Jo Adell added a strange little line to the season’s record book Sunday, and it came in a way that Cleveland fans won’t forget anytime soon. His moonshot off Joe Ryan - the same swing that sent the ball to the third deck in left field at Target Field - was hit hard enough to stand as the hardest-hit ball by any Guardians player this season.
That also means Adell now owns a rare distinction: he has produced the hardest-hit ball of the season for two different teams in the same year.
Sarah Langs pointed out how uncommon that is.
“Jo Adell currently has the hardest-hit ball this season for both the Guardians (116.8 mph 9/13) and Angels (114.9 mph 5/22) Just 2 players have finished a season with the hardest-hit ball for multiple teams in the same season under Statcast (2015): 2023 Jake Burger CHW/MIA, 2021 Jorge Soler KC/ATL (T1 ATL) ,” Langs wrote.
Only two other players have done that since Statcast started tracking exit velocity in 2015. Jake Burger pulled it off in 2023 with the White Sox and Marlins, and Jorge Soler did it in 2021 after going from the Royals to the Braves, a season that ended with a World Series title in Atlanta. Like both of those cases, Adell’s year included a midseason trade, which sent him to Cleveland at the deadline.
For the Guardians, the trivia is one thing. The bigger deal is what Adell has brought to the lineup.
Since arriving, he has become one of the more dangerous bats in the middle of the order, giving Cleveland a different kind of power as it pushes toward the postseason. With the biggest series of the season against the White Sox beginning Monday, that kind of thump is showing up at exactly the right moment.
In Other News...
Guardians Face One Offseason Rotation Decision Fans Will Debate
Cleveland has spent this season leaning on a rotation that has stayed remarkably steady, with young arms like Parker Messick, Gavin Williams, Joey Cantillo and Tanner Bibee giving the club a clear base to work from. Even as the Guardians have built around that group, the offseason conversation is already starting to circle one familiar name: Shane Bieber, who is now a free agent after injury struggles and limited starts with the Toronto Blue Jays.
A return to Cleveland would carry obvious appeal on paper, especially for a pitcher who once helped define the staff, but the expectation around the league is that the Guardians will largely keep the current rotation intact going into next season. Foster Griffins status adds another layer to watch, though the bigger question for fans is whether the organization sees any reason to reopen a spot for Bieber or simply move ahead with the young core it has already put in place. [Read more 🡒]
Guardians May Have Unlocked More In Craig Yoho Than Milwaukee Did
Craig Yoho has looked like a different reliever since landing with Cleveland in the trade from Milwaukee, and the early returns suggest the Guardians may have found something the Brewers did not fully tap into. In his last 14 innings, he has worked to a 1.29 ERA with 20 strikeouts and just three walks, a run of effectiveness that has fit neatly into the middle-leverage spots Cleveland has been willing to give him.
A big part of the jump appears to be an adjusted pitching approach, especially a heavier dose of his changeup. For a bullpen that always values usable weapons it can trust in the middle innings, Yohos growth is the kind of quiet development that can matter over a long season, even if the full payoff of this version of him is still unfolding. [Read more 🡒]
Which Guardians Hitter Fans Trust Most In Walk Off Spots
Close games have become part of the Guardians daily routine, and the latest reminder came in a series that featured three walk-off victories. For a team that keeps finding itself in those tight, late-inning spots, the question naturally shifts from whether it will have another chance to who should be at the plate when it comes. The answer depends on more than just a big swing, because recent performance, past walk-off experience and each hitters role all matter when the game gets to that final at-bat.
The ranking of current Guardians hitters starts with the players fans have already seen handle pressure, then works through the bats most likely to be involved when the game is on the line. Some names bring a history of coming through in walk-off situations, while others earn trust because theyre the ones most likely to be in those moments regardless of matchup. In a season built around so many one-run decisions, the order of confidence in that spot says as much about the clubs identity as any single late hit. [Read more 🡒]