Guardians young players making progress, team president Chris Antonetti says

The Guardians returned home to Progressive Field to host the New York Yankees in a three-game series starting Monday, June 8.

The American League Central Division leading Guardians (37-30) won a three-game series 2-1 at Yankee Stadium in the Bronx last week and lost a three-game series 2-1 to the Texas Rangers over the weekend.

Guardians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti met with media members before the club’s last home game on May 31.

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“There's been a lot of progress with a number of our position players and pitchers, and their development and their contributions to helping us win games,” Antonetti said. “And we know for us to be the team that we want to be at the end of the year and find a way to get to the postseason, that group will need to continue to contribute at a high level.”

Here are some other notable comments from Antonetti:

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Travis Bazzana and Chase DeLauter contribute to Guardians around Jose Ramirez

Second baseman Travis Bazzana and outfielder Chase DeLauter continue to be impact rookies for the Guardians.

Bazzana had a career-high four RBIs in a 9-4 win over the Yankees on June 2.

“It has been really encouraging for us to see the contributions both Chase and Travis have made in the start to the season,” Antonetti said. “Both guys have obviously been a really big part of contributing to any offensive success we've had. I think beyond the results, getting an opportunity to see the way in which they've approached those at-bats, their process, their preparation continues to give us confidence that there'll be big parts of our offense and position-player club moving forward.”

Bazzana and DeLauter have fit nicely at the No. 1 and No. 3 spots in the lineup, respectively, with third baseman Jose Ramirez batting second and first baseman Kyle Manzardo batting fourth.

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Ramirez had three hits in both wins against the Yankees, including three doubles and two RBIs in a 9-4 victory June 2 and a home run and three runs in the 5-4 victory June 3. Manzardo hit a home run in both wins over the Yankees. Ramirez also hit a home run in a 6-0 win over the Rangers on June 6.

“I do think the strength of our team right now is the young group of players that we have,” Antonetti said. “I think we've seen that on the mound and we've certainly seen that with the position-player club.”

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Starting pitching is once again a strength for the Guardians

Antonetti is pleased with the Guardians starting rotation, which is led by Gavin Williams (9-3, 3.20 ERA, 94 strikeouts, 81⅔ innings). Williams leads MLB in wins, strikeouts and innings.

“Gavin learned a lot from the 2025 season and grew as a player,” Antonetti said. “He was really committed this offseason to build on the foundation that he set in 2025, and I think we've seen that play out so far in 2026. I think every time he takes the ball, we expect him to go deep in the game and give us a great chance to win.”

Parker Messick (6-2, 2.40 ERA, 78 strikeouts, 75 innings) and Joey Cantillo (4-2, 3.92 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 62 innings) have also been solid.

“Parker building off a great handful of starts last year and not missing a beat coming into this season, and he's been a real source of stability in our rotation, which is difficult to do for a young player,” Antonetti said.

“… With Joey, we've seen continued growth and development. I think we've seen starts where he's shown his capability to pitch deep into games really effectively against good lineups. And there have been other maybe hiccups or steps back along the way where he hasn't attacked a strike zone as well as he can and has had some shorter outings. But the trajectory he's on continues to be really encouraging because we've seen that his stuff plays at the major league level.”

Opening Day starter Tanner Bibee (1-7, 4.09 ERA) and Slade Cecconi (3-5, 4.92 ERA) have been up and down.

Bibee pitched eight shutout innings June 6 to earn his first win of the season in a 6-0 victory over the Rangers.

Cade Smith gives Guardians stability as the closer

Cade Smith leads MLB with 21 saves and has a 2-0 record, a 2.83 ERA and 43 strikeouts in 28⅔ innings.

Smith was named AL Reliever of the Month for May after converting all 13 of his save opportunities during the month. Smith earned the award for the second time after previously winning it last September. Smith joined Emmanuel Clase (seven times) as the only relievers in Guardians history to receive the honor on multiple occasions.

“Cade is about as even-keeled as almost any player we have,” Antonetti said. “His preparation is unparalleled. The way he works in the offseason to condition and prepare for a season and the work that he puts in on a day-to-day basis prepares him to be successful, and that mindset of showing up each day preparing for the opportunity he may have that night and then going out there and executing.

"And whether or not it goes well or poorly, the next day he shows up with the same mentality and mindset. And I think that temperament has served him really well in that role.”

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Shortstop Brayan Rocchio continues to be MLB’s top No. 9 hitter

Shortstop Brayan Rocchio entered Sunday just outside the top 10 of AL leaders in batting average at .283 and had five home runs and 29 RBIs.

“Brayan, especially since [Gabriel Arias was injured], he's stepped in and has been the everyday shortstop and he's done a tremendous job offensively and defensively, for the most part,” Antonetti said. “He’s been a big part in the middle of a lot of our run-scoring on offense and one of the most productive guys at the bottom of the lineup in baseball.”

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Catcher Patrick Bailey settles in with Guardians

Antonetti said catcher Patrick Bailey has “transitioned to the organization really well” after being acquired last month in a trade with the San Francisco Giants.

“His first priority was getting to know our pitching staff and understand what makes them successful and then how he can, when he's behind the plate, support them and getting the most out of them when they're on the mound,” Antonetti said. “That transition's gone well, and he's started to build relationships with our hitting and positional coaches to continue to make strides offensively, and we're excited to have him. He's fit in really well into the fabric of the team so far.”

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Guardians remain high on prospect Ralphy Velazquez

Infielder/outfielder Ralphy Velazquez continues to be a highly touted prospect after his promotion from Akron to Columbus on May 18.

Velazquez batted .317 with seven home runs, including two grand slams, and 30 RBIs this season with the Ducks.

“Ralphy’s had a great start to the season,” Antonetti said. “Obviously, went to Akron and put together really good at-bats, continued to grow offensively, defensively, learning the game and ultimately earned an opportunity in Columbus. And he's continued with the work that he put in in Akron.

“Ralphy shows up to the park each day working to prepare and get better, and I think that mindset has served him well so far and it's exciting to think about where he could go from here.”

Akron Beacon Journal sports writer Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Chris Antonetti happy with progress of Guardians' younger players