CLEVELAND — While the Cleveland Guardians were eliminated by the New York Yankees in the American League Divisional Round, the franchise won't leave the 2022 season without any hardware. On Tuesday, MLB announced that Guardians President of Baseball Operations Chris Antonetti has named the 2022 MLB Executive of the Year.
Antonetti's latest honor — he was previously named the 2022 Executive of the Year by Sporting News — comes as the result of voting among MLB's 30 teams, which was conducted prior to the start of the postseason. The 48-year-old Antonetti was previously named the Sporting News' Executive of the Year in 2017 and Baseball America's Executive of the Year in 2016.
Forecasted by most prognosticators and betting odds to finish no higher than third in the American League Central Division at the start of the season, Cleveland finished the year as one of baseball's most pleasant surprises. Despite laying claim to the youngest roster in baseball, the Guardians finished the season with a 92-70 record, winning the A.L. Central Division by 11 games.
Deft drafting and savvy trades helped shape Cleveland's roster and allowed the Guardians to compete while laying claim to the third-lowest payroll in baseball, via Spotrac. Rookies Steven Kwan and Oscar Gonzalez each proved pivotal as everyday players for the Guardians, while second baseman Andres Gimenez and closing pitcher Emmanuel Clase — who were each acquired in trades — earned the first All-Star Game appearances of their careers.
Meanwhile, third baseman Jose Ramirez earned his fourth career All-Star appearance. Prior to the start of the season, Antonetti and the Guardians inked the three-time Silver Slugger to a franchise record five-year, $124 million contract extension.
Antonetti began his career in Cleveland's front office in 1999 and was promoted to the role of general manager in 2010. In 2015, he assumed the role of President of Baseball Operations after Mark Shapiro departed the franchise for the Toronto Blue Jays.