This story was excerpted from Tim Stebbins¡¯ Guardians Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.
CLEVELAND -- Emmanuel Clase has continued to raise the bar by setting a high standard for his performance as the Guardians¡¯ closer the past four seasons. But it's important to not overlook something that recently crossed his mind in a moment of reflection, amid his uneven start to 2025.
¡°It¡¯s a reminder, I'm also human,¡± Clase said pregame Saturday, through team interpreter Agustin Rivero. ¡°I can make mistakes and not get the results that I want.¡±
You might find that hard to believe considering the elite body of work Clase has as the Guardians¡¯ closer. But like any pitcher, he can¡¯t be perfect all the time. We¡¯ve seen that play out early on in 2025. The 27-year-old allowed at least one earned run in four of his first seven appearances. He allowed two runs on four hits against the Royals on Saturday.
Last year, when Clase recorded a 0.61 ERA in 74 regular-season appearances and finished third in AL Cy Young Award voting, he permitted just five earned runs in 74 1/3 innings. He has yielded six earned runs in seven innings across seven outings this year.
Clase is coming off a turbulent postseason last fall, when he surrendered eight runs on 12 hits (three home runs) in eight innings over seven appearances. Of course, that¡¯s only part of the r¨¦sum¨¦ he has compiled as Cleveland¡¯s closer.
From 2021-24, Clase recorded a 1.62 ERA and 157 saves, both of which ranked first in the Majors (minimum 50 innings for ERA).
¡°When you're perfect for a whole season last year and then you have a couple games where you give up runs, all of a sudden now people are asking about you,¡± manager Stephen Vogt said. ¡°We talk about it all the time with the bullpen guys. We didn't get any questions about the bullpen [Friday] night, because we don't talk about them when they do their job.
¡°For Clase, it's keep being you. We're always working on things to get better. We're always trying to find different ways to be successful. But just be Emmanuel Clase and go pitch.¡±
So, what could be behind the early results? Vogt noted postgame Saturday that Clase appeared to be missing over the middle of the plate. The results could all just be a blip over a small sample size. Clase said his body is feeling good, and his velocity this season is consistent with that. Over his first six outings, his cutter averaged 99 mph (99.5 in ¡¯24) and his slider 89.8 mph (91.0 in ¡¯24).
Batters have been more aggressive early in the count against Clase, swinging 50% of the time in 0-0 counts (15 swings on 30 pitches). But Clase is a pitcher who pounds the strike zone, and hitters were just 1-for-5 against him in those spots entering Saturday.
¡°I feel like they've been aggressive all along,¡± Clase said. ¡°I feel that's the only way they can attack me, in a way, because I¡¯m a pitcher that throws a lot of strikes, that attacks the zone. And having only two pitches, that's the plan of attack. I feel it¡¯s on me trying to execute better pitches in and out and mixing them up a little bit.¡±
One adjustment Vogt noted could be beneficial is Clase mixing in his slider more -- which he has done. Clase threw it 20.5% of the time in 2024 and had thrown it at a 31.5% rate entering Saturday. Opponents went 5-for-7 against it through six games.
¡°We saw that the slider was looking very similar to the cutter, obviously the profile, in a way,¡± Clase said. ¡°So we're working, trying to make the slider have a little bit more depth, that angle towards the bottom of home plate.¡±
That could help Clase put batters away. He entered Saturday with a 40.5% whiff rate with zero or one strikes, and a 27.3% whiff rate with two strikes. Clase also has worked on his sinker and said he feels confident using it at any time.
He expressed his appreciation for the support he¡¯s received from his teammates, which included a strong backing by catcher Austin Hedges this week.
¡°When you go and you put up a 0.60 ERA for a season, the league is going to do something about it,¡± Hedges said. ¡°Now it's up to us and up to him to continue to get better. ¡ He's got the ability to do so many things on the mound, not just throw the cutter. So we're going to keep being creative.
¡°When we look up at the end of September, I think everyone's going to remember why he's the best pitcher in the world.¡±