Clase, Giménez represent Guards on All-MLB Team

Fans voted for nearly two weeks to help a panel of MLB experts name the best players in baseball after the 2022 season, and two Guardians received some honors.

• All-MLB Team presented by Arm & Hammer and OxiClean

The All-MLB First and Second Teams were announced on Monday evening, naming Emmanuel Clase First Team for relievers, in a tie with Edwin Díaz of the Mets, and Andrés Giménez the Second Team second baseman. Houston’s Jose Altuve made the First Team for the position.

If you missed the voting period, here’s how it worked: 71 position players and 45 pitchers were divided into their respective positions to be placed on a ballot for fans to vote for who belongs on the All-MLB First and Second Teams. Giménez was a finalist for second base, Clase for relievers, José Ramírez for third, Steven Kwan for outfielders and Shane Bieber for starters. Fans were asked to only consider players’ regular-season performances when voting. Half of the vote came from fan picks and the other 50% came from a panel of experts.

There was no doubt Clase would find his way on one of the two teams. He was arguably the most reliable reliever in the Majors in 2022, making more appearances (77) and recording more saves (42) than any other hurler. He had 77 strikeouts and just 10 walks in 72 2/3 innings with a mere 1.36 ERA. A quick look at his Statcast page is jaw dropping, as his chase rate, fastball velocity, fastball spin, walk percentage, barrel percentage and expected slugging percentage all rank in at least the 98th percentile.

Clase gave up a run on May 17. He didn’t give up another run until July 6 -- 21 appearances later. He became a rock for this young Guardians team, knowing if they could just have a one-run lead heading into the ninth, they’d be able to come out on top.

“We have some guys that took some responsibility beyond their experience and did pretty [darn] good,” Guardians manager Terry Francona said at the end of the season. “And Clase’s right at the head of the class.”

It’s hard to overtake someone with a .300 average and a .920 OPS in 141 games like Altuve had this season, but Giménez put up a good fight with an exceptional regular-season campaign, hitting .297 with an .837 OPS in 146 contests. Giménez’s defense alone was enough to earn him a place on the first or second team, considering he had the second most defensive runs saved in the Majors (16) and ranked in the 98th percentile in Outs Above Average, according to Statcast.

“[Giménez], in my opinion, was probably the best [defensive second baseman] in the league.” Francona said.

But Giménez grew offensively this season, becoming a trusted bat in key moments for the Guardians. With two outs and runners in scoring position, he was unstoppable, hitting .387 with a 1.205 OPS and 33 RBIs in 62 at-bats. With this foundation he’s set, the Guardians are looking forward to what he can become.

“I don’t think we know what his ceiling is,” Francona said. “I also know that by trying to talk to him about hitting home runs … that’s not the way we’re going to find out. … He can bunt, he can hit the ball the other way and when he gets a pitch to his liking he likes he can hit the ball out of the ballpark. As he matures, he’ll probably hit more.”