Commentary: The 'Cleveland Five' make it to the World Series ... but not as Guardians

So Ernie Clement is going to the World Series. Andres Gimenez is going to the World Series. Myles Straw is going to the World Series. Nick Sandlin is going to the World Series. And Shane Bieber is going to the World Series. That is five ex-Guardians who are going to the World Series as members of the American League champion Toronto Blue Jays. They all used to be members of the Cleveland Guardians. They aren't anymore. That's how it works in baseball sometimes. The rich get richer, and then the richer get richer again. But there always seems to be a snag somewhere. Oh, wait! Here it is: Despite all the above, Jose Ramirez is NOT going to the World Series. Neither is Steven Kwan, Gavin Williams (12 wins), Cade Smith (16 saves, 2.93 ERA), Jacob Junis (4-1, with a 2.97 ERA) or Tanner Bibee (12 wins,162 strikeouts). The entire Toronto Blue Jays organization is going to the World Series, including numerous front office personnel, many of whom started their careers in the Cleveland organization. The Naylor brothers, Josh and Bo, will not be going to the World Series. Neither will Carlos Santana, Daniel Schneemann, Gabriel Arias, Angel Martinez, Kyle Manzardo, David Fry, Brayan Rocchio, Nolan Jones, Slade Cecconi, Logan Allen, Joey Cantillo or Austin Hedges. Just to name a few. Going to the World Series is a privilege, not a right. Just ask those members of Cleveland's American League team that has been this close to going to the World Series since coming even closer than that from winning the World Series. Mike Hargrove had one of the great quotes about a near miss. Cleveland lost Game 7 of the World Series in 1997, in extra innings, which prompted a reporter to ask the following spring how long it took Hargrove to get over that gut-wrenching loss to the Florida Marlins. "I'll let you know when it happens," the manager said. That reporter is still waiting. Or ask Ernie Clement, Andres Gimenez, Myles Straw, Nick Sandlin, or former Cy Young Award winner Shane Bieber, each of whom are former Guardians who are members of the Blue Jays. The former Cleveland Five may, or may not, get into one or more of the games in this year's World Series between the Blue Jays and Dodgers. Some of the former Guardians may even play a part in the potential seven-game series that this year's World Series might become. Either way, the former Cleveland Five will have reached the World Series. Reaching the World Series and/or playing in the World Series is a privilege, not a right. There is a lot that goes into it, on both sides of the continuum. Some of it is luck, some of it is sheer performance. Clement, Gimenez, Straw, and Sandlin all arrived as former Guardians just as the Blue Jays climbed to the top of the hill in the American League race. Clement was drafted by the Guardians out of the University of Virginia in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. Gimenez came to Cleveland as part of the Francisco Lindor trade. Then the Guardians acquired Straw in a trade with Houston. They became pivotal players just as Cleveland was starting to build a winning team. As the winning escalated, the Guardians continued to tinker with the roster, shaping it into one of the best all-around in the American League. Cleveland drafted Sandlin in the second round in 2018, out of the University of Southern Mississippi, and in four years with Cleveland he was 19-8 with a 3.27 ERA. The Guardians have always done well in procuring pitchers, particularly college relievers. But the biggest piece of the puzzle arrived in 2016, when Cleveland selected a pitcher in the fourth round out of UC Santa Barbara. Three years later Bieber was pitching in the All-Star Game, where he earned the Most Valuable Player Award. His career took off after that, and although he had some setbacks with his arm, his career continued to blossom. It is still blossoming, and who knows? By the end of this year's World Series, Bieber may be a star again. The irony, of course, is that Bieber and the Blue Jays are just four victories from winning the World Series — for Toronto, not Cleveland. Who knows? Some pitchers just have a knack for pitching their best when the lights are at their brightest. That's the case now, and with some friendly fielders behind him, Bieber could be on the precipice of his biggest game ever. Contact Jim at jingraham4@gmail.com. Follow him @Jim_Ingraham on X.