknowledged everyone who put in the work to shape the final cut.

The Guardians would not be division winners without the forgotten contributors throughout the season.

Rhys Hoskins

The veteran first baseman was the Guardians’ biggest free agent signing in the offseason. He provided leadership with a right-handed power bat. However, Hoskins never found his footing by hitting just .179 in 95 games for them. He went on the injured list with a back injury on August 18, and with the acquisition of Lowe, there was no room for him on the roster.

Hoskins hit in the middle of the order when he was in Cleveland, and since the lineup has been readjusted, the offense has improved. Hoskins joined a long list of veteran free agents signed by Cleveland that proved that they did not have anything left in the tank.

Gabriel Arias

The starting shortstop played 42 games with the team this year. He hit .244 with five home runs in an injury filled season. The debut of Travis Bazzana pushed Arias out of the lineup. He then took over third base when Jose Ramirez went out with a hamate bone injury.

The Guardians saw enough in Arias and sent him to the New York Mets. He is now on the Chicago Cubs roster getting inconsistent playing time.

Juan Brito

Brito was promoted when Arias went on the injured list with a hamstring injury. His promotion preceded the first-overall-pick’s Bazzana’s promotion. Fans were anticipating watching Bazzana make his debut, but Brito delayed that as he played 15 games in the big leagues. He hit .176 and made a couple of critical errors late in games.

The Guardians then promoted Bazzana and he has been here to stay. Brito was traded to the Cincinnati Reds prior to the deadline.

Khalil Watson

The offense was sputtering in June and Watson was promoted to help spark it. He played in 27 games and had 11 runs batted in. He provided a short spark while Chase DeLauter was on the injured list, but the spark quickly flamed out. Watson last played on July 21 against the Minnesota Twins.

Watson ended up with 19 home runs and 24 steals with the Clippers. The former first-round pick will look to compete for a spot on next year’s opening day roster.

Colin Holderman

Holderman provided back-end consistency in the bullpen. He was 6-4 with a 2.73 earned run average in 54 games and one save. He has not pitched since September 3 as he went on the injured list with right wrist inflammation. The injury flared up after his first rehab assignment, slashing his playoff roster chances.

“But obviously, it’s not good when you're in a rehab outing and you're feeling pain. Before we can really identify what's going on, we just have to see how he feels today and tomorrow,” said manager Stephen Vogt.

The current roster will be remembered for being division champions, but there were many contributions along the way. Hopefully the current version of the Guardians can keep the credits from rolling until late October when they hoist the Commissioner’s Trophy.

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