With Watson, We Have To See It To Believe It.

Since we live in northeast Ohio and football is discussed all year round, the talk about Deshaun Watson is relentless. So, we guess we will dive into the conversation about the Browns’ quarterback too.

We will start by not understanding how anyone can have confidence that Watson will be one of the best signal callers in the NFL. We do agree that at one point in his career, Watson was a top five QB in the league, but we are getting farther and farther away from that occurance.

We understand passer rating is not the true measure of quarterback play, but with Houston, Watson had a 104.5 rating and in his dozen games with the Browns, that mark has dipped to 81.7.

Every metric has decreased significantly from his time with the Texans–

Houston Cleveland
Completion % 67.8 59.8
Yards/Attempt 8.3 6.5
Interception % 2.1 2.6

In 2020, Watson completed 70% of his passes. In his 12 games with the Browns, he has had one game, last year’s win over the Titans where he initially was injured, where he completed that high of a percentage (27 of 33, 81.8%).

Can Watson get back to close to the level he played at in Houston? The Browns are trying everything to help him. They hired a new offensive coordinator, Ken Dorsey, who has experience guiding a mobile passer.

Perhaps the bigger question is what happens is the Browns get off to a poor start, and quarterback play is a large factor? Cleveland has a huge financial commitment to Watson and has it for three more seasons.

Meanwhile, the rest of the roster is set up to win now. Myles Garrett is 28 years old and in his prime, winning the NFL Defensive Player of the Year last season. Joel Bitonio is 32 and in his 9th season. Amari Cooper is 29, and David Njoku is now 27. Denzel Ward is 26.

They made the playoffs last season with Watson starting only six contests, and really only played in five. It would figure that if he played like he did in Houston, the Browns would be a Super Bowl contender.

The situation reminds us of the Odell Beckham situation. When the Browns traded for him in 2019, it had been two seasons since he was truly an elite receiver. Fans and media alike kept waiting for the guy who dazzled the NFL in his first three seasons, but that Beckham didn’t exist any more.

What if the same is true with Watson? Understanding the huge trade capital involved and the guaranteed money involved, if the quarterback cannot turn back the clock to 2020, what will Kevin Stefanski be allowed to do?

We understand everyone wants him to be that guy again, but because of circumstances, suspension, and injury, it has now been three seasons since anyone has seen it.

We would guess within the confines in Berea it has been discussed, because that’s what organizations due, and that’s why Jameis Winston was signed. The Browns need an alternative starting QB in case of injury or in case Watson’s play is just slightly above average.

Until we see the 2020 version of Deshaun Watson, we will remain skeptical. We would bet there are folks who think the same way within the offices in Berea.

Can’t Focus On One Thing In Evaluating Baseball Players

Baseball is changing, and we don’t mean the rule changes put forth by the commissioner a few years ago. For the record, we like the pitch clock and don’t have an issue with limiting the number of pick off throws by a pitcher.

As for the “ghost runner” in extra innings? Well, you can’t win them all, right Rob Manfred?

Over the past 40 years, there have been many new statistics, most of them add a lot to the game and give more information as to how valuable a player can be. Others, such as numbers reflecting expected numbers, tell both fans and front offices to be patient with players, particularly young ones.

A statistic that has come under fire recently, mostly because of a comment made by ESPN’s Michael Wilbon, is exit velocity. Quite frankly, it is cool to measure how hard players are hitting the baseball.

One issue among some fans is they take a number like exit velocity, and it is the only thing they look at. For Cleveland fans, Steven Kwan has a very low exit velocity, but there is no question he is a good hitter.

Two-time batting champ (and hitting for a high average still helps teams) Luis Arraez also doesn’t hit the ball that hard. Yet, in an interview a couple of years ago, Shane Bieber said he was one of the players he hated to face.

The point is while it is something that can be measured, it really has nothing to do with how good a player is performing.

We hear this locally when hearing about Guardians’ infielder Gabriel Arias. His fans constantly point out how hard he hits the baseball. Unfortunately, he doesn’t hit it all that often. He has an average exit velo of 89.8, and a hard hit rate of 39.7%. He also strikes out 31.7% of the time.

Compare those number to Kwan, a much more accomplished hitter. His exit velocity average is 82.3 MPH, and his hard hit percentage is 18%.

Let’s compare Arias to a less accomplished major league player, Tyler Freeman. He has an average exit velocity of 89.1 MPH, a tick below Arias, and his hard-hit percentage is 41.4%. His K rate is just 15.9%.

Those numbers would indicate why the Guardians’ front office have stayed with Freeman longer despite struggling early this year.

By the way, the Guardian who ranks 7th in hard hit percentage. It’s Jose Ramirez. And Arias’ exit velocity is also a tad higher than Ramirez. The difference is the five-time all-star only strikes out in 11.3% of his plate appearances.

We understand to market itself, especially to younger fans, baseball tries to point out excitement, the spectacular play, the rocket off the bat, etc. However, lost in that is what helps teams win games, which is the object of the sport.

It’s not sexy or exciting to hit a ground ball to the right side to move a runner to third base with less than two outs or hit a sacrifice fly, but it helps winning.

Sabermetrics is a good thing, but it seems to have gone overboard. A recent question about what the biggest problem about baseball was recently asked, and someone said the overuse of analytics in today’s game.

There were a lot of responses agreeing with that sentiment.

The point is in evaluating players there are many things to look at, no one should focus on just one. And also, people need to remember the game is not a skills competition, they keep score for a reason.

Guardians’ Success Through 33% Of The Slate? Look To The Bullpen

It is difficult to imagine a better start to the season and Steven Vogt’s managerial career than what has happened to date for the Cleveland Guardians. We have now reached the 1/3rd mark of the 2024 campaign, and the Guards are sitting at 36-18, one of the sport’s best records.

They rank second in the league in runs scored per game at 4.98, almost a full run per game higher than the 4.09 the finish the 2023 season with. They are third in the AL in ERA, despite losing their #1 starter, Shane Bieber, to Tommy John surgery after two starts.

Last year, the Guardians struck out fewer than any team in the AL, and this year, they still don’t fan a lot, ranking 12th in the Junior Circuit. Their on base percentage is exactly the same as 2023.

They are hitting more homers though. After being last in the league in ’23, they are now 7th, led by franchise icon Jose Ramirez, who is fourth in home runs with 15 and leads the AL in runs batted in with 52.

The switch-hitter has four top five MVP finishes and seems on a mission to win the award this season, although it seems the criteria has changed over the past decade.

It should be pointed out the hitting has done this well without the presence of Steven Kwan, who was leading the AL in hitting when he went on the injured list and had a .407 on base percentage at the time.

It appears he will be back in the lineup, perhaps as early as this weekend’s home stand.

The biggest surprise offensively has been David Fry, who has a 1087 OPS, a .344 batting average with six homers and 19 ribbies. He’s demolishing left-handed pitching at a .421 clip (1452 OPS).

Right now, Vogt is trying to find him more at bats.

The outfield, which outside of Kwan, was dreadful offensively last season, has also improved. Tyler Freeman has an OPS 80 points higher than last year’s CF Myles Straw, and in rightfield, the combination of Will Brennan, Estevan Florial, and the since released Ramon Laureano, have combined for nine round trippers.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Fry in RF when Kwan returns to the active roster.

But the real star for the Guardians so far has been the bullpen, which has far exceeded expectations.

As spring training closed, it was a real concern. Trevor Stephan and James Karinchak, considered the two likely men to pitch the 7th and 8th innings were out. They did get Scott Barlow from San Diego to ease the burden on Emmanuel Clase, but he may have been the only guy with proven success in the late innings.

Enter Hunter Gaddis, who as a starter was prone to the gopher ball. He has a 1.78 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 25.1 innings.

Enter Tim Herrin, a southpaw who had an ERA over 5 last year in his big-league debut. He’s accepted that his stuff is plenty good enough to get major league hitters out. He has a 0.82 ERA.

Enter Nick Sandlin, who gave up 12 dingers in 60 innings in 2023. This year, he is Vogt’s “pacifier”, allowing just two circuit clouts on the season, and just 11 hits in 24.2 innings, fanning 28.

Enter Cade Smith, who didn’t know he made the final roster until the morning of the opener in Oakland. Armed with an electric fastball, he’s punched out 34 batters in 23 innings.

Can they keep it up? That probably depends on the starters providing enough innings to keep the relievers fresh. But right now, when the Guardians have the lead late, victory is pretty much assured.

They are the real story behind the Guardians’ success so far. And after 54 games, it’s now a pretty good sample size.

With JB Out, The Pressure Is Now On Altman

Thursday, the Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t surprise anyone when they announced coach J.B. Bickerstaff would not be returning next season. Bickerstaff was the right man for the job after the John Beilein debacle, but in the NBA, as in life, times change.

Bickerstaff gave the Cavs an identity. They would be a good defensive team and put forth maximum effort. After going 14-40 under Beilein, they won five of the eleven games under the new coach before the season ended due to COVID.

The wine and gold were 29th in defensive rating that season, and during the last three years, they were in the top ten in the league.

We ran into assistant coach Antonio Lang at a mall that season (we don’t know him, but recognized him) and in talking to him (small talk) we said it was a tough season and also remarked at how small the Cavaliers were.

Of the top eight players in minutes that season, the tallest players were Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. who are both 6’8″. And yes, that’s a theme we will address later.

As we said though, times change in the NBA and while the franchise should be grateful to Bickerstaff for setting a course for the young Cavaliers, now after appearances in the post-season the last three years, it is time for a new voice.

And by the way, that’s okay. There are many times coaches and managers are great in making a young team competitive but someone else comes in to put them over the top.

The term “a new voice” has been mentioned several times about the Cavs and we do not disagree. Cleveland needs a better offensive philosophy than the pick and roll heavy system they have used under Bickerstaff.

And we also still believe the frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen can work with a different offensive scheme. It would require Mobley to develop a solid 15-to-18-foot jump shot, but the defensive force that duo gives you is tough to give up on.

Mobley’s biggest strength is being able to guard smaller players on the perimeter and making him a center probably takes that away.

The dismissal of Bickerstaff now puts the pressure to win on president of basketball operations Koby Altman. We said many times during the year that we had issues with the coaching but had equal issues with the roster construction.

We think Cleveland has run its course with the two small guards and no size at the wing position set up. In most games and playoff series, the Cavaliers have a size advantage at one spot, power forward with Mobley. They are undersized at both guard spots and at small forward.

Going back to the conversation with Lang in early 2020 about the roster being small, the person in charge of that roster was also Koby Altman, meaning it’s a trend.

The NBA is getting bigger. The smaller starter among the four teams in the conference finals is Kyrie Irving, listed at 6’2″. The Pacers have a 6’5″ small forward, but both their starting guards are 6’5″ too.

Altman said in his presser he didn’t see the need for changes, but we attribute that to executive speak, he’s not going to tip his hand. The Cavs need players in the 6’7″ to 6’9″ range that can play on the wing and can play.

They also need depth at center and power forward.

J.B. Bickerstaff probably wasn’t the guy to push the Cavaliers forward, but now Koby Altman needs to prove he is the man to build a roster of an NBA title contender.

We will see what the summer brings for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Fry Gets A Chance And Makes The Most Of It

In sports, like life, sometimes you only get one opportunity to do something to change everything. You can take advantage of the change or fail to do so, and it makes all the difference.

Every year, sports fans want players to get opportunities and if they don’t succeed right away, they want the teams involved to continue to give the player a shot, but most franchises need and want to win, so it is tough to give someone who isn’t getting the job done more chances.

There is no doubt that if the team is winning, young, struggling players get more of a shot. For example, Brayan Rocchio isn’t hitting right now (565 OPS), but the Guardians are winning, so there isn’t pressure on Steven Vogt and the front office to make a change at shortstop.

And other times, the player simply isn’t ready. There are Cavs’ fans clamoring for rookie Emoni Bates because he is supposed to be a good three-point shooter, but Bates doesn’t do much of anything else right now, so no coach of a playoff team is going to put him on the court.

Back to the Guards, no one has taken advantage of his opportunity more than David Fry, who is working on getting more and more playing time the old-fashioned way. By earning it.

Fry has 103 plate appearances on the season, ranking in a tie for 9th on the team, but he has a 1010 OPS with 4 homers, 16 RBIs, and 18 walks for the season. Frankly, his production is forcing Vogt to put him in the lineup more often, which the skipper is doing.

It helps that Fry can play a number of positions. He can catch, and has seen time at 1B, LF, and 3B.

He didn’t get a call up until last season at age 27, but his minor league numbers are pretty good. He has an 815 OPS in AAA, getting on base at a .347 clip and slugging .468. His first year in the Cleveland organization (2022), he had a 779 OPS and raised that a year ago before his call up to 946.

Fry was in the Opening Day lineup because a southpaw was on the mound for Oakland and he went 3 for 4 with a double and an RBI, and started the next day and went 1 for 2 with two walks. In his next start a week later, he belted a three run HR to beat the Twins.

Had he gone 0 for 9 in those games with five strikeouts, would Vogt have given him more chances? Ultimately, of course, but it was easier to find him at bats because he was getting hits.

He has destroyed lefties, hitting .424 and a 1426 OPS, but has held his own against righties, batting .300 with an 819 OPS.

No doubt a good deal of his success has been predicated on controlling the strike zone. Fry is second on the team in walks despite his relatively few at-bats, so by and large, he isn’t swinging at bad pitches, in effect, getting himself out.

That’s how you do it. You get a chance and do something with it. Many, many years ago, there was a young player put into the lineup because a veteran player needed a day off. The young player didn’t come out for over 2000 games.

We aren’t suggesting David Fry is Lou Gehrig. But he is taking advantage of his opportunity. And that’s the way it should be.

Can Guards Upgrade The Offense More?

The Cleveland Guardians finished 12th in the American League in runs scored a year ago, and so far this season have improved that department greatly.

Over a quarter of the 2024 season has been played, and right now, the Guards are second in the AL in runs.

A year ago, they ranked 12th team OPS, 10th in on base percentage and 14th (second to last) in slugging percentage. To date in ’24, they are 5th in OPS, 6th in on base average, and 7th in slugging percentage.

They famously hit the fewest home runs in the league a year ago, and currently are 6th in the AL.

Everything is much improved.

Could it be improved even more? We hope the improvement doesn’t cause president Chris Antonetti and GM Mike Chernoff to think the offense couldn’t get better, because with the Guardians’ pitching staff, which ranks 4th in the league in ERA, and particularly the bullpen, which has been dominant, it could raise Steven Vogt’s team even more.

And it is pretty clear where Cleveland can get more production is in the outfield, where two of the most struggling players play.

They made maybe the first move yesterday calling up Johnathan Rodriguez from Columbus and designating Ramon Laureano for assignment.

Rodriguez was hitting well at AAA with an 838 OPS (.276 batting average) with a 25.4% K rate at Columbus, hitting 7 homers and drawing 29 walks. He’s a right-handed hitter.

Rodriguez could be a possible upgrade to the outfield offense.

We say possible because as hot as Kyle Manzardo was in the minors this season, he has gone just 5 for 31 with the big club since his promotion with 10 strikeouts in 33 plate appearances. (NOTE: He struck out in his first five big league at bats).

Laureano really struggled to contribute. He was signed in the off-season because he had a decent track record hitting lefties but had a 518 OPS (.177 batting average with one home run).

And over the last month, he is just 2 for 25 with 15 strikeouts in 27 plate appearances. He is a good outfielder with a great arm and the ability to play CF, but it was getting difficult for the organization to find him at bats.

The other outfielder having a tough go is Estevan Florial.

Florial has contributed some huge hits this season, a pinch-hit homer against the Yankees and a three-run blast to tie up a game in Houston, but other than those moments, he has struggled mightily.

He has fanned in 40 of his 103 plate appearances, a whopping 38.8% rate. He has a 596 OPS vs. right-handers (to his credit, he is 4 for 11 vs. southpaws), and over the last month, he is batting just .153 with 26 whiffs in 64 times at the dish (40.6%).

The best left-handed bat in the state capital is Daniel Schneemann, an infielder who has started getting playing time in LF and RF. Should we read into that?

He has come out of nowhere the last two seasons (he batted .205 at Akron in 2022) and this season is hitting .310 with a 1041 OPS. He’s belted 8 round trippers and has walked a team high 35 times.

Schneemann also provides more versatility because he can play both infield and outfield.

Is the organization thinking they can improve the offense more? We know they are always looking for ways to improve the ballclub. The first move has been made, is another one to follow?

More Thoughts On The Cavs’ Roster

All kinds of stories were written after the Cleveland Cavaliers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs Wednesday night, some of them were pretty easy to see truth in .

And it looks like everyone has decided that if Donovan Mitchell stays, the front office will be moving on from Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen.

We will come back to that. It’s also expected that J.B. Bickerstaff will not return as coach. We’ve been pretty transparent that although we don’t think Bickerstaff is a great “x’s and o’s” coach, we don’t hold him solely responsible for the early exit.

(NOTE: We don’t think the front office thinks it was an early exit, it was the GOAL).

However, there have been published reports that Bickerstaff’s job was on the line in December, and if you were thinking of replacing him that early in the year, you shouldn’t have brought him back after last season.

Now for the roster. We have been saying this for months, but if Mitchell signs an extension, the Cavs need to move on from Garland. They simply do not play well together. This is a problem for those who view basketball as a fantasy game, where statistics are just plugged in.

It isn’t. It doesn’t mean Garland is a terrible player and it doesn’t mean he won’t go somewhere else and be better. He just isn’t effective playing with Mitchell.

Also, we heard this debate: You’d be selling low on Garland. This cannot be a consideration. If you want the team to be better in 2024-25, you can’t run back the two under 6’3″ ball dominant guard starting backcourt.

The Cavaliers may move Garland for a normal sized (not 6’5″) small forward who fits better but doesn’t have the “numbers” of the player they are trading. That’s alright.

As for the Allen and Evan Mobley frontcourt, we would like to give the new coach a chance to make it work, especially since Cleveland needs size.

Mobley had a great series vs. Boston, but remember the Celtics were without Kristaps Porzingis, and were playing Al Horford and Luke Kornet at center, players Mobley is clearly more skilled than.

We also disagree Mobley needs to be a three-point shooter for the combo to work. We think a reliable 15-to-18-foot jumper shot would do the trick and allow both of the bigs to thrive.

Allen was the Cavs’ best player in the playoffs when he was injured and for the season, their second best behind Mitchell. Does anyone else think trading the squad’s second-best player in an effort to get better is a bad idea?

The difference is it is clear that the Mitchell/Garland pairing doesn’t bring out the best in either player, while we understand the NBA folks all think bigs have to shoot threes now, we don’t buy into that.

We think a different coach can make Allen and Mobley an effective center/power forward combination. Besides, if Mobley plays center, his biggest value of being able to defend away from the basket is taken away from him.

There is no question the Cavs need to get bigger. They need more size in the backcourt, on the wings, and can’t have only two effective players in the middle. Size matters.

We would like to see the organization give Luke Travers a spot next season. Remember him? He was a second-round pick in 2022 and is a 6’6″ do it all kind of player. In the Australian League, he scored 12 points, grabbed 7.6 boards and dished out two assists.

We know Summer League isn’t a true judge of anything, but he played well there the last two years. We think he could help next year.

And remember, the Cavs do have a first round pick this year. Hopefully, they take someone who can help right away.

Cavs’ Season Ends, Let The Speculation Begin

What seemed inevitable after Donovan Mitchell injured his calf during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal became a reality last night, as the Celtics wrapped up the series in five games with a 113-98 win.

Jarrett Allen didn’t play at all in the series because of a rib injury, and down two starters, they simply didn’t have enough scoring or depth to be able to compete with the team who had the best regular season in the NBA.

Outside of the Game 2 eruption of 118 points, the most points the Cavs scored in the series was 102 in the Game 4 defeat. And when your opponent regularly hits triple digits, it makes it very difficult to win.

Credit J.B. Bickerstaff for having his depleted crew, and they didn’t have Caris LeVert yesterday, play very hard and made both games without Mitchell competitive. The wine and gold didn’t roll over, they made Boston work to win the series.

Tremendous efforts by Evan Mobley and veteran Marcus Morris, particularly in the second half, kept the series winning contest close. Mobley scored 33 points, 25 of them after halftime, while Morris, picked up after being bought out, scored 25 points in total, making five of six three-point shots. That pair scored 36 of the team’s 46 tallies after the half.

The use of Morris in the playoffs was very puzzling because when he was used, he usually did very well. Yet, he received a DNP-CD in Game 4, a crucial game especially because it was home.

Now the speculation on the future of the franchise will begin. Will Bickerstaff return? We have been critical of the coach the past two seasons, but to be honest, we can’t lay this series loss just on him.

Will Koby Altman stay on as Vice President of Basketball Operations? Let’s face it, this roster was poorly constructed to win in the playoffs, they simply aren’t big enough. They start two short guards, two big men, and don’t have an upper echelon player in the 6’7″ to 6’9″ range.

At the very least, the Cavs need to bring in someone from outside to evaluate the current roster. Altman seems to overlook the weaknesses of players he brought in.

None of the basketball people we know understand the love affair with Dean Wade. He’s a pretty good defender, but crazy inconsistent. He simply doesn’t play well in enough games to justify the faith in him.

The Cavaliers don’t have enough “guys who can play”, meaning players who have a diverse skill set. They have way too many one-dimensional talents.

Isaac Okoro is a defender, but other teams don’t feel the need to guard him. Sam Merrill is a shooter. Tristan Thompson can rebound, but you don’t want the ball in his hands offensively. Georges Niang is a three-point specialist.

And beyond Mobley and Allen, there really is no size on the roster. The Cavs signed Damian Jones in the off-season, but he rarely saw action.

More versatility is needed going forward. Max Strus isn’t the three-point shooter the Cavs thought they were getting (they could have looked at his stats), but he’s a decent passer and rebounder for his size. But his size says he should be playing guard.

The biggest question though is Mitchell. Will he sign an extension or not? If he does, the logical move would be to trade Darius Garland, as it is pretty obvious the two do not mesh well.

We’ve heard folks say Garland still has a good reputation in the league, so he could be the bait to bring in more size.

As for the debate as to whether or not Mobley and Allen can play together? We would like to see a different perspective from another coach before determining it can’t work.

The Cavs did indeed make progress from a year ago, winning a post-season series, but the organization seems to put limits on itself. They were one of the final eight teams playing this season. To virtually stand pat again would be a waste of this opportunity.

They did that last year. They can’t afford to do it again.

Guardians Need To Find An Alternate Leadoff Man

Former Cleveland skipper Mike Hargrove used to say if you have a leadoff hitter and a cleanup hitter, it was easy to make up your lineup.

With Steven Kwan at the top of the order, Steven Vogt had no problem in that regard, being able to pencil in Kwan at #1 and Josh Naylor in the #4 hole.

In his third year, Kwan was having his best year yet. He had a .373 on base average as a rookie, a season in which the Guardians won the American League Central Division.

After a step back last season (.340 OBP), Kwan was off to a tremendous start in 2024, getting on base at a .407 clip and currently leading the AL in batting average at .353. In addition, his slugging percentage was almost 100 points higher than his career high during his rookie year at .496.

Add in his suburb defense, and some in Cleveland might find this absurd, but Kwan was on track to be an MVP candidate.

Alas, Kwan suffered a hamstring injury a little over a week ago, and so far, Vogt hasn’t found a steady replacement.

You want someone who can get on base consistently (obviously) and unfortunately the next highest on base percentage among the regulars belongs to Josh Naylor, who has we said, is the Guardians’ fourth hitter in the lineup.

Here’s an out of the box thought. David Fry seems to be working his way into more playing time because every time he is in the lineup, he produces. In 87 plate appearances, Fry has 14 walks (to go with 21 strikeouts) and also has a .309 batting average and three home runs.

He’s getting on base at a .437 clip, and he’s also a threat to put you up 1-0 with a leadoff home run. As we said, it’s very unconventional, but the job of the leadoff man is not to steal bases, it’s to get on base.

Besides Fry and Naylor, the only other player on the roster with an OBP over .300 is Andres Gimenez at .307, and his average is that high only because he’s been hit with seven pitches, a total that is second in the AL.

Vogt tried Estevan Florial (34:7 strikeout to walk ratio) initially, and then tried Brayan Rocchio, who is tied for second on the team in walks (with Fry, behind J. Naylor), but neither really did well.

On Sunday, he used Tyler Freeman, who is just 4 for his last 35, but he is among the team leaders in getting on base via walk or hit batsman. He’s led off in the minors, but of course, it’s different at the big league level.

It is obvious that Kwan’s loss has created a huge hole. And not having Jose Ramirez swinging the bat well combined with no Kwan has really bogged down the hitting attack. It has become very home run dependent, something we never thought we would say about the Guardians.

They 5th in the AL in producing round trippers.

While finding a decent leadoff man would help, so would Gimenez and Ramirez starting to hit like they can and very soon.

Hopefully, this is just a slump, and the offense will start producing better very soon. That will be needed if the Guardians want to continue to sit at the top of the AL Central standings.

Oh Yeah, The Browns Drafted Some Players

Lost in the excitement of the Cavaliers’ playoff run and the Guardians’ surprising start, the NFL Draft came and went a couple of weeks ago and the Cleveland Browns selected six players.

(We say this tongue-in-cheek because we know for many people in northeast Ohio, the Browns are the only professional team that exists. It certainly seems that way listening to local sports talk).

Anyway, this was the last season the Browns were still paying off their trade for Deshaun Watson, so they did not have a first-round pick, and of course, that selection is usually the one that gets the most attention.

And the Browns were a very good team in 2023, going 11-6 and making the playoffs. Really, they had no glaring holes, so for the most part, the players selected in the draft are adding to the depth of the roster.

They took a local guy, Streetsboro’s Michael Hall Jr. out of Ohio State with their second-round selection, and actually he could be someone who could get playing time seeing how defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz likes to rotate his lineman.

Before the draft took place, we were asked whatever happened to the University of Michigan offensive lineman who broke his leg against the Buckeyes. Well, Zak Zinter was Cleveland’s second selection in the third round. With Joel Bitonio now 33, the Browns need a guard that can be his replacement down the road.

Zinter may be that guy. He probably would have been taken earlier had it not been for the injury in his final college game.

The rest of the picks are probably special team type players. GM Andrew Berry fed his need to draft a wide receiver in Jamari Thrash out of Louisville. He’s a big play guy and Cleveland seems to always be looking for a “burner”.

Nathaniel Watson is purported to be a run stuffing linebacker and the buzz around him from the local media seems to be that of a special team ace.

Berry also loves to draft cornerbacks and in today’s NFL that’s not a bad theory. He got one on the second round in Myles Harden from South Dakota, and the reports on him are he should have gone earlier.

And their last pick, DT Jowon Briggs from Cincinnati, provides another defensive lineman for Schwartz and the coaching staff to develop.

We were a little surprised the Browns didn’t draft a running back, even after they signed D’Onta Foreman as a free agent from the Bears. Foreman gained over 900 yards two years ago with Carolina, and we feel Cleveland needs a consistent ground threat, because no one knows what Nick Chubb will be when he is ready to go.

Everyone keeps talking about how Cleveland is going to be pass happy with Watson this season, but at their core, the Browns and head coach Kevin Stefanski like to have a strong ground game. Frankly, we also think this is the team’s best path to winning.

That doesn’t mean we don’t believe that the Browns’ best chance to make a serious run at a conference championship is having Watson play like he did with the Texans.

The pressure is on the QB and still, giving up three first round picks and paying him a boatload of guaranteed money, it should be.