The Cleveland Guardians Are Leading The League In Hitting, And Nobody Saw This Coming

The last time the Cleveland Guardians led the American League in hitting, they were called the Indians, and their leading hitter was Manny Ramirez, whose lofty .351 average was good for only third in the AL batting race, behind Nomar Garciaparra (.372) and Darrin Erstad (.355).

The year was 2000.

Welcome to 2022, where the Cleveland Guardians are leading the American League in hitting, albeit with a modest .257 team average. Their leading hitter is infielder Owen Miller, who is hitting .352 – and nobody in Cleveland is complaining that the team didn’t add a hitter or two during the offseason to bolster last season’s anemic lineup.

Last year Cleveland ranked 11^th in the American League with a team batting average of .238. So far this year they are leading the league in hitting. Last year Cleveland ranked 13^th in the league with in on-base percentage. This year the Guardians lead the league with a .323 on-base percentage.

The Guardians are scoring an average of 4.71 runs per game, which leads the league. Last year they finished ninth in the league in that category. Last year Cleveland was ninth in runs scored. So far this year they are second in runs scored. Last year they were ninth in the league in slugging, this year they rank third. Last year they were 10^th in OPS, this year: third.

Nobody saw any of this coming, nor this:

With runners in scoring position, Cleveland leads the majors in hitting (.302), on-base percentage (.374), and slugging (.519). Last year with runners in scoring position they hit .259/.322/.415 respectively.

What has caused this dramatic turnaround by a team that last season was one of the weakest offensive groups in the league, but so far this year appears to be among the top hitting teams in the league?

One factor that immediately jumps out is the schedule. Thirteen of Cleveland’s 28 games have been against teams that rank 11^th (Oakland), 12^th (Toronto), or last (Kansas City, Cincinnati) in their leagues in team ERA.

The Guardians still don’t hit a lot of home runs, they’re ninth in the league in that category, but they are not just singles hitters. They lead the American League in triples (8), and are tied for second in doubles (51). They are roughly league-average in walks, but they’ve struck out the third fewest times in the league.

The biggest factor in the team’s offensive surge appears to be the maturation of some young hitters who have gotten off to strong starts. The most prominent of those is Miller, who in 191 at bats as a rookie last season slashed a lightweight .204/.243/.309. So far this year, however, Miller has been one of the top hitters in the league.

He’s tied for second in the league with 10 doubles, ranks fourth in hitting (.352), fourth in OPS (1.043), fifth in on-base percentage (.424), and sixth in slugging (.620).

Manager Terry Francona says Miller’s emergence is not uncommon for a young player in his second big league season.

“Sometimes guys come here and it just doesn’t click right away,” Francona said. “But they go home over the winter and come back and appear stronger, though they might not be. But they have a sense of belonging. He (Miller) looks like a different hitter.”

Jose Ramirez is the same all-star hitter he’s always been, but after signing a seven-year, $141 million contract extension on opening day, he’s taken his game to an even higher level. Arguably the league’s MVP to this point in the season, Ramirez is hitting .311 and leads the majors in RBI (30), leads the AL in offensive WAR
AR
(1.9), total bases, and runs created, is tied for first in triples, is third in slugging and OPS, and has almost twice as many walks as strikeouts.

Rookie outfielder Steven Kwan is more than holding his own as the Guardians’ No. 2 hitter in the lineup, batting .316, with more walks than strikeouts. Franmil Reyes, who was moved out of the cleanup spot in the order after hitting .135 with just two home runs in 77 plate appearances in April, finally shook that slump and is hitting .522 in May.

The biggest surprise in the lineup however, is Andres Gimenez, who after hitting a dreadful .218 as a part-time infielder last year, has hit his way into the lineup this year as a regular at either shortstop or second base. Gimenez is hitting .347, and among all Guardians only Ramirez has more RBI than Gimenez’s 15.

Cleveland’s emergence – so far – into one of the better offensive teams in the American League is as surprising as it’s been emphatic. Almost to a man the hitters have improved significantly from a year ago. Ramirez has been a hitting machine, and younger players such as Miller and Kwan are showing signs of being the real deal.

All of which has been necessary because the Guardians’ vaunted pitching staff has been a mess. The team’s 3.99 ERA is the third worst in the league, and the team’s five starters have a combined record of 6-10 and a 4.56 ERA.