Should Fantasy Baseball Managers Panic About Guardians Closer Emmanuel Clase?
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Before this season, Emmanuel Clase delivered 157 saves over his 181 chances for the Guardians. He allowed 10, 11, and 5 runs for the entire year in 2021, 2022, and 2024, highlighted by his exceptional ERA (1.29, 1.36, and 0.61) and WHIP (0.96, 0.73, and 0.66) over this span. His arm backed up in 2023, which still beat almost all closers in overall results (3.22 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, 64 strikeouts, and 44 saves) despite blowing 12 saves and taking nine losses.
Clase has already given up nine runs, 20 baserunners, and one home run over his first 10.1 innings with nine strikeouts. His ERA (7.84) and WHIP (2.23) require many good outings to reach respectability. When given a chance to finish games, he is 4-for-6 while picking up three wins.
Cleveland pitched in three consecutive games last week, leading to two uneventful saves (no runs, one hit, one walk, and one strikeout over 1.1 innings). On his third outing, he gave up three runs and five baserunners over one inning in a blown save. As a result of his workload and last poor showing, the Guardians gave him the previous two nights off.
Cade Smith Emerges As Guardians Closer Option
Cade Smith earned back-to-back saves against the Yankees while throwing 15 combined pitches. His arm was stellar in 2024 (1.91 ERA, 0.90 WHIP, and 103 strikeouts over 75.1 innings), giving him closer upside. This season, Smith has a 1.38 ERA, 1.000 WHIP, and 16 strikeouts over 13.0 innings.
Here’s Cade Smith’s four-pitch close:
— BIGPLAY (@BIGPLAY) April 23, 2025
pic.twitter.com/iPWsBTU6C0
Last year, Clase’s cutter (77.6% usage) averaged 99.6 mph with batters hitting .171 against it. Over 217 at-bats, he allowed six doubles and three home runs. His velocity (99.4 mph) is down slightly, with much more damage (.371 with three doubles, a triple, and one home run over 55 at-bats). More importantly, his strikeout rate with his cutter sits at 20%, compared to 22.1% in 2024.
The Guardians will give Clase a long leash to close games. His regression appears to be tied to his mechanics being off early in the year, creating confidence issues. To get his ERA back to 3.00, he needs to pitch 16.2 shutout innings with minimal hits allowed to get his WHIP in a reasonable range.
The panic button is within reach, and his insurance card is staring fantasy managers in the face in shallow formats. Buy the cover if possible, but hope Clase regains his form to correct his early damage.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.
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