NEW YORK \u2014 The Guardians\u2019 bullpen has concocted the proper formula, crunched the numbers and observed enough trials to create a foolproof advanced metric.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s called xDAWG.<\/p>\n
It carries the spirit of other expected statistics (represented by the X) that forecast a player\u2019s performance based on a variety of inputs. This new metric measures whether a player possesses the grit and fearlessness required to deliver in a pressure-packed, high-stakes moment.<\/p>\n
Surprisingly, it\u2019s a rookie, Cleveland\u2019s relievers calculated, who sits atop the xDAWG leaderboard. It\u2019s a rookie with a 2.21 ERA. It\u2019s a rookie who, for a few starts, has admitted to lacking his top-level stuff, yet has nonetheless continued to quiet opposing bats.<\/p>\n
Parker Messick is no ordinary rookie, though. Neither is Chase DeLauter or Travis Bazzana. The three might lack in experience, but they have delivered a steady dose of plate discipline, timely hitting and, well, xDAWG.<\/p>\n
The Guardians are once again in first place, charging toward a third consecutive AL Central title, and a prevailing reason is the trio of rookies cosplaying as polished veterans.<\/p>\n
It spurred reliever Erik Sabrowski to raise a pertinent question: \u201cCan we just give the Rookie of the Year (award) to a team?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re all going through a lot of early learning as rookies,\u201d Bazzana said. \u201cTo look on the bus at the guy next to you and be like, \u2018We\u2019re in the same boat and we\u2019re going to be doing this together for a while,\u2019 it\u2019s a good feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Guardians trusted DeLauter to debut in a playoff elimination game at a position he hadn\u2019t patrolled in a year and after three months of being sidelined by injury. Everything after that experience, DeLauter said about his whirlwind experience last October, should feel simple, such as starting for the Guardians on Opening Day, or batting in front of and then directly behind Jos\u00e9 Ram\u00edrez.<\/p>\n
DeLauter embarked on a historic home run binge the first week of the season, carrying the lineup through a daunting opening trip to Seattle and Los Angeles. He became the second player in major-league history with four homers in his first three regular-season games. Since then, he\u2019s solidified himself as a middle-of-the-order threat.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen him do some pretty incredible things. \u2026 He\u2019s going to be great for a long time,\u201d Bazzana said. \u201cChase is one of the most skilled and athletic and powerful baseball players I\u2019ve ever seen.\u201d<\/p>\n
As with DeLauter, the Guardians didn\u2019t wait long to saddle Bazzana with extra responsibility. They yanked Steven Kwan out of the leadoff spot on May 16. Manager Stephen Vogt insisted he preferred Bazzana lurking in the No. 5 to No. 7 spot in the lineup, but one week later, Bazzana was leading off, a better fit for his on-base and stolen-base skills.<\/p>\n
Bazzana started his big-league career with a 0-for-12 spell, but in the month since, he has logged a .327\/.398\/.505 slash line.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhether he\u2019s swinging it hot or not, you can\u2019t tell,\u201d DeLauter said. \u201cHe has competitive at-bats, works the box, doesn\u2019t swing at balls, hits the strikes hard. What more can you ask for?\u201d<\/p>\n
Well, that sounds a lot like a description of DeLauter\u2019s at-bats, too.<\/p>\n
These aren\u2019t typical rookies chasing pitches and swinging their shoulders out of their sockets because they\u2019re desperate to prove they should stick. They\u2019re patient and poised and setting the tone for the rest of Cleveland\u2019s lineup.<\/p>\n
The Guardians loaded the bases in the eighth inning at Yankee Stadium on Tuesday, but Patrick Bailey and Brayan Rocchio struck out, leaving Bazzana to tack on insurance runs. He promptly struck a three-run double to right field to take his veteran teammates off the hook.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re confident. They know they belong in the big leagues,\u201d Vogt said. \u201cWhen you get here, you\u2019re happy, and then you have to figure out how to stay and then it clicks. \u2018I know I\u2019m a big leaguer.\u2019 From Day 1, both Travis and Chase, when they walked through the doors, they knew they\u2019re big leaguers. And they\u2019re playing like it.\u201d<\/p>\n
There\u2019s one pitcher DeLauter hasn\u2019t solved, though: Messick. DeLauter can\u2019t shake the 2022 season opener, when Florida State southpaw Messick struck out James Madison outfielder DeLauter in three straight at-bats.<\/p>\n
\u201cA hat trick,\u201d DeLauter said.<\/p>\n
DeLauter said it\u2019s a blend of aggression and deception that makes Messick a pain to face. Messick works fast, at one of the quickest tempos in the league. The hitter can\u2019t take a breath. Fans in the stands have to wait until the third out before they can sip their beer.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe just wants to get the ball and go. I love that,\u201d Bazzana said. \u201cAs a hitter, you can lose at-bats because of it. It can speed you up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Messick didn\u2019t ease into his start Sunday against the Red Sox. When the pitch clock still displayed nine or 10 seconds, he was coiling into his windup. The deception comes when his delivery reaches a crescendo. Sabrowski said that\u2019s when Messick resembles a \u201cplus sign,\u201d with his glove stretching toward the sky, his pitching arm pushing toward the dirt and his body contorted somewhere in the middle.<\/p>\n
Messick ranks second in the AL in ERA. His changeup has one of the league\u2019s highest whiff rates. And, of course, his xDAWG is off the charts.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has unbelievable command,\u201d Sabrowski said. \u201cHe doesn\u2019t throw 100 (mph). He doesn\u2019t have a (Jacob) Misiorowski curveball. But everything he throws is competitive and every pitch has a purpose. If one gets away, it looks like he uses that to set up the next one. He has a grasp for pitching beyond his years.\u201d<\/p>\n
Everywhere Rhys Hoskins looks, there\u2019s a rookie fueling the Guardians\u2019 first-place efforts. The 33-year-old appreciates DeLauter\u2019s plate discipline and how Bazzana treasures \u201cthe process of it all.\u201d Hoskins said he\u2019s \u201cold here, and that\u2019s OK,\u201d because he\u2019s not babysitting. He\u2019s marveling.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have just as much to learn from them as they do from me,\u201d he said. \u201cThese guys have found ways to be successful while navigating how to be a big-leaguer and all else that comes with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
It has the Guardians savoring the present while dreaming of what could lie ahead.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s tough to let someone ease into their time here when you\u2019re trying to be a first-place team,\u201d Sabrowski said. \u201cThey\u2019ve been assigned a challenge and they\u2019re running with it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2014 The Guardians\u2019 bullpen has concocted the proper formula, crunched the numbers and observed enough trials…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":681754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[65],"tags":[2320,363,99],"class_list":["post-681753","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mlb","tag-cleveland-guardians","tag-mlb","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=681753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/681753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/681754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=681753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=681753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=681753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}