A few months back I heard legendary sportswriter/curmudgeon Ray Ratto mention a measuring stick he has for whether a baseball team would have a surprising season, and it got me thinking about the Guardians.
Obviously, things like a breakout star, good starting pitching, that sort of stuff are vital, but Ratto pointed to the bullpen, and how he liked to see four guys you could truly count on. Being able to shorten games, hold leads, and silence opposing offenses can lead to a ton of easy wins. At the time of his saying this, I couldn’t identify more than about three in the Guardians bullpen — Emmanuel Clase, Trevor Stephan, and James Karinchak — and I was desperate to find that fourth.