As a team, the Cleveland Guardians made plenty of strides throughout the 2025 season, helping them win the American League Central after being 15.5 games back.
That said, one of the key reasons Cleveland ended up at the top of its division was the development of Gavin Williams.
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After struggling with his command through the first few months of the season, Williams undoubtedly established himself as the Guardians’ ace by September. He started Game 1 of the ALWS for Cleveland.
Guardians skipper Stephen Vogt recently talked about Williams’ development, and just how impressive it was to see what the right-hander accomplished throughout the season.
“​​Gavin made like three or four delivery changes. He added a pitch. I mean, the things that Carl Willis and this pitching team asked him to do, and he was able to go out and do it, and, man, was he a horse for us,” said Vogt.
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“There was no one else we wanted on the mound more than Gavin Williams, and we probably wouldn’t have said that early in the year, right? But he made the adjustments he put in the work, and Gavin has all the ingredients and the demeanor and the mindset to be one of the best in the game for a long time.”
Aug 6, 2025; New York City, New York, USA; Cleveland Guardians manager Stephen Vogt (12) takes the ball from starting pitcher Gavin Williams (32) during a pitching change during the ninth inning against the New York Mets at Citi Field. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images
Williams is a former first-round pick and was one of the top prospects in Cleveland’s farm system for a long time, up until his MLB debut in 2023. However, he’s struggled to live up to that hype for a variety of reasons, including inconsistent play and injuries.
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Now, Williams is throwing the ball as well as the Guardians hoped he would, thanks to progress during the 2025 season.
Before the All-Star break, Williams had a 3.70 ERA and a 1.43, while leading all qualified starters in walks. Then, after the Midsummer Classic, the righty registered a 2.18 ERA and a 1.05.
(A lot of this had to do with Williams’ development of his slider, which I broke down earlier this offseason.)
Cleveland obviously has a strong reputation for developing elite pitchers, and Williams is the latest example of that.
With a full offseason of more development, it’ll be exciting to see where the 26-year-old is come spring training and Opening Day.