Guardians' 4.81 ERA righty was one of MLB's most 'overhyped' stars for 2026
Guardians' 4.81 ERA righty was one of MLB's most 'overhyped' stars for 2026 originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Cleveland Guardians are in an interesting spot as a franchise, with plenty of great players and a team good enough to contend, but lackluster spending overall.
One of the main reasons why they can have such potential is thanks to their pitching staff. Parker Messick nearly threw a no-hitter recently, while the other starters are also solid. At least, other than one pitcher who's failed to live up to expectations.
Joel Reuter of Bleacher Report called out Guardians righty Tanner Bibee as one of MLB's most "overhyped" stars for this season. With a 4.81 ERA through five outings, the Guardians righty hasn't been able to prove he's more than a mid-rotation starter.
Guardians' Tanner Bibee named most among 'overhyped' stars for 2026
"To date, Bibee's rookie season remains the best of his career," Reuter writes. "... He is a durable workhorse with above-average stuff, but he fits better as a No. 3/4 starter on a contender than he does at the top of a rotation."
The Guardians are 11-10 this season, following Bibee's best start of the year. He went six shutout innings and helped make his season statistics look a lot better.
He's currently sitting at a 4.81 ERA on the year through five starts, which isn't great, but it's also not too terrible. His eight-run outing against the Atlanta Braves is a big reason for his numbers looking as bad as they are.
But, even looking at his production overall, he's of a staff ace like what he seemed to be in his 2.98 ERA rookie season, and is more of a mid-rotation starter.
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Reuter is calling Bibee "overhyped," but the Guardian's righty is still a good and valuable pitcher. Even if he's not the frontline ace the Guardians were hoping he'd become, Bibee can still be a solid starter for a postseason contender.
If Messick can become the ace, or Gavin Williams can continue to dominate this season, there would be no worries in Cleveland if Bibee doesn't put up another sub 3.00 ERA season in his career.
But, with all of the hype with Bibee coming into the year, including getting the Opening Day start, this is still a bit of a letdown for the 27-year-old right-hander.
