Three Positives From Goodyear, Arizona

Week two was a much better time for the Cleveland Guardians who are finally back to their winning ways.

As we inch closer to the beginning of the MLB regular season, the Guardians gave us plenty of reasons to smile from Goodyear, Arizona this week.

Back to Winning Ways

After an abysmal 2-6 start to Spring Training, the Guardians flipped a switch for week two. Going 4-2 with a tie against Milwaukee last Sunday, the Guards pulled off a three-game win streak before falling to San Diego on Saturday. On top of that, scores like 8-1 (win versus the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday) and 12-5 (win versus the Oakland/Sacramento/Las Vegas Athletics on Friday) have proven that the Guards may just be some heavy hitters this year. If they can get the bullpen up to snuff in the next couple of weeks, we may have a dangerous team on our hands.

Williams Waging War

Yes, it’s only the second week of Spring Training. However, that doesn’t mean the stats are meaningless. This is especially true for starting pitcher Gavin Williams. Recovered from last year’s injuries, Williams is beginning to prove that those days are behind him. So far this Spring, he has struck out 16 batters in just eight innings of work. Seven of these came on Sunday alone in just 3 ⅔ innings of work. Multiple members of the coaching staff have noted that his fastball has improved tremendously and if he continues to improve, he’s all but guaranteed the number two starter spot.

Wittgren Hangs Up the Cleats

While this one is mostly just sad for me, retirements are often filled with happiness for the players involved. For Nick Wittgren, Cleveland relief pitcher from 2019-2021, his 13-year career has come to a bittersweet end. After beginning his professional career with the Miami Marlins, Wittgren was traded to Cleveland before moving on to St. Louis and Kansas City. In his time with Cleveland, he amassed a 3.88 ERA across 143.2 innings and was always a reliable option to keep the game where it was at. My connection with Wittgren runs deep as we went to the same college, Purdue University, and he was always extremely friendly with my family and I each time we met him. While I’m certainly sad I won’t get to see him toe the rubber again, I’m extremely happy that he’ll get to spend the next chapter of his life with his family.