Former Padres draft pick is Guardians' 'best-kept secret' after Emmanuel Clase scandal

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Former Padres draft pick is Guardians' 'best-kept secret' after Emmanuel Clase scandal originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

It's been an amazing start to the season for a former San Diego Padres 14th-round draft pick.

Now a member of the Cleveland Guardians, the left-hander is not well known by casual baseball fans. He is a valuable and underrated weapon for manager Stephen Vogt, who also has one of the best closers in the American League at his disposal, Cade Smith.

Bleacher Report's Tim Kelly believes that Erik Sabrowski is the Guardians' "best-kept secret" for the 2026 season. However, with no earned runs and no hits allowed through 4.1 innings, Sabrowski's talent may not be a secret for much longer.

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"Quietly, Erik Sabrowski turned in a 1.84 ERA across 33 MLB appearances a year ago, helping the Guardians to overcome the midseason loss of Emmanuel Clase and still win the AL Central," Kelly wrote Saturday. "The 28-year-old lefty hasn't allowed a run over his first four appearances of 2026, and is set to be a major part of a bullpen headlined by Cade Smith and Shawn Armstrong."

Through four outings, opponents have an expected batting average of 0.79 against Sabrowski. While that may be hard to maintain, his four-seam fastball is one of the best pitches in Cleveland's bullpen.

Sabrowski has a 68% usage rate thus far, and batters hit just .100 against the pitch in 2025. A similar performance in 2026 could earn him his first All-Star selection.

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