It\u2019s no secret the Cleveland Guardians love to build from within \u2014 both on the diamond and in the executive suite. Part of that is out of necessity since the Guardians have to operate on a shoestring budget.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But another part of that is because it\u2019s an organization known for hiring smart people and putting said smart people in positions where they can succeed and help the team. It\u2019s part of the reason why members of the front office seemingly get poached away every season<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n We got a tangible example of the legacy that both of things leave across MLB thanks to MLB Pipeline\u2019s newest story<\/a> that featured the results of a poll that asked every MLB general manager how they felt about each team\u2019s leadership group. And it shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise that the Chris Antonetti and his team earned the most votes in response to the question \u201cwhich team hoards the most prospects.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Cleveland received 34.1% of the vote, which was far and away the most. The Pirates were in second with just 9.1% of the vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn the previous two years, it\u2019s been the Guardians and the Orioles at the top. Baltimore has slid down the list, though it hangs on to its core. Cleveland promotes heavily from within and has long been considered a team that would rather give its prospects a chance to make it at home rather than raid the cupboard to bring in big league talent,\u201d Jonathan Mayo wrote in the attached write-up.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Guardians are among baseball\u2019s best at building from within<\/p>\n The Guardians\u2019 ranking at the top of the list is both a gift and curse. While they seemingly always have a revolving door of prospects (especially when it comes to pitchers), it also comes with its faults, particularly when it relates to the lineup.\u00a0<\/p>\n Although Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez and Steven Kwan are great examples of organizational success stories<\/a>, they\u2019re few and far between when it comes to position players. There\u2019s no denying that Ram\u00edrez and Kwan are great, but the path to their success is littered with plenty of Clint Frazier’s<\/a> and Bobby Bradley\u2019s.\u00a0<\/p>\n And, to make matters worse, there are also countless instances of Guardians prospects who have blossomed elsewhere, whether it be after being designated for assignment (Erinie Clement) or in a rare trade (Junior Caminero).<\/a><\/p>\n