Emmanuel Clase

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Emmanuel Clase

  • Bats Right, Throws Right
  • Height 6' 2", Weight 206 lb.

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Biographical Information[edit]

Pitcher Emmanuel Clase was signed by the San Diego Padres on January 26, 2015, and made his debut with the DSL Padres that year, going 2-1, 1.99 in 13 games. He moved to the United States in 2016, pitching for the AZL Padres, then, in 2017, split his time between the AZL Padres 2 and Tri-City Dust Devils of the Northwest League, going a combined 2-5, 6.00 in 10 games. On May 7, 2018, he was traded to the Texas Rangers as player to be named later in a deal back in April in which the Padres had acquired utility catcher Brett Nicholas from the Rangers. He was still very raw but had a solid season as a reliever with the Spokane Indians that summer, still in the NWL, going 1-1, 0.64 with 12 saves in 22 appearances.

Clase made a meteoric rise through the Rangers' system in 2019. He started the year in Advanced Class A, with the Down East Wood Ducks of the Carolina League where he did not allow a run in 7 innings over 6 games. Before the end of April, he was in the Texas League, with the Frisco RoughRiders, and continued to pitch well, going 1-2, 3.35 in 33 games, notching 11 saves and striking out 39 batters in 37 2/3 innings. On August 4th, he made his major league debut with the Rangers and pitched well in 21 games, going 2-3, 2.31 with a save; he struck out 21 batters and walked just 6 in 23 1/3 innings.

On December 15, 2019, he was the key player acquired by the Cleveland Indians in a trade for two-time Cy Young Award winner Corey Kluber (the other player involved was outfielder Delino DeShields Jr.). Before he could make his debut, being delayed by the shutdown imposed by the coronavirus pandemic, he was issued an 80-game suspension for testing positive for a PED on May 1, 2020. The drug in question was Boldenone, an anabolic steroid. He missed the entire season, but when he returned in 2021, he was excellent, going 4-5, 1.29 with 24 saves and 74 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings. he was named to the 2021 Topps All-Star Rookie Team. In 2022, with the re-named Cleveland Guardians, he put up similar numbers, but as he was the team's closer from the start of the season, he recorded 42 saves, which led the major leagues. He went 3-4, 1.36 and struck out 77 batters in 72 2/3 innings. He also played in the postseason for the first time, saving one of two Cleveland wins over the Tampa Bay Rays in the Wild Card Series, and picking up a win over the New York Yankees even though the Guardians lost the Division Series in five games. He did not allow a run on just one hit in six postseason innings. After the season, he was named the winner of the Mariano Rivera Award as the best relief pitcher in the American League.

Notable Achievements[edit]

Further Reading[edit]

  • David Adler: "This relief ace throws the hardest cutter ever", mlb.com, June 20, 2021. [1]
  • Paul Casella: "Díaz, Clase named 2022 Relievers of the Year", mlb.com, December 6, 2022. [2]

Related Sites[edit]

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