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New York Times
21-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Guardians weekend sweep takeaways: Emmanuel Clase, Steven Kwan and Triston McKenzie
PITTSBURGH — A fresh batch of thoughts on the 12-9 Guardians as they return to Progressive Field for a nine-game homestand against the Yankees, Red Sox and Twins… Hitters have swung at 31 of Joey Cantillo's changeups this season, missing on 17 of those swings for an absurd whiff rate of 54.8%. Advertisement Kyle Manzardo was the first Cleveland hitter since PNC Park opened in 2001 to deposit a home run into the Allegheny River. Overall, 51 hitters have combined to whack 82 homers into the river. Manzardo already has more home runs this season (six) than he did last year in about twice the plate appearances. Kyle ambushing the first pitch really robbed us of Hammy calling a river run. On a different note … dude.#GuardsBall — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 19, 2025 The Guardians are 3-2 in Ben Lively's five starts, even though he has opposed the following starters: Cole Ragans, Dylan Cease, Shane Smith, Ragans again and Paul Skenes. Cleveland has won three consecutive Logan Allen starts, as the southpaw has allowed only one earned run across 16 innings in that span. Gabriel Arias has four multi-hit games in his last eight starts. Entering this season, he had 23 multi-hit games in 145 career starts. Austin Hedges is averaging 4.46 pitches per plate appearance, which would rank third in the American League if he had enough trips to the plate to qualify. The Guardians have played in only six games decided by one or two runs (28.6% of their games). Last year, 49.1% of their games were decided by one or two runs. … in a few months? You can see the formula that can make him effective. He throws a 96 mph fastball, a 95 mph sinker and a 91 mph cutter that all move differently. He can drop in a changeup to complement the sinker, or a slider to complement the cutter. The key is command. But when he's hitting his spots, those pitches all play off each other in harmony. By the summer months, will he have demonstrated some consistency? Ortiz's strikeout rate in 2024: 19.2% Ortiz's strikeout rate in 2025: 24.7% Ortiz's strikeout rate his last two starts: 42.9% Advertisement 'He's got a bunch of pitches going in a bunch of different directions,' said catcher Bo Naylor. 'When you're in the zone with multiple pitches, it doesn't allow the hitter to be able to eliminate as much as they would like to.' … for Triston McKenzie. If he had a minor-league option, this would be simple. Instead, he's either stuck in Cleveland's bullpen or banished to the waiver wire. Let's examine some data. Keep in mind, he has only logged 5 2/3 innings, so while it's evident to anyone watching that he's struggling, surface-level numbers aren't necessarily reliable. To complicate matters, since the Guardians can't trust him in a non-lopsided game, there's no way for him to get consistent work to try to escape this funk. At some point, if this continues, he'll run out of time. Andrew Walters is ready whenever the Guardians need a fresh arm. Erik Sabrowski, Nic Enright and Franco Aleman, who are all on the mend, could be options at some point in May or June, too. … Steven Kwan's. He's on pace for more than 30 home runs. He's hitting .325 with an .879 OPS, with a career-best .494 slugging percentage. Can he sustain this through September? Each season, he finds new ways to torment pitchers. This year, it feels like he has something close to the finished product at the plate. He's a threat to yank a fastball into the right-field seats. He rarely offers at anything outside of the zone. He can find a gap in the outfield grass as well as any hitter in the sport. Stevie, baby.#GuardsBall — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 16, 2025 That's probably why Gavin Williams shrugged when asked earlier this season how he would approach an at-bat against Kwan. 'Flip one up there,' Williams said. 'Hopefully he hits it on the ground. I don't really know.' The two squared off while rehabbing last season, and Williams said Kwan even pestered him in that low-key setting. Advertisement 'He's a pretty elite hitter,' Williams said. 'I want to get people out in four pitches or less. Kwan fouls a lot of pitches off because he knows the strike zone very well, and he can get to about anything if he wants to.' … his defensive skill set was on full display last week. On Thursday, with Ramón Urías on first base, Gunnar Henderson hit an opposite-field double to left field. As Kwan chased after the fly ball, he slowed his pace for a second and raised his glove to fool Urías. Without that deke, Urías would have run full speed and scored. Instead, in the ensuing at-bat, Urías was picked off third. On Friday, he corralled an Enmanuel Valdez double off the left-field wall and, without hesitation, twisted his body and launched a one-hopper to third base to nab Bryan Reynolds and take the bite out of a Pirates ninth-inning threat. The most satisfied person in the dugout? Outfield coach J.T. Maguire, who has worked with Kwan since his nascent days in Cleveland's organization in 2018. Maguire, a soft-spoken guy, said he was internally shouting with pride after the ninth-inning throw. Kwan's ability to understand how the baseball will carom off the wall, to know how to position his body to uncork the proper throw and to know, while his back is turned toward the action, where to throw the ball, explains why he's never not won a Gold Glove Award. The best word to describe it, Maguire said, is 'savvy.' … who is still chugging along in the big leagues 17 years later. Carlos Santana appeared in his 2,100th game Saturday, the second-most among active players, behind only Pittsburgh's Andrew McCutchen. OK, so the trade was actually Blake to the Dodgers for Santana and pitcher Jon Meloan, who totaled 17 2/3 innings in the majors from 2007-09. Two of those innings came with Cleveland. Santana, meanwhile, ranks sixth on the franchise's all-time home runs list and trails only Jim Thome on the walks leaderboard. Santana ranks 49th in major-league history in walks, and could stroll his way into the top 40 this summer. He could chase down Willie McCovey, Alex Rodriguez, Todd Helton, Eddie Murray, Manny Ramirez, Tim Raines and David Ortiz by the end of the season. Two-thirds of the names ahead of him on the all-time list are Hall of Famers, and many who aren't — Barry Bonds, Pete Rose, Rafael Palmeiro, Rodriguez, Ramirez — have deserving numbers, but, well, uh, extenuating circumstances. … and you'll notice that, before his nightmarish ninth inning on Sunday, he had all but abandoned his slider. In his first three appearances last week, he threw 27 cutters and two sliders. The results: three save chances, three save conversions. On Sunday, in a 30-pitch root canal against the Pirates, he threw 19 cutters and 11 sliders. He continues searching for the formula that, before October, made him the league's most reliable reliever. His numbers this season are jarring. Clase in 2024: 74 1/3 innings, 39 hits, five earned runs, .154 opponent average, .392 opponent OPS Clase in 2025: 10 1/3 innings, 20 hits, nine earned runs, .426 opponent average, 1.070 opponent OPS (Photo of Kyle Manzardo and José Ramírez: Justin Berl / Getty Images)
Yahoo
17-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The viral AI-generated action figure trend is potentially putting your cybersecurity at risk, experts warn
In recent days, everyone from government agencies to celebrities to pro sports teams have hopped on the latest artificial intelligence-generated trend, using programs like ChatGPT to create an image of themselves in Barbie-like plastic packaging. However, tech experts warn that the light-hearted trend carries some risks, ranging from potentially inviting cyber scams to raising ethics and sustainability concerns. Participants in the trend often generate images featuring items referencing various aspects of their life, whether it's where they live, what they do for a living, or a favorite pastime. Those type of disclosures could help scammers trick people down the line. Oh, you know we had to hop on the fellas, reimagined as action figures.#GuardsBall — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 14, 2025 Clark County employees, assemble! 💪We joined the action figure trend to spotlight some real-life heroes who make our community stronger every day. Because when we work #togetherforbetter, anything is possible. 💙Want to join our team? Apply now: — Clark County Nevada (@ClarkCountyNV) April 16, 2025 'The fact that you are showing people, 'Here are the three or four things I'm most interested in at this point' and sharing it to the world, that becomes a very big risk, because now people can target you,' Dave Chronister, the CEO of cybersecurity company Parameter Security, told HuffPost. 'Social engineering attacks today are still the easiest, most popular way for attackers to target you as an employee and you as an individual.' Jennifer King, a privacy and data policy fellow at the Stanford University Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence, added in an interview with the outlet that users ought to consider that their images will likely go towards training future AI models, the same tools increasingly being integrated into corporate and military applications. Others have urged users to be careful incorporating trademarked material into their action figures. "Mattel has been known to pretty actively enforce protections against their marks," attorney Charles Gallagher told Fox13. "Having a Barbie logo on your action figure would probably be something you don't want to have." In the face of the action figure meme, some have sought to remind the public of the enormous energy and water needed to feed the advanced computers that power AI models. "ChatGPT Barbie represents a triple threat to our privacy, our culture and our planet," Professor Gina Neff of Queen Mary University London said in an interview with BBC.
New York Times
25-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
What I'm hearing about the Guardians: Tanner Bibee, Nolan Jones, Triston McKenzie
A batch of thoughts on a slew of recent Cleveland Guardians developments… Let's rewind 28 months, to when the Guardians dealt Jones to the Colorado Rockies for infield prospect Juan Brito. They coveted Brito, as evidenced by the fact that they had to stick him on their 40-man roster even though he was in A-ball. They were willing to reserve a spot for a player several years away from the majors. Advertisement They also felt they had sufficient corner outfield depth to withstand Jones' departure. Steven Kwan had secured left field, and they had Will Brennan, Oscar Gonzalez, Will Benson and George Valera to vie for right field. Whoops. Jones enjoyed a ravishing rookie season in 2023, and other than Kwan, the Guardians' outfield was a mess. OK, back to the present. The Guardians still like Brito, who will begin the year at Triple A but seems poised to unseat Gabriel Arias at some point this season. Now they have Jones, too. Front office executives make the rounds at the end of spring training each year, sorting through who will and won't make each club's Opening Day roster, trying to find some odd men out who might fit their puzzle. The Rockies, prioritizing other outfielders, made Jones expendable, since he's out of minor-league options. The Rockies gauged the Guardians' interest in trading for him. The Guardians felt Jones offered a higher ceiling than Brennan, who was slated to share right field with Jhonkensy Noel. Prized prospect Chase DeLauter's struggle to stay healthy added to their motivation. Colorado asked for Freeman, and Cleveland was confident it had enough depth in the middle infield/utility spots. The deal materialized quickly since the Guardians didn't need to complete as much background work given their history with Jones. We have acquired OF Nolan Jones in exchange for UTL Tyler Freeman. Welcome back, Nolan!#GuardsBall — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) March 22, 2025 In fact, the Guardians had already informed Brennan he had made the Opening Day roster, a message they had to later rescind. Brennan will begin the year at Triple A. Freeman's hit tool is why he was a second-rounder and a top prospect. Perhaps he'll find plenty of space in the Coors Field outfield to deposit singles and doubles. Regular playing time should help, too. In Cleveland, though, he had a limited ceiling. Even if he would have wrestled away some playing time from Arias, his long-term fit was likely as a utility player, with Brito and top prospect Travis Bazzana on the horizon. Furthermore, he was blocked in center field by Lane Thomas, for at least this season. Advertisement So, the Guardians flipped him for a familiar face (and a close friend). Guardians top prospect rankings, per MLB Pipeline: 2019: 1. Triston McKenzie, 2. Nolan Jones, 3. Tyler Freeman 2020: 1. Nolan Jones, 2. Tyler Freeman, 3. Bo Naylor 2021: 1. Nolan Jones, 2. Triston McKenzie, 3. Tyler Freeman Jones maintained relationships with a slew of Cleveland coaches, including Grant Fink (Cleveland's new hitting coach, who worked with Jones in the minors), outfield coach J.T. Maguire, defensive coach Kai Correa and special assistant Tom Wiedenbauer. What can Jones provide? He'll strike out at a high clip, but he typically boasts an elite walk rate and has a ton of power. He also can steal bases when healthy, and he has boasted the strongest outfield arm in the league since he became a major leaguer. That's a tantalizing skill set, which makes this a risk worth taking. That prolific rookie season wasn't simply a product of the Colorado altitude, either. 2023 at home: .306/.398/.530 slash line 2023 on road: .288/.380/.554 slash line (For what it's worth, he also crushed lefties in 2023, which had been a departure from the norm for him.) The Guardians do have concerns about whether Jones can stay healthy and rack up 400-450 plate appearances. Back and knee injuries derailed his 2024 season. 'We are going to have to manage his workload appropriately,' general manager Mike Chernoff said. Bibee had some leverage entering the 2021 draft. Based on intel from scouts, he was ticketed for the fifth or sixth round. He was a college junior at Cal State Fullerton, but with a lost COVID season, he was a 22-year-old who was ready to go pro. He wasn't thrilled with his amateur production; he anchored a rotation during a few of the program's rare seasons without an NCAA Tournament appearance. He said his heater was 'flat' and his breaking balls looked too alike. Advertisement But as the draft approached, he did hold a bit of power. No team was going to overextend financially to attract him to their organization, so he could split organizations into two buckets: those he would sign with and those he would avoid. The Guardians made the nice list. They were known for converting college starters with so-so stuff into capable big-leaguers. It was a perfect marriage. Bibee started throwing harder, refined his secondary offerings and, poof, less than two years after the Guardians took him with the 156th pick, he made his debut. He finished second in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, which earned him a full year of service time and sped up the timeline on extension talks. The two sides chatted last spring, but the Guardians' offer would guarantee Bibee about half of what he ultimately secured a year later. Bibee was disappointed at the lack of progress in the negotiations, but he gained more leverage with a strong sophomore season in which he evolved into the heart and soul of the rotation. 'Everyone wants to be that guy that the manager looks at and hands the ball to,' Bibee told The Athletic this spring. Manager Stephen Vogt handed him the ball on short rest against the Yankees in Game 5 of the ALCS, Cleveland's final game of 2024. He'll hand him the ball again Thursday for their first game of 2025. The two camps held off-and-on conversations for several months before settling on the final details. Bibee, league sources told The Athletic, will receive a $2 million signing bonus, plus annual salaries of $3 million in 2025, $4 million in 2026, $7 million in 2027, $10 million in 2028 and $21 million in 2029, plus either a $21 million salary in 2030 or a $1 million buyout. It's understandable if your first thought is that the Guardians will trade him before that salary balloons in 2029. Keep in mind, by then, there will be a new collective-bargaining agreement (A salary cap? A salary floor? Revamped revenue sharing/TV deal setups?) and new ownership in power in Cleveland. Who knows what the landscape will be? For many teams, $21 million for a frontline starter is a bargain. Advertisement As it stands, Bibee can hit the free-agent market before either his age-31 or age-32 season. If he's still a durable starter, he can land another lucrative deal. With any player, especially this early in a career, there are plenty of risks and rewards to weigh. Bibee was set to earn about the league minimum in 2025, in the neighborhood of $760,000. After this season, he would have been eligible for three seasons of arbitration. He'll likely be worth more to the Guardians in the next few years than the salary he'll earn, but that's a result of MLB's pay structure. It takes a while for young, productive players to get what they deserve. And for pitchers, the grim reaper is always lurking, scalpel in hand. Bibee only needs to look a few lockers away for examples. Shane Bieber resisted long-term offers from the Guardians in the past, but in his contract year, he suffered a torn elbow ligament. He signed a short-term deal with Cleveland to rebuild his value before he again tries to cash in on a free-agent deal. Triston McKenzie was in talks with the Guardians on a long-term deal in the spring of 2023 before he suffered a shoulder injury and then an elbow injury. He's still searching for his 2022 form. Bibee no longer has to worry about the financial ramifications of suffering an injury. He has $48 million guaranteed — and, in all likelihood, $68 million — just three and a half years after being an unheralded draft pick. There's one example the Guardians can (and should) point to as they attempt to resurrect McKenzie's career through hoping, praying and wishing while flicking pennies into the fountain at the mall. Carlos Carrasco — who, by the way, at the age of 38, will open the season in the Yankees' rotation — always had the stuff, but couldn't put it all together. He debuted in 2009, briefly pitched in the big leagues in 2010, had a pedestrian 2011, missed 2012 following elbow surgery, struggled in 2013 and, after a rough start in 2014, shifted to the bullpen. Advertisement The directive was simple: In a relief role, there's no time to waste. You're throwing 25 pitches, not 95, so go attack every hitter you encounter. For three and a half months, it worked. Carrasco returned to the rotation in mid-August and logged a 1.30 ERA in 10 starts to close out the season. He never looked back. He became a consistent workhorse, a Cy Young Award candidate, the Robin to Corey Kluber's Batman. Can McKenzie follow that blueprint as he begins the season in a relief role? He's healthy, for one. He was healthy last year, too, but he admitted he wondered whether he should have had surgery to repair the tear in his elbow, and he wasn't pitching with confidence. It didn't help that in 2023 a handful of doctors offered varying advice when he sought opinions on how to navigate his injury. That's all in the past now, though McKenzie still didn't look sharp this spring. The Guardians are hoping a role change will offer him a boost similar to the one Carrasco received more than a decade ago. His mid-90s fastball velocity this spring was encouraging. The Guardians want him to throw his curveball and slider for strikes so he isn't as predictable. If he can mix in more secondary pitches for strikes, hitters won't be able to sit on his fastball and whack it the way they did in 2024. (Photo of Nolan Jones on the 2022 Cleveland Guardians: Dan Hamilton / Imagn Images)
New York Times
22-03-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Cleveland Guardians sign ace Tanner Bibee to 5-year contract extension
The new anchor of the Cleveland Guardians' rotation is sticking around for the long haul. Tanner Bibee and the club agreed to a five-year contract extension on Saturday. The deal, which guarantees Bibee at least $48 million according to a team source, includes a club option for the 2030 season. Bibee was already under team control for four seasons, including 2025. This arrangement buys out at least one free-agent year — and two if the Guardians exercise that club option. The Guardians will hand Bibee a $2 million signing bonus, plus salaries of $3 million in 2025, $4 million in 2026, $7 million in 2027, $10 million in 2028 and $21 million in 2029, sources told The Athletic. The 2030 option is worth $21 million with a $1 million buyout. We have some news out of Goodyear. 🗞️ We have extended RHP Tanner Bibee's contract through 2029, with a club option for 2030.#GuardsBall — Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) March 22, 2025 Bibee will start for Cleveland on Opening Day on Thursday in Kansas City. It's his first such honor, following in the footsteps of Shane Bieber and Corey Kluber, who each made five consecutive Opening Day starts. A fifth-round selection in the 2021 draft, Bibee finished second in the American League Rookie of the Year voting in 2023. That earned him a full year of service time, spurring motivation for the team to engage in contract negotiations. Last season, Bibee emerged as the club's top starting pitcher, as he started the team's playoff opener and even pitched on short rest against the New York Yankees in the ALCS. Advertisement In two seasons in the majors, Bibee owns a 3.25 ERA, with more than a strikeout per inning. He ranks eighth among all AL starters in fWAR since the start of the 2023 campaign. Some teammates, including catchers Austin Hedges and David Fry, have not been shy about their expectation that Bibee will eventually win a Cy Young Award. Upon hearing that, Bibee told The Athletic this spring: 'It makes you feel good, but I've always thought that. It's nice to hear the validation from other people and obviously I respect their opinion a lot, but it comes down to me performing on the field. I appreciate that, but their words aren't going to get me a Cy Young. I have to do it.' The two sides discussed an extension last spring, but didn't make much headway, sources told The Athletic. This year, the Guardians will lean on Bibee to lead a rotation that could include Gavin Williams, Luis Ortiz, Ben Lively, Logan Allen, Triston McKenzie and, eventually, Bieber and possibly John Means. The latter two are recovering from Tommy John surgery. • MLB American League Central preview 2025: An underrated divisional juggernaut • No. 1 pick, top prospect Travis Bazzana channeling baseball 'obsession' with Guardians • Shane Bieber won't rush recovery, but Guardians optimistic about his 2025 prospects • Guardians musings at spring training's midpoint: Gavin Williams, Steven Kwan and more
