Guardians Fantasy Baseball Draft Preview | Jose Ramirez, Emmanuel Clase, Steven Kwan, Shane Bieber, Josh Naylor and More
Discussing the top fantasy players from the Cleveland Guardians as the 2024 season approaches.
The fantasy baseball season is closing in quickly. FantasySP has published a number of articles relating to 2024 fantasy baseball draft prep and will continue to do so through the start of the MLB season.
Recently, we’ve been looking at things on a team-by-team basis. We’ve covered several teams already, and those articles can be found at the links below:
American League - Texas Rangers (hitters and pitchers), Oakland Athletics, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, Houston Astros (hitters and pitchers), Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays (hitters and pitchers)
National League - Los Angeles Dodgers (hitters and pitchers), Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Atlanta Braves (hitters and pitchers), Pittsburgh Pirates, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers
Now, we’ll take a look at the Cleveland Guardians.
Get ready for draft season! Check out our Mock Draft Simulator, Average Draft Position list and Draft Genius!
Top Fantasy Hitters
FantasySP Average Draft Position data shows Jose Ramirez as the top Cleveland player off draft boards, ranking eighth overall with a mark of 9.28.
Ramirez has been about as consistent as a player can be over his career. He plays a ton of games and is a pretty well-rounded player.
Across 156 games in 2023, Ramirez had a .282 average and .356 on-base percentage. He drove in 80 runs, scored 87 times and stole 28 bases. Ramirez finished with 172 total hits, including 65 extra-base hits (24 homers).
He’s rightfully being taken first among all third basemen. I personally like Ramirez in the second round, but also believe he will drive in some more runs this season, which will make him a better fantasy asset and first-round pick worthy.
Steven Kwan is the next Guardians’ hitters on the ADP list, ranking 75th with a mark of 77.6.
In his second MLB season, Kwan had a .268 average and .340 on-base percentage (both of those marks were 30 or more points lower than in 2022). Kwan played in 158 games, so he finished with more hits (171), RBIs (54), stolen bases (21) and extra-base hits (48) than the previous season.
Kwan only hit five homers last year, so he’s more of a contact-first hitter. I like Kwan as a third or fourth outfielder, but his ADP might be creeping a bit too high to make that happen. If you end up taking Kwan, be sure to surround him with plenty of power-hitting outfielders to make up for Kwan’s lack of power.
First baseman Josh Naylor is next up, ranking 136th with a mark of 136.37.
In 2023, Naylor played 121 games, ending with a .308 average and .354 on-base percentage. Naylor had 139 total hits, 97 RBIs, 10 steals and 52 runs scored. Forty-eight of his 139 total hits went for extra bases.
It was easily the best hitting season of Naylor’s five-year career. You’d like to see him play in a few more games, but for his current ADP, you could live with that kind of production over that many games. Naylor is a borderline starting 1B option, but I’d make sure to have a good backup plan in place if you plan on him serving as your top option at the position.
Andres Gimenez is next up on the ADP list, ranking 160th with a mark of 149.92.
Gimenez played in 153 games in 2023, finishing with a .251 average and .314 on-base percentage. He had 140 total hits, 47 of which went for extra bases (15 homers). Gimenez drove in 62 runs, stole 30 bases and scored 76 times.
Gimenez hit .297 in 2022, so the big dropoff in average makes him a bounceback candidate this season - he’s a career .264 hitter, and if he just hits those marks, he can add to the numbers he posted a season ago. He should only have 2B eligibility, which hurts him a touch, but he could be an everyday starter this season. You should get good value back if you take him near his current ADP, and he could be a pretty big draft steal by the end of the season.
Bo Naylor is the last Cleveland hitter on the ADP list, ranking 32th with a mark of 263.75.
Naylor got in 67 games a season ago, tallying a .237 average and .339 on-base percentage. He had 47 total hits, 24 of which went for extra bases (11 homers). Naylor drove in 32 runs, scored 33 times and stole five bases.
His 162-game averages are pretty strong despite the lower average, so if he bumps his average up, he’s got draft steal written all over him. You likely are taking him as a backup catching option, and if he excels, he or your starting catcher could be a great trade asset during the season.
Ramon Laureano, Brayan Rocchio and Myles Straw are all projected starters for Cleveland, while Kyle Manzardo is projected to fill the strong side of a platoon. None of those guys have delivered consistently in the MLB yet to warrant a late-round pick, but they could be streaming options when they get on a hot streak. Manzardo and Rocchio are both top-100 prospects, so keep a bit closer eye on them.
Austin Hedges is the backup catcher, with Deyvison De Los Santos is expected to platoon with Manzardo. Gabriel Arias and Estevan Florial are the other projected bench bats.
Top Fantasy Pitchers
The top Cleveland pitcher on the ADP list is Emmanuel Clase, ranking 63rd with a mark of 70.09. That makes him the fourth closer off draft boards.
Clase led the MLB with 44 saves a season ago. He finished 3-9 and had a 3.22 earned run average, striking out 64 batters over 72 2/3 innings pitched.
Clase’s numbers are pretty weird from last season, but he saved over 40 games for a second straight year. His ERA jumped nearly two full points, so I expect that to get back closer to his career mark of 2.00 this season. He’ll be in the running for the top fantasy closer this season, so depending on whether or not you want to spend a 8th-10th round pick on a closer, Clase is a great option.
Shane Bieber is the first Cleveland starter on the ADP list, ranking 118th with a mark of 124.67.
Bieber was one of the best pitchers in the game in 2022, but only made 21 starts and finished with a 6-6 mark and 3.80 ERA last season. He struck out 107 over 128 innings.
He’s a big bounceback candidate, and as long as he can stay healthy, there’s no reason why he shouldn’t greatly outproduce his current ADP. I wouldn’t take him too much earlier given the injury history, but he’s an ace when healthy and probably going to be your fifth or sixth starter (at minimum). There’s more upside than downside when picking Bieber.
Tanner Bibee is next up, ranking 132nd with a mark of 134.
Bibee went 10-4 with a 2.98 ERA across 25 starts in his first MLB season in 2023. He struck out 141 over 142 innings.
If Bibee can build on last year and cover more innings, you are getting more great value with him near that ADP. Again, there’s a good amount of upside, and not too much downside (outside a big injury).
Gavin Williams is next up, ranking 266th with a mark of 214.
In his first MLB season, he had a 3-5 record and 3.29 ERA across 16 starts. He struck out 81 over 82 innings.
He’s expected to round out the team’s rotation, which could mean he’s the first one out if the team makes an acquisition or has a prospect break through. Still, there’s not too much risk with a pick that late, and the upside is pretty solid, so I wouldn’t advise anyone to not take Williams if they need SP help late in a draft.
Triston McKenzie is the last Cleveland pitcher on the ADP list, ranking 293rd with a mark of 236.
McKenzie was great for the Guardians in 2022, but made just four starts in 2023. He had an inflated 5.06 ERA across 16 innings, going 0-3 and striking out 16 batters. He went 11-11 with a 2.96 ERA and 190 strikeouts over 191 1/3 innings the year prior, so fantasy owners are hoping for a repeat of that.
This late in a draft, there’s almost no risk taking McKenzie, but a ton of upside if he regains his 2022 form. I’m a little surprised to see his current ADP mark and think it will take a big jump before the season kicks off.
Logan Allen is the only projected starter that didn’t make the ADP list. He went 7-8 with a 3.81 ERA across 24 starts in his first MLB season. He struck out 119 over 125 1/3 innings. Allen will be one of the better streaming options to start the season (if someone doesn’t spend a late pick on him).
Carlos Carrasco could make some starts for the team if anyone were to miss any time. Scott Barlow looks like the first in line to earn saves if Clase is injured or needs a rest.
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