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The Guardians entered the 2022 season with no expectations.

The club knew it was young, but also knew it had a chance to surprise some people as long as it stuck to its small-ball ways. Cleveland went from having a rebuilding season to winning 92 games and securing its first American League Central title since 2018.

“They so exceeded expectations in how they played the game, and I think that's a huge credit to [manager Terry Francona] and to the players and the coaches,” Guardians general manager Mike Chernoff said.

Let’s take a moment to look back:

Defining moment: Josh Naylor’s big performance in Chicago
Josh Naylor’s ridiculous game at Guaranteed Rate Field, when he launched a game-tying grand slam in the ninth inning before ultimately winning the game with a three-run homer in the 11th, not only was a memory for him to cherish, but it was a defining moment for the Guardians. It proved that they could take down the White Sox (the AL Central favorites) and that they were never out of a game, no matter what the score was.

This was the mentality Cleveland displayed night after night after this game in mid-May. At that point, it wasn’t clear just how impressive this team would become. In retrospect, this should’ve been the hint that they were capable of much more than anticipated.

What we learned: Who needs a rebuild?
Technically, this was still a rebuilding season for the Guardians.

They had 17 players make their Major League debuts. They entered the year with question marks in the corner outfield spots, at first base, in their bullpen and even at shortstop. But it didn’t take long for Cleveland to realize that letting the kids play would work out in its favor.

What an impressive 92-win season with MLB’s youngest roster showed is that the future is bright for the Guardians’ organization. If this was supposed to be the rough rebuilding season, the next few years should be exciting.

Best development: Steven Kwan
This section really doesn’t need an explanation. Steven Kwan was everything the Guardians could’ve asked for this year and more. Not only did he steal the show with his patience at the plate and gritty approach to the game in the first few weeks of the season, he proved he belonged in the Majors after figuring out how to bounce back from a couple of weeks of struggling in May and continued to get even better as the season went along, both offensively and defensively. And the Guardians know that growth is far from ending.

Area for improvement: First base
The biggest need for the Guardians will be finding a first baseman. Naylor may be better suited as a designated hitter and Owen Miller hasn’t proven to be the answer. The offense could certainly use some power, too.

On the rise: Bo Naylor
There wasn’t much of a chance to see Bo Naylor in the big leagues, considering there were only a few games left in the regular season when the younger brother got his first callup to the Majors, but with Austin Hedges set to hit free agency this offseason, Naylor is expected to get more opportunities in the Majors in 2023. And after the player development staff raved about his improvements in the Minors this season in comparison to last, the Guardians are looking forward to seeing more of what he has to offer.

Team MVP: Andrés Giménez
This is a difficult question. Kwan, José Ramírez and Emmanuel Clase all could’ve been equally solid answers here. This group was the definition of a team effort, making it hard to select one individual, but it’s even more difficult to ignore the numbers Andrés Giménez put up this season, especially in high-leverage situations (.356 average, 1.097 OPS), despite his struggles in the playoffs.