All in all, it was a fantastic year for the Cleveland Guardians. At one point in the season, they were 15.5 games behind the Detroit Tigers, but rallied and won the American League Central.
This was the largest deficit a team has ever overcome to win a division, and it was a team effort. They were able to get quality starts from their pitching staff, and the offense was good enough to push runs across the board when it mattered most.
However, their exciting season came to an end on Thursday after losing Game 3 of the Wild Card to Detroit. It was a tough way to end the season, but the club should be proud of how hard they fought this year.
Guardians' manager Stephen Vogt vows 'we're close' but need to improve
After their WC loss on Thursday, manager Stephen Vogt reflected on this past season. He is proud of how far his team has come, and he is excited about the club's future, via MLB.com's Tim Stebbins.
"We're close. We are really close," Vogt said. "We're not quite there yet. There's things we need to improve upon. These things we need to get better with. But the overarching theme is I'm proud of that group for not quitting."
Vogt believes Cleveland is just a step or two away from being a true contender. They only have a few players that will become free agents, so the core of the team should stay the same next season. However, do not be surprised if they look to the open market to make an upgrade at a position over the winter.