Gavin Williams Given Nod For First Spring Training Start Against Los Angeles Dodgers

Throughout the offseason, right-handed pitcher Gavin Williams has been constantly praised for the jump he made in the 2025 campaign.

Across numerous statistical categories, Williams put together career-bests, with the most notable being his ERA dropping by 1.80 and his WHIP sliding down by 0.098. Also cut down his hits per nine innings by 1.5. For the Cleveland Guardians, this is huge as they look for Williams to be one of the team's staples moving forward.

And now, he will get a chance to suit up for the first time in 2026.

On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the Guardians are set to place Williams on the mound against the Los Angeles Dodgers for the team's fifth spring training game. As of now, Cleveland hasn't dropped a game in the New Year.

Tuesday will serve as an early glimpse at what growth the 26-year-old had in the offseason.

Gavin Williams will get the start for the #Guardians on Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers.

A first look at the potential Cy Young candidate in 2026. #GuardsSpring
— Cade Cracas (@CracasCade) February 23, 2026

The Excitement Surrounding the Potential Cy Young Candidate

In the 2025 campaign, Williams broke out onto the scene as one of the more effective arms on the mound in the American League. He finished the campaign with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.270 WHIP. He also posted a really strong 183 strikeouts, pushing his per-nine-inning mark closer to 10.0.

By the end of the year, he had amassed a 12-5 record when starting and a 3.8 WAR.

His advanced metrics tell a deeper story about just how efficient he was.

He was above the league average in xBA, Fastball Velocity, Whiff%, K%, GB% and most importantly for Cleveland, Extension. Of the bunch, the one that showed the most growth from 2024 through 2025 was his Whiff%, which jumped from 44th to 70th, a major statistic that gives insight into improvements he made in fooling batters.

Not only has his play grown, but so has his mindset, something that's important for a potential ace. He doesn't care about who's doing what or who's on the mound. He just wants to win games.

"I wanna win games. That's all that matters to me," he said. "A win is a win to me. It doesn't matter where you pitch as long as you win. We all have one goal in our minds, and that's to win a World Series.

"It doesn't matter how you get there."

Most of the nation's media outlets and analysts have been keeping tabs on Williams, mainly due to statements like that and offseason workout footage that seeped through the cracks.

If he can take yet another jump in 2026, there's no doubt he ends up in Cy Young discussions by the mid-way point of the year.

But for now, spring training is the focus.

He likely won't get an immense amount of time on the mound against the Dodgers, but expect to see two innings from the native of Fayetteville, N.C.

Outside of the game against the Dodgers, the Guardians are also preparing for the Texas Rangers on Wednesday, Feb. 25, the Seattle Mariners on Thursday, Feb. 26 and the Chicago Cubs on Friday, Feb. 27.