Guardians

MLB American League Central Cleveland Guardians 2022

As the team transitions into the new era of Guardian baseball, they hope to find more success on the field as well. Last season, they finished second in the division, but that was still with just an 80-82 record, 13 games behind the first place White Sox.

Their odds of winning it all in 2022 are not particularly strong as they are tied for the 20th-best odds overall.

Part of their issue is an inconsistent offense that ranked 18th in scoring in 2021, averaging just 4.43 runs per game. While Jose Ramirez is a superstar, there is inconsistency throughout the rest of the lineup.

On the pitching side, there is certainly more optimism. Their three best starters (Shane Bieber, Aaron Civale, and Zach Plesac) all missed time at varying points last season due to injuries. If they can come back healthy in 2022, the rotation could be a strength for Cleveland.

While the team may not immediately be favorites to win it all in 2022, they hope that with a fresh new name, the franchise can make a fresh start as they look to end a World Series drought that has existed since 1948.

MLB American League Central Cleveland Guardians History

Even as Cleveland baseball enters a new era as the Guardians, the franchise’s long and storied history lives on. Known as the Indians through the 2021 season, the club was officially established as a major league team dating back to 1901.

Prior to that, the club had originally started as the Grand Rapids Rustlers, a Western League minor league team. Later, the club moved to Cleveland and became known as the Cleveland Lake Shores.

In 1901, Cleveland became one of the eight charter franchises in the American League, officially starting its history as an MLB team. The team changed its name that year to the Cleveland Bluebirds, which would last all of a couple of seasons before again changing to the Cleveland Naps. Finally, in 1914, the team transitioned to the Cleveland Indians.

Fast forward to 2021, and the team changed its name to the Cleveland Guardians following criticism for cultural insensitivity regarding the Indians logo and name. The new Guardians name is something that owner Paul Dolan hopes will “unify the fans and city.” Near Progressive Field, there are Guardians of Traffic statues that helped to inspire the name.

When Major League Baseball decided to incorporate divisions into each league in 1969, the Guardians were one of the original American League East teams. In 1994, when the Central division was added, the Guardians moved divisions again. They have been in the AL Central ever since.

Since their first season as a major league club in 1901, the Cleveland Guardians franchise has a winning record to this point. They are a combined 9,592 – 9,144, good for a .512 winning percentage.

When the team moved into the AL Central, they also moved into a new stadium. Originally called Jacobs Field, present-day Progressive Field has been their home since 1994.