The 2022-23 resurgence
Two seasons that turned a rebuild into a renaissance and gave Cleveland hope again.
The 2022–23 resurgence marks the period when the Cleveland baseball franchise, freshly rebranded as the Guardians, reasserted itself as a genuine AL Central contender after a multi-year rebuild. Anchored by a returning manager, a marquee pitching acquisition, and the continued excellence of Jose Ramirez, the club went from a team in transition to one that made fans believe the long drought of playoff contention was finally ending.
This era is defined less by a single trophy and more by the emotional reset it provided for a fanbase that had endured years of underperformance. The name change, the roster rebuild, and the on-field competitiveness converged to create a narrative of renewal that resonated deeply in Cleveland.
- Manager
- Terry Francona (returned 2022)
- Star Infielder
- Jose Ramirez (3B)
- Key Acquisition
- Shane Bieber (SP, from Boston Red Sox, 2022)
- Rebrand
- Cleveland Indians → Cleveland Guardians (2022)
- 2022 Record
- 92–70
- Division
- American League Central
Lore & Background
After the heartbreak of the 2019 ALDS and the subsequent roster shake-up that saw the team trade away or lose several key players, Cleveland entered 2020–21 in a quiet rebuilding mode. The shortened 2020 season and a middling 2021 left fans in a familiar cycle of patience. Then, in the winter of 2021–22, the front office made a series of moves that signaled a new direction: Terry Francona was brought back to the dugout, and a trade with Boston secured the arm of Shane Bieber, a youngaces with Cy Young-caliber stuff.
The rebrand to the Guardians, announced in February 2022, was the most visible symbol of the shift. It ended decades of the 'Indians' moniker and, for many in the fanbase, represented a clean break from a period of stagnation. The debate was loud—some fans mourned the old name, others embraced the fresh start—but the on-field product quickly made the argument academic. The 2022 Guardians posted a 92-win season, built on a pitching staff headlined by Bieber, Aaron Civale, and closer Emmanuel Clase, with Ramirez providing the offensive engine at third base.
2023 saw the club remain competitive, finishing as a top-three AL Central team and sustaining the belief that the Guardians had found their footing. The emotional core of this era was not a World Series parade but something perhaps more valuable for a city that had waited so long: the feeling that the team was winning again, that the identity was fresh, and that the next step was within reach.
In Their Own Story
The lights at Progressive Field hummed to life on a late-September evening in 2022. The new 'Guardians' logo sat on the outfield wall, still feeling slightly unfamiliar to the season-ticket holders in the upper deck. Down in the dugout, Francona leaned against the railing, jaw working a piece of gum, watching Clase thread a 98-mph fastball down the heart of the zone. The scoreboard read 4–2, eighth inning, and the crowd—that restless, loyal, stubborn Cleveland crowd—was on its feet. Ramirez had just lined a double into the gap, and the whole place smelled like hot dogs and possibility. A kid in the front row, maybe nine years old, held up a new Guardians cap and screamed at the sky. Francona didn't look up. He didn't need to. He could feel the building breathing.
Reader's Guide
The arc begins in the winter of 2021–22, when the front office simultaneously rebranded the franchise, rehired Terry Francona, and landed Shane Bieber from Boston. The 2022 season was the payoff: a 92-win campaign, a top-two AL Central finish, and a roster that finally looked like a contender rather than a project. The emotional high point was watching a pitching staff that included Bieber, Civale, and Clase consistently keep games close, while Ramirez's power and vision at the plate reminded everyone why he was the franchise cornerstone.
2023 served as the confirmation year. The Guardians stayed in the AL Central conversation, finishing as a top-three team and proving 2022 was not a fluke. The competitive result was not a playoff berth in either year, but the near-miss narrative—being within striking distance, being the team to watch—carried enormous weight for a fanbase that had been starved for relevance.
The rebrand itself was the emotional hinge. The fan debate was fierce: purists clung to 'Indians,' while a large contingent saw the Guardians name as a necessary reset. The decision, made by ownership, ultimately became a unifier once the team started winning. For Cleveland fans, the takeaway was simple and profound: the Guardians were back, the identity was theirs, and the long wait for competitiveness was finally, genuinely, over.
Did You Know?
- The rebrand from Cleveland Indians to Cleveland Guardians was officially announced in February 2022, ending decades of use of the former name.
- Shane Bieber was acquired from the Boston Red Sox in a trade ahead of the 2022 season, becoming the centerpiece of a pitching staff that anchored the resurgence.
- Terry Francona returned to manage the club in 2022 after being let go following the 2019 season, bringing back a familiar voice to the dugout.
- Jose Ramirez, the team's star third baseman, had been with Cleveland since the mid-2010s and served as the offensive anchor throughout the rebuild and resurgence.