Guardians Starting Pitching Preview: The Phenom
Everything needs a facelift after so long. Legacy brands like Pepsi or Coca Cola don’t need to tweak much, but there are subtle differences over the years. Sometimes it’s major, like New Coke, and sometimes it’s just shifting the color blobs of the Pepsi circle. The Cuyahoga Pitching Factory LLC underwent a much-needed face lift this offseason, adding Luis L Ortiz, Slade Cecconi, Jakob Junis, and John Means to the roster while also re-signing free agent and former ace Shane Bieber. Junis is likely headed for a long relief/fireman role with the bullpen, but he is capable of starting, but the others are all likely to be in the rotation at some point in the season. Fitting them into spots and molding them with the guys already there will be the fun and interesting part, so in this series, I’ll take a look at the three groups of players that will be in the rotation mix this season. Today? The Phenom
The Phenom
Gavin Williams
2024 stats: 16 games started, 3-10 record, 76.0 IP, 4.86 ERA, 3.67 FIP, 79Ks, 32BBs
Yet again, another year that somehow went awry in a way that nobody expected. Early in spring training, Gavin Williams developed an elbow issue that wasn’t serious enough to shut him down entirely, but delayed the start to his season. He came up in July and the results were mixed. A 9.36K% is better than his 2023, but nothing like what we’ve seen from him in the minors. The fastball is quick, 96.6mph, but it was too in the zone and kept getting blasted. Williams was in the 5th percentile in highest average exit velocity in 2024, despite having 88th percentile fastball velocity. The Big Rig was trucking, but you knew where it was going.
Cut to this spring and the secondary stuff is spinning and the location is chef’s kiss. Caveat of it only being two starts and 4.1IP, but Williams has struck out nine of 18 batters, walked 5.6%, and looks like the future ace we saw in the minors. With his massive size and considerable extension when he pitches, the already 88th percentile fastball looks like 103 coming at hitters. If he’s able to keep the velo up and locate with the spinning stuff, it could be a monster year for Williams. A healthy and effective Williams is a solid No. 2 behind Bibee, but if the wheels come off this spring, he does have three options to move him back to the minors. Given the results we’ve seen this spring, it looks like he is as much of a lock for the rotation as any.
