The Cleveland Guardians may be young on paper, but they are just as prepared for the playoffs as any other team in the race.
A common narrative for the Cleveland Guardians organization over the last few years has been just how young the roster is at the big-league level. Even entering the 2026 season, Cleveland’s average age on the roster was 27.7, ranking in the bottom 10 in baseball and three years younger than the then-oldest Atlanta Braves.
The rhetoric around being a young team is that the group lacks the background to know what it's like to play in big games in September and possibly October.
Don’t let Cleveland’s age fool you, because even though the team may look young on paper, that doesn’t mean they’re inexperienced.
In fact, this group might be as well-prepared as any team getting ready for a potential playoff series.
Cleveland’s core has plenty of experience playing in big games. Looking at Cleveland’s current active roster, there are 18 players who have competed in the playoffs at some point in their careers.
This includes players like Chase DeLauter, who should be a Rookie of the Year contender and, technically, played his first big-league game in the postseason. Brayan Rocchio may be 25, but he’s already played in 13 postseason games.
Angel Martinez may only have four playoff plate appearances, but he was at least on the postseason roster in 2024 and 2025, and knows what it's like to be around a team
The bullpen core of Cade Smith, Hunter Gaddis, Erik Sabrowski, and Tim Herrin has all pitched in high-leverage innings in October going back to Cleveland’s 2024 ALCS run, and, more importantly, have had success in them, too.
Historically, Steven Kwan has elevated his game in the playoffs. In his 20 postseason games since 2022, the left-hander owns a .321/.380/.405 slash line.
Jun 8, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan (38) celebrates with shortstop Brayan Rocchio (4) after scoring during the third inning against the New York Yankees at Progressive Field. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn ImagesLooking at the Guardians’ rotation options for a possible postseason series, Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams, Joey Cantillo, and Slade Cecconi all have playoff appearances under their belt.
The Guardians even have three players who reached the World Series at one point in their careers: Jose Ramirez, Austin Hedges, and Nathanial Lowe, with two of them having rings to prove it.
There are more players than not who have played in the postseason and could be heading into their first taste of October baseball. Notable names include Travis Bazzana, Parker Messick (who was not on the 2025 ALWS roster), Angel Genao, and Daniel Espino.
The irony of trading for Jo Adell to add a more veteran presence to the lineup is that he has never played in October. There are some players with less than a year of service time who have more postseason experience than he does.
“One thing I would say, although we are a young group, this is an experienced group in terms of playing meaningful games,” Chris Antonetti said over the weekend.
“We've been in the position to play meaningful games in September each of the last few seasons, and most of the guys in there have that experience to lean back on.”
With the Guardians having so much experience, it’s also important that they recognize that now is the time to kick into gear. Cleveland has a great chance to make the postseason, but nothing is guaranteed yet. The big games with a playoff-like mentality start now.
