Three Positives From the Week of July 6th

We did it, folks. We survived ten losses in a row, and the team rewarded us by winning six of their last seven.

After what was perhaps the worst week of baseball in my time as a Guardians fan (excluding that one week in 2016), the team decided to flip a switch and go almost-undefeated.

Winning Week

We survived 10 losses in a row over the past two weeks, and the Guardians rewarded us. The team travelled to Houston to face the Astros and made quick work of them. A three-game sweep resulted in the Guardians outscoring the Astros 21-13 after a few too many one-to-two-run games over the past two weeks. Following that sweep, the team traveled to the Southside of Chicago to face the White Sox. While they couldn’t pull off the mop (four-game sweep according to the Cespedes Family BBQ podcast), they still had a fantastic series. The Guards took three of the four games from the Sox, losing game three by just one run in extra innings. They outscored Chicago 20-14 and are now just three games out of a .500 winning percentage.

Welcome to Cleveland, LaViolette

The 2025 MLB Draft began on Sunday evening, and the Cleveland Guardians had the 27th pick. While that’s not nearly as exciting as having the first pick as they did last year, I am still quite excited about the bat they claimed. The Guards selected Jace LaViolette out of Texas A&M University. LaViolette is a 21-year-old outfielder who stands 6’6” and 230 lbs. He holds two school records at A&M, including career home runs with 68 and walks with 169. He was the No. 20-ranked prospect, so it is very exciting that he was still available in the 27th spot. He even played in the Men’s College World Series finals this year, even though he was dealing with a broken hand throughout the tournament. While there’s no telling when he will be in Cleveland, he’s definitely piqued the excitement of many Guardians fans.

Messick Finds Success

In Saturday’s Future’s Game, the league’s best prospects faced off in their own mini-All-Star game. This included two of Cleveland’s own, Parker Messick and CJ Kayfus. Kayfus had two at-bats, which resulted in a walk and a strikeout. Messick, however, found a bit more success. Chosen as the American League starter, he only pitched one inning. In that inning, he faced five batters. He struck out one, giving up one walk, one hit, and zero runs. While the American League couldn’t pull out a win, it was great to see Messick prove why he was chosen to play in the game.