The Cleveland Guardians’ homegrown pitching staff kept the team very much afloat in the first half. In fact, the likes of Gavin Williams and Parker Messick, should the season end today, may very well be the co-MVPs of the 2026 club.
The Offense
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Runs Scored | 385 | t-28th |
| Home Runs | 93 | 27th |
| OPS | .679 | 29th |
| Whiff% | 24.6 | 12th |
| Hard Hit% | 35.1 | 29th |
The Pitching
| Stat | Number | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Starters’ ERA | 3.69 | 7th |
| Relievers’ ERA | 3.74 | 8th |
| Strikeouts | 870 | 5th |
| Whiff% | 27.2 | 5th |
| Chase% | 29.3 | 23rd |
The Good
For the better part of the last decade, the Guardians have won multiple division titles, plus an American League pennant, on the heels of terrific pitching. If the Guardians want to make it back to October, Cleveland will have to rely on the horses who’ve gotten the team to this point.
Gavin Williams continued to build off the success from 2025. Williams finished sixth in the Majors among starting pitchers (134) over 113.1 IP, and also culled down the walk rate. Yes, Williams surrendered a good amount of long balls, as he gave up 17 in the first half. But overall, it was a very strong first half for the righty.
Tanner Bibee, meanwhile, had a strange first half, one where he netted himself a decent amount of swing-and-miss but just didn’t put batters away via the strikeout. Bibee struck out just 27 batters over 44 innings from June 1 onward. Despite that, coupled with seven home runs allowed, he posted a 2.86 ERA during that span, one of the best in baseball.
Then, there’s Parker Messick, who established himself as one of baseball’s best left-handers very quickly. Messick led all Guardians starters in ERA (2.73) over the first half, struck out 110 over 112 innings, and earned an AL All-Star nod in his first full MLB season.
Those three led a consistent rotation. Williams, Bibee, Messick, plus Joey Cantillo and Slade Cecconi, all made 19 or more starts before the break.
As for the bullpen, that too was pretty good. Cade Smith struck out 63 over 44.1 IP and led all MLB relievers in saves. The Guardians also found a new setup man with Colin Holderman, who signed with the team after a run with the Pirates. Holderman seemed like a good bounce-back candidate after a subpar 2025.
His 1.78 ERA was seventh-best among relievers with 25+ appearances in the first half.
The offense, though, was a mixed bag. Chase DeLauter was one of the better stories. DeLauter got out to a lightning-fast start, hit a skid, and has hit well since the start of June. He slashed .298/.347/.479 (.825 OPS) across 24 games after the first of June.
DeLauter was one of two exciting rookies to debut — technically, he debuted in the 2025 MLB Playoffs, although he didn’t play a regular-season game in 2026 — this season for Cleveland. The other was Travis Bazzana, an All-Star for Cleveland this season.
Bazzana was one of five Guardians with 250+ PA and a BB% above 10%, and DeLauter (9.6%) came close. However, not all was well with the Cleveland offense.
The Bad
The Guardians’ offense is designed to grind on opposing teams. After all, Cleveland was a team light on pop, especially with Jose Ramirez out.
Ramirez missed time leading up to the break with a hamate bone fracture, suffered in mid-June. It was a notable loss, given that Ramirez’s 10 home runs were still the second-most on the team as of the start of the second half. Angel Martinez and DeLauter were tied for the team lead with 11.
It was also a tough first half for Daniel Schneemann and Steven Kwan, both of whom finished in the bottom 15 in OPS. Kwan batted .225/.332/.282 during the first half.
The Guardians also acquired Patrick Bailey, who took over the starting catcher position and pushed Bo Naylor to Triple-A. Naylor slashed .143/.200/.238 across 28 games for the Guardians this season.
Looking Ahead
A healthy Jose Ramirez, once he ultimately returns, should be a major boost for the Guardians. Cleveland is within striking distance of the AL Central and may very well win the division title again, given how good their overall pitching staff is.
However, the Guardians have competition in the Chicago White Sox, a hungry team that can hit.
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