What Chris Antonetti had to say Wednesday as the Guardians prepared for ALDS Game 1

About the challenges of making roster decisions in the postseason

• “They have a feel for the guys that were out there every day and key parts of our team … but one of the things that makes it so challenging on the position player or pitching side is that we have it Many players have stepped up and made meaningful contributions to our team.”
• “We believe there are a number of players worthy of inclusion on the postseason roster and we will have to make some difficult decisions to leave them out. Then I might look for people to add.”

On the expectations for the Guardians at the start of the season compared to now.

• “Every year we try to be the best team we can be and the mindset we strive for is to show up every day to prepare for the game and try to get better.” If everyone Individuals around you come in with that attitude and try to do that, you look at the end of the year and see how many wins you have.”
• “That’s been a defining characteristic of this team from day one, the way this group has performed in spring training, and our coaching staff and Vogter have done a great job of cultivating that mindset and it’s been evident every day this year.”

On what Stephen Vogt showed over the course of the year as a rookie manager.

• “A lot of the qualities that we talked about are a testament to who he is as a person and as a leader and that great foundation of knowledge and experiences that he had, but he’s always looking to learn and grow to get better and to develop resources.” Every day, Stephen attacks the job by saying, “What can I do today to help the organization, and what can I learn today to be a better version of myself tomorrow?” That is a winning trait not only in Steven, but also in some of our trainers and other leaders throughout the company.”

Tim Herrin’s development since the start of the season.

• “Tim finally realizes how good he can be. There was a time when others may have believed in Tim’s potential, and it may have taken a while for Tim to get to that point and realize what he was capable of. We’ve seen that confidence translate into the way he’s handled some really big, high-leverage situations for us, and now he’s taking the mound not hoping to succeed, but expecting that he will succeed.”

About José Ramírez, who is underestimated from a national perspective.

• “Some of the things he does are hard to appreciate because you can look up and look at the stat line and see what he brings, and that in itself is extraordinarily impressive.” But those of us around around him, seeing how he approaches the game, the effort and energy he shows on every pitch throughout the season, the conversations he has in the dugout, how he helps his teammates get better, the leader he is is in the clubhouse. Some of those things that are harder to watch, I think, continue to help differentiate Jose and perhaps underestimate the impact he has on us as an organization and on our major league team.”

José Ramírez has surprised in different ways this season.

• “It’s hard to say you’re surprised by everything José does. Every year you look, he puts up huge numbers in many different areas, and one of his standout qualities is that he impacts the game in so many ways. He’s not a one-dimensional player. He contributes at such a high level offensively and defensively on the bases. He is truly a special player and a special teammate and we are so lucky to have him.

On the level of concern surrounding the bullpen in March versus how it is a strength of the team now.

• “Our goal is to always build a good bullpen, but the way this group comes together has, in many ways, been one of the best bullpens of the last 25 or 30 years. While I’d love to sit here and say, “Yeah, we’re going to build a bullpen this good every year,” I’m just not sure how realistic that is. And it would affect the special nature of this group and their consistency and reliability over the course of the season.”

On Tanner Bibee’s growth since the start of the season.

• “It was a great year of development for Tanner. We’ve seen it in the past where guys can come in and have a really good first year and then their path either goes wrong or they go backwards. What we have seen with Tanner is that he has continued to progress as a major league pitcher. Part of that has now become the burden of managing a pitching staff. ”

On Austin Hedges’ impact on the clubhouse and his season.

• “The word that comes to mind is ‘unique’. There may be other players like him, but the energy, the intensity and the enthusiasm that he shows when he shows up to the park every day, I can’t think of another player who has this all the time demonstrated a level of consistency. And every day he shows up, it seems to be the best day. He’s determined to make the day the best he’s ever had and that infectious energy rubs off on other players.”
• “He has a unique ability to connect with people across the company. You see him every day, he’s in Vogter’s office, he’s talking to the coaches, he’s hanging out in different areas of the clubhouse, he’s having lunch with someone else and he’s just a great, unifying presence in our clubhouse. He had a huge impact on our team.”

On Hunter Gaddis’ transition from starter to backup.

• “He made the decision last offseason to spend the majority of his time at Goodyear and really put in a lot of work to make sure this was a successful season for him. Hunter put in a lot of work last offseason to prepare for this opportunity and we are seeing the benefit of that work. He came into spring training determined to earn a spot on the major league team and make the most of it, and he did that and more.”

On Cade Smith’s emergence in the bullpen.

• “Since joining the organization, he has been one of those players who leads by example when it comes to how to work and prepare. He has really high standards for himself and works every day to meet those standards. A great spring earned him a spot on the team in spring training. He made a pretty good first impression and hasn’t looked back. But the defining feature of his season was simply how consistent he was, and he doesn’t seem to be fazed by the situation. He comes out ready to pitch. Whether that’s in the fourth inning or the ninth inning or extra inning, he eliminates them with the same intensity.”

On Joey Cantillo’s development since joining the organization in the Mike Clevinger area.

• “We thought if we integrated him into our development system we could work with him to further improve the quality of his stuff and help him fine-tune his repertoire. Joey has done a really good job of building on that foundation. He’s shown that when he’s healthy, he’s capable of being a really good pitcher. We’ve seen that play out at the major league level over the last month or two.”

About whether he would rather face the Tigers or the Astros in the ALDS.

• “I just hope this series lasts as long as possible and they play 38 innings on Thursday. We are prepared for both.”

About the importance of the bye in the first round.

• “It’s helpful. Mathematically there is no chance of us being eliminated in the wildcard round, so that’s a good thing. It gives us an opportunity to let our guys come in rested and ready to go. We’ve tried this week to be really intentional about the environments we create to keep our guys ready for Saturday’s competition.”
• “We knew who the potential opponents could be, not just in the first round but throughout the entire postseason, and we prepared for them. Much of this work has already been done and we continue to do so.”