Guardians key stats: A by-the-numbers look at Cleveland's first 40 games of the 2022 season

The Guardians have finally hit the quarter mark of the season. After half a dozen home postponements, a loss to the Houston Astros on Wednesday night brought them to 18-22 after the first 40 games of the season.

Those first 40 games certainly didn't go as many would have expected entering the season. The starting rotation, now healthy after a disastrous 2021 season mired with injuries and setbacks, hasn't yet lived up to the expectations of a young, talented group.

The lineup, filled with question marks going into Opening Day, has been among the league's best thanks to strong starts by Steven Kwan, Owen Miller, Andres Gimenez and Josh Naylor in addition to Jose Ramirez, who is putting together another MVP-candidate season.

Through the Guardians' first 40 games, here are some key numbers to know.

Josh Naylor opens season on fire with 170 wRC+

Josh Naylor just barely missed Opening Day, instead returning to the Guardians about a week later following his rehab from the extensive ankle surgery that ended his 2021 season.

He's made up for lost time.

In 24 games played, Naylor hit .306 with a .926 OPS, six home runs, four doubles and 23 RBIs. A year ago, he drove in 21 runs in 69 games.

He also has a 170 wRC+ (a statistic that encompasses offensive value, with 100 being league average), the 10th-best in the American League and second on the Guardians, behind Ramirez's 193.

Naylor also made baseball history a few weeks ago by driving in eight runs in the eighth inning or later in the Guardians' comeback win over the Chicago White Sox. Naylor also became the first player in baseball history to hit two three-run home runs or better in the ninth inning or later.

Jose Ramirez leads MLB with 43 RBIs

The RBI statistic certainly isn't the best way to evaluate a hitter or compare seasons, but it remains a staple within the game's framework. And through the club's first 40 games, Ramirez has driven in 43 runs, the most in baseball despite the Guardians playing between two and six fewer games than the other 29 teams in the league.

Ramirez's 2.6 fWAR is also the third best in the AL behind only Aaron Judge and Mike Trout, putting him on pace for his fourth AL MVP-finalist season (top-3) in the past six years.

Franmil Reyes ranks fourth in baseball with 57 strikeouts

Franmil Reyes, however, has had a nightmare beginning to 2022. In 133 at-bats, Reyes has hit .195 and struck out 57 times. Only Patrick Wisdom, Eugenio Suarez and Kyle Schwarber have struck out more, and they all have between 10 and 29 more at-bats than Reyes.

Reyes is also in the third percentile in baseball in whiff percentage, and his 58 wRC+ is the seventh worst among qualified hitters.

Reyes was placed on the 10-day injured list with right hamstring tightness on Thursday. While Naylor, Ramirez and others have carried the lineup, Reyes has struggled to get going and was moved down the lineup before being sidelined with the injury.

Shane Bieber's fastball velocity dips to 90.7 mph

Shane Bieber has been effective in every outing except one against the Toronto Blue Jays, but  he hasn't quite been his dominant self (3.55 ERA through eight starts). Part of that can be traced back to his fastball, which has again dipped in season average velocity.

Bieber's fastball has averaged 90.7 mph this season, down from 92.8 mph last year and 94.1 mph during his Cy Young 2020. It has been slightly higher in his past two outings than in his first six starts, but Bieber's velocity will remain a focal point as long as it doesn't bounce back.

Steven Kwan in 100th percentile in whiff percentage

Steven Kwan has cooled a bit from the historic start to his career, but he remains among the more difficult outs in the American League. And he misses pitches as infrequently as any hitter in baseball.

Kwan saw 116 pitches before his first swing and miss, the longest streak to begin a career for any player since 2000, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

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In 33 games, Kwan is hitting .257 with a .358 on-base percentage, one home run, six doubles, one triple and 13 RBIs.

Emmanuel Clase in at least 90th percentile in, well, almost everything

It looked for a while like James Karinchak and Emmanuel Clase might form a dynamic 1-2 punch for years to come in Cleveland's bullpen. That still might happen, but their recent paths couldn't have been any different. Karinchak has remained sidelined with a back injury, and that followed a disastrous second half to the 2021 season in which he posted a 7.88 ERA and was demoted to Triple-A.

Clase has remained among the game's best relievers, and has been locked into the bullpen's closer role and signed a long-term extension that, with the club options, can keep him in Cleveland though 2028.

Clase has been near the top of the league in almost every way measurable. He's in at least the 90th percentile in fastball velocity (100th), chase rate (99th), fastball spin (98th), xERA (meaning the ERA he should have based on only his performance, 97th), opposing xwOBA (what a hitter might expect results-wise based on exit velocity, launch angle and other factors, 97th), average exit velocity (94th), barrel percentage (94th) and xSLG (expected slugging percentage, 91st).

Cal Quantrill gets 17 runs of support across seven outings

The pitcher win stat is a horrible way to measure effectiveness or value. Case in point: Cal Quantrill, who has a 3.42 ERA and 109 ERA+ (100 is league average) in 47⅓ innings but a 1-3 record. To put it bluntly: pitcher wins absolutely don't matter.

The Guardians won Quantrill's season-opening start 17-3 in Kansas City. Since that time, they have scored just 17 runs in his past seven outings for an average of 2.43 runs per game. Quantrill hasn't been close to the dominant pitcher he has in the second half of last season, but he also certainly doesn't control the offense.

Owen Miller goes on a doubles run with 12

One of the bright spots for the Guardians this season has been the emergence of Owen Miller, who forced his way into the everyday lineup with a hot start to the year in part thanks to some key swing adjustments.

Miller, playing primarily first base, played a role in the Guardians designating Bobby Bradley for assignment. Bradley cleared waivers, so there were other factors that led to that decision, but Miller's bat left no room for Bradley.

Miller has cooled a bit but is still hitting .273 with an .800 OPS, along with four home runs, 17 RBIs and 12 doubles, which ranks 11th in the AL.

Aaron Civale goes through first major slump of career, posts 7.84 ERA

During the winter between the 2020 and 2021 seasons, Aaron Civale overhauled just about everything about his delivery and his pitch grips, even to the point of throwing a football for a while to completely disassociate himself from his old mechanics.

His ice-cold start to the 2022 season has him and the team, again, going back to the drawing board.

Civale has been knocked around to the tune of a 7.84 ERA. His FIP is only 4.96, indicating he's pitched better than his ERA would indicate, but Civale has been roughed up in nearly every outing. In fact, his FIP from last season (4.83) indicated he was likely due for some regression, and he hasn't been that far off in 2022, but this time around he has paid for any mistakes.

Five of his six pitches have been hit hard, with only the curveball (.219 average against) being the outlier. To make matters worse, on Wednesday Civale was placed on the 10-day injured list.

Andres Gimenez establishes himself as everyday player, accrues 1.3 fWAR

A key part of the Francisco Lindor trade who had a tough time finding a rhythm in 2021, Andres Gimenez has played a prominent role in 2022 in bolstering the Guardians lineup. And with it, he has further established himself as a key player in Cleveland's future middle infield.

Gimenez, who could some day shift to shortstop full time, has been superb defensively (especially at second base), accruing five defensive runs saved. That has put him in a tie for 15th in the league, along with Guardians center fielder Myles Straw and several others.

Gimenez has also hit .288 with a .797 OPS, four home runs, six doubles, two triples, 20 RBIs and three stolen bases, enough for a 130 wRC+. He has also accrued 1.3 fWAR, putting him on pace for 5.2 fWAR for the season, which would be in the range of an average All-Star-level player.

Trevor Stephan takes over higher-leverage role, posts 2.04 FIP

Trevor Stephan was told this spring he'd have a chance to run with an opportunity in 2022, and he's taken full advantage of it, posting a 2.55 ERA and 2.04 FIP along with 17 strikeouts in 17⅔ innings.

Like Clase, Stephan is in the 90th percentile in nearly every category, including xERA (99th), xwOBA (99th), xSLG (98th), barrel percentage (94th) and several others. While Karinchak has remained sidelined, Stephan and others have taken over those roles to bridge the gap between the rotation and Clase.

Sam Hentges allows two earned runs in 15 1/3 innings

Sam Hentges has quietly been among the game's best relievers in 2022. Yes, that Sam Hentges, who struggled mightily in 2021 as a starting pitcher (6.68 ERA overall, though that number was lowered once he left the rotation).

Hentges worked all offseason on revamping his two-seamer in order to give hitters a different look. That, along with a bullpen role that allows him to only worry about a handful of hitters at a time, has allowed Hentges to take off to the tune of a 1.17 ERA with 18 strikeouts in 15 1/3 innings.

Hentges is in the 98th percentile in xERA and xwOBA and the 92nd percentile in barrel percentage.

Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.