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'So much fun': The Guardians have been MLB's best team in 2024, and the clubhouse is why
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- 'So much fun': The Guardians have been MLB's best team in 2024, and the clubhouse is why
CLEVELAND — The Guardians have never gotten off to a better 23-game start in franchise history.
And the secret weapon behind their early season success? It might be the learned wisdom from their backup catcher, and the clubhouse intangibles that simply can't be measured.
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With a 4-1 win over the Boston Red Sox Tuesday night , the Guardians improved to 17-6 this season, tied for the best 23-game opening in franchise history, along with 1966 and 1999.
Their plus-55 run differential is the third best in franchise history, behind only the 1959 club (plus-59) and 1921 (plus-73) teams. It's also the best run differential in baseball this year, with no other team being within 10 runs of them.
Plain and simple, the Guardians , with a young roster and first-year manager Stephen Vogt , are red hot . It hasn't mattered that Shane Bieber was lost for the season because of Tommy John surgery , or that several other pitchers opened the year on the injured list, or that star third baseman Jose Ramirez has gotten off to a rocky start — the Guardians, largely expected to hover at or just below .500 entering the season, are winning more than any other team in baseball right now.
Guardians center fielder Tyler Freeman hits an RBI single in the seventh inning against the Boston Red Sox, April 23, 2024, in Cleveland.
"[We're having] so much fun. I mean, you see the marks on my face right now. It's awesome," said Tyler Freeman , smiling, after the Guardians' win Tuesday night. "I think that was something we were missing a little bit last year. … We're loose and we're winning games."
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Several Guardians players have noted the positive vibes in the clubhouse, and the looseness with which everyone has carried themselves. Winning is often conducive to all of that on its own, so the extremely positive win-loss record is a big part of it, to be sure.
New manager Stephen Vogt 's ability to connect with players a major plus to Guardians
Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (right) reacts after a two-run home run by catcher Bo Naylor (23) in the fourth inning against the Chicago White Sox, April 10, 2024, in Cleveland.
But the question remains: From where did that clubhouse feel, and openness, and looseness originate?
The Guardians seem to have two sources of off-the-field power when it comes to this torrid start. The first is an obvious one — Vogt , and his ability to connect with anyone with whom he comes into contact, which was one of the qualities the Guardians liked most when they hired him to replace Terry Francona .
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"I think Vogter's energy has been kind of infections," said Triston McKenzie . "He's done a good job of making all the players feel seen, feel heard, and I think that's been translating into how we've been playing the game. Everybody is communicating.
"Nobody's quiet or not speaking up. If there's a problem, it's spoken about. If something's done well, it's being spoken about. And I think it's just a positive environment for guys to learn in, to grow and to thrive and win."
But it isn't only the manager's office.
Austin Hedges providing positive impact on Guardians clubhouse in 2024
Guardians catcher Bo Naylor (right) celebrates his game-winning single with catcher Austin Hedges after a 10-inning win against the Chicago White Sox, April 10, 2024, in Cleveland.
The second, less obvious source of all this is backup catcher Austin Hedges , who has leaned into his role as a clubhouse veteran tasked with the job of making sure the other 25 players on the roster are in a positive environment every day, no matter what.
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Hedges was signed to a one-year, $4 million deal for the 2024 season . He won't provide much offense, but he's been an elite defensive catcher in his career, he's 31 years old (which might as well be 41 on this youthful roster) and he knows that "team mentor" is part of his job description.
Hedges has a colorful personality and a voice — often accompanied by an infectious laugh — that echoes to every corner of the clubhouse. Teammates will tell you he has the right blend of keeping everyone loose while taking care of business.
"I think the biggest thing is Austin," said Steven Kwan when asked about the positive vibes in the clubhouse. "I think it's oversimplified, but when he's around saying dumb things, people aren't afraid to say dumb things.
"I think last year, everybody was kind of hush-hush, quiet. Everybody just wanted to be really professional, but when you got a goofball doing it, everybody's personality is allowed to blossom."
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It's a skill that Hedges has honed over the last few years. It actually started in Cleveland in 2022. It was another year when a Cleveland team surprised the baseball world and won 92 games. He began to see how he could most impact a team toward the goal of winning, and that he had the ability to be a positive influence in the clubhouse.
"I started realizing something that could be taken care of away from the field that not everybody is aware of, and the guys just bought into it so well that it kind of opened my eyes to the possibilities of ways to impact the game off the field," Hedges told the Beacon Journal. "One of the reasons I'm back here is to kind of build on what we started in '22. Once everybody buys into something that's bigger than you, it's all about everybody else, everyone becomes the best versions of themselves."
Guardians are off to the best start in franchise history. They say clubhouse vibes are a big reason why
Cleveland Guardians catcher Austin Hedges (27) is greeted by his teammates after scoring on a two-run double by Brayan Rocchio against the Athletics during the fourth inning, March 28, 2024, in Oakland.
It's also about consistency. His teammates know what they're going to get out of Hedges, regardless of his own performance in the previous game. Baseball's 162-game grind of a season demands that, and it's a lesson a young clubhouse needs to learn.
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"The consistency out of him is crazy," McKenzie said. "Rain or shine, 0 for 4, 4 for 4, whether he caught a good game the day before, whether he's not playing, he's in here and he's the same guy every day, which I think is super underrated in a clubhouse. Having a guy you can rely on to be consistent in the clubhouse not only helps the guys around him, but it helps the coaching staff not feel overweight with that stuff."
Hedges began to see that his talent for uplifting teammates, while it can't be measured like a batting average, might be a way he can not only stay in the league longer, but continue to contribute to winning. It took a great deal of introspection, and him being honest about where his skillset was headed.
"I've been through a few different ways of trying to figure out my own identity, what I can do to bring value to a team," Hedges said. "If you're not always bringing value on the field in every aspect like others might, if you want to stay in this league, you gotta figure out a way to bring something to the table."
Hedges' career path is a key element in all of this. It took him reaching rock bottom, as he struggled with his own play on the offensive side of things, to see the power of teammates lifting each other up. He learned from many veterans, including pitcher Clayton Richard , about what all of that looks like in a mentor.
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"It took sucking, it took failing over and over and over again and it took great leaders and mentors in my life to pick me up ... really the impact they had on my life and be like, 'Man, if I feel this way, that means there's probably a bunch of other guys that would benefit from this type of care and love," Hedges said. "Just simple day-to-day things, and truly being consistent with that type of stuff."
Kwan and Josh Naylor have been among the league's most productive hitters. The Guardians bullpen has been one of baseball's best. But the impact of Vogt and Hedges on a clubhouse that seems to be having more fun (and more success) than any other in the game?
It cannot be measured. But considering it's often the first thing mentioned by teammates, it also cannot be overlooked.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Guardians keep winning, Austin Hedges and Stephen Vogt are key reasons
