Guardians’ .500 Record Could Make Playoff History

The MLB playoffs are meant to separate the wheat from the chaff but the Cleveland Guardians’ .500 record could land them in the postseason as AL Central Division winners, something that has never been done before.

Mediocrity Rewarded?

As the MLB playoff picture becomes clearer, PointSpreads.com turns its attention to the AL Central where two teams, the Cleveland Guardians and Minnesota Twins, vie for division supremacy. As of this writing, the Guardians’ .500 record has them in a virtual tie for the top spot in the worst division in baseball. Should Cleveland -or Minnesota- end the season as AL Central champions with a .500 or worse record, they would be the first division winners in MLB history to do so.

I would be shocked. Genuinely shocked if the Guardians finished .500 or better this season. They have the 6th hardest remaining schedule in the MLB. The Twins have the 5th easiest. Would take a miracle to make the postseason. pic.twitter.com/JZV5PvCFrs

— CSR (It’s Over) (@ValeraSZN) August 2, 2023

The season is nearly two-thirds of the way finished, so this scenario is not out of the realm of possibility. And to give us an idea of just how fortunate the Guardians are to be residing in the AL Central —home of the equally mediocre Twins, as well as the less-than-stellar White Sox and Tigers, and accompanied by the abysmal cellar-dwelling Royals— we should note that Cleveland trails Tampa Bay by 10 games and the Rays are in second place in the AL East!

All or Nothing

The MLB playoff format includes 12 of the 30 teams making the postseason. There are three division winners in the American League, coupled with three AL teams with the best records, that are not division winners. Let’s assume the regular season ended today and view the playoff challengers that would comprise the six entries from the American and National Leagues.

The six American League teams would include the Orioles (AL East), the Guardians (AL Central), and Rangers (AL West) as division winners with the three wild card teams being the Rays, Astros, and Blue Jays. Cleveland would win a division tie-breaker against Minnesota via the first tie-breaking rule (which is head-to-head play) in which the Guardians have won four of their seven meetings versus the Twins—with six more games slated for later this season.

Ladies and gentlemen, I am happy to introduce you to your AL Central leaders at the break: The Cleveland Guardians.
Their record is a solid .500. Right in that meaty part of the curve. Not showing off, not falling behind. pic.twitter.com/rnmQMLdGDP

— McNeil (@Reflog_18) July 10, 2023

It is an all-or-nothing proposition for the Guardians as things currently stand because a .500 record could only win Cleveland a division title, but, should they come second to Minnesota, there will be no wild card invitation in their future as there are several other teams in second and even third place in their divisions boasting better records.

In the National League, the playoff parade would include the Braves (NL East), Reds (NL Central), and Dodgers (NL West) as division winners, while the wild card spots would be occupied by the Giants, Marlins, and Brewers. The team closest to winning a division title with a slightly better than .500 record is the Cubs, but Chicago are currently four games removed from first place in the NL Central and own a record one game above .500.

Home Runs Scarce

Every team faces its ups and downs throughout the 162-game grind that is the MLB season but few teams have managed so few home runs and still remained in contention for a division title. Once again, the Cleveland Guardians are just such a team, as they are dead last in home runs of the 30 Major League teams.

In fact, Cleveland’s power outage is so profound that they are projected to hit just 125 homers over a 162-game season. To put that in context, should the season end right now, the Guardians would only be ranked 12th in the league in home runs with a full season of games behind them, versus just 65 percent of the season for the rest of the teams.

At this point in the season, we often see six, seven, or even more players on a team with double-digit home runs, but on the Guardians only three qualify, with those being Jose Ramirez (18), Josh Naylor (15), and Josh Bell barely making the cut with 11 dingers on the year.

Jose Ramirez – Cleveland Guardians (15) pic.twitter.com/6nhSyMVIE7

— MLB HR Videos (@MLBHRVideos) July 26, 2023

The Guardians’ .500 record is likely indicative of the ballclub that they are and will be, going forward. They are neither a bad nor a good team, just one that is merely average, normally cannon fodder for the elite while being bullies against the weak.

Yet, here they are, in the thick of a division race in which their opponents within it should serve them well, as they get the equally pedestrian Twins to battle followed by lesser lights in the White Sox and Tigers, as well as the dreadful Royals.

But what might surprise you after PointSpreads.com researched the season records is that the Guardians’ record thus far against the Twins, White Sox, and Tigers is a combined 12-15, but they feast on the woeful Royals to the tune of a 7-3 mark with a remaining three-game set in Kansas City on September 18th through the 20th. If you were planning on betting on an MLB team, do with this information what you will.

Until then, we shall see if the Guardians will make history as the least worthy playoff team in the annals of Major League Baseball.