The MLB season is underway, and with it, the Cleveland Guardians played their first game of the season against the Oakland A’s last night in a matchup that Cleveland fans, who were desperate for baseball, had to watch late at night with the game starting at 10:10 pm EDT. The Guardians played well, beating the A’s 8 to 0. Granted, the A’s have had two back-to-back 100-loss seasons due to poor team management from the ownership group as they look to move the team out of Oakland. Regardless of the quality of play from the Oakland A’s, there are still three major takeaways I had from this game that could point to trends we see play out through the MLB season.

SHANE BIEBER IS BACK

My favorite part of the Guardians’ performance last night was seeing starting pitcher Shane Bieber look much like his old self for the first time in a while. Shane threw a staggering 11 strikeouts, dotting up the A’s to the point they could barely make contact with the ball. Shane also moves up the ranks to be tied for second for most 10+ strikeout games on opening day, with three total opening-day master classes. To see Shane have his way with a team regardless of their skill level was so much fun to see, and I hope that he carries this momentum into the rest of the 2024 season. Shane also moves.

HEDGES IS (PROBABLY) SHANE BIEBER’S PERSONAL CATCHER

Stephen Vogt stated that he doesn’t believe in the personal catcher idea; that being said, it is undeniable that Bieber and catcher Austin Hedges have chemistry together. I think a vast majority of the time you see Bieber on the mound, you will see Hedges behind the plate because of this. Vogt may not believe in personal catchers, but Bo Naylor is the clear number-one catcher for the Guardians this season, and the fact he did not start in the season opener for the Guardians tells me that the Bieber and Hedges combo will be a common sight for Guardians fans this season.

VOGT MADE THE RIGHT DECISION ABOUT THE OUTFIELD

Some say cutting Myles Straw was a controversial choice. While he is a Gold Glover, his batting is flat-out abysmal, and with the price tag he has, he has become a very expensive minor-league player. That being said, new manager Stephen Vogt decided to move away from Straw and start the season with the obvious Steven Kwan at left field, but more importantly Tyler Freeman at center field and Ramón Laureano at right field. Freeman occupied the space that Straw tended to occupy last season at center field and had a solid game. Freeman had four at-bats, two hits, and an RBI. The Guardians as a whole had a day against the A’s pitching staff, but the current replacement for Straw showed me in one game what this outfield desperately needed: help with hitting the ball.

I know it was just one game and it was against the Oakland A’s, but this team struggled to find an identity last season, and if they can continue this momentum, the new manager for the Cleveland Guardians may just be onto something just months into his young managerial career.