The calendar is ready to flip to 2024, and even though the Captains haven’t played baseball for the last three months, they are still making headlines in what has been a banner year. Earlier this month, the Guardians’ High-A Midwest League affiliate announced a brand refresh complete with new uniforms and a re-imagined logo with nods to Cleveland’s past. They now get to cap off a storybook season by being named Baseball America’s Minor League team of the year after having a roster with notable names and draft picks as well as performers, leading to some of the best numbers in the league. Lake County had a plus-125 run differential in the season and led its circuit in runs scored and allowed the least amount of runs in the league to go with it. The season even included a brief rehab cameo appearance from Guardians All-Star outfielder Steven Kwan. The Captains earned a spot in the playoffs by winning the first-half division title on the backs of recent picks such as Parker Messick and Austin Peterson (2022, and second in all of minor league baseball in innings pitched), Cooper Ingle (the MVP of the Midwest League in 2024) and CJ Kayfus (2023). That core earned promotions to play the second half in Double-A Akron. As that group of talent moved through the organization, the Guardians were able to replenish the Captains with breakout performers such as Matt “Tugboat” Wilkinson (second in all of minor-league baseball in strikeouts), INF Angel Genoa, 2023 first-round pick Ralphy Velazquez and added the organization’s top prospect and No. 1 overall pick, Travis Bazzana, for the stretch run of the season, as well as Comp A pick, C Jacob Cozart. They were supposed to even have outfield prospect Jaison Chourio for the playoffs before he broke his wrist in his final series in Single-A. Due to the nature of the minor leagues, teams that clinch playoff spots from the first half end up going into the postseason with a far different team than the group that celebrated first-half success. The Captains were no different, but were just as, if not more talented, in the second half. Yet they had to overcome a late deficit in the first game at Dayton before winning that game and series (a comeback keyed by Velazquez and Cozart) and then had to win two in a row to come back to beat a talent-heavy Wisconsin Timber Rattlers (Brewers) club to claim their second Midwest League championship, culminating what was a very impressive season wire-to-wire. The group proved to be close in addition to talented, as several members of the first-half team made the trip back up from Akron to watch some of their teammates in the playoffs. Winning BA’s Minor League team of the year also comes on the heels of Captains General Manager Jen Yorko becoming the first female winner of the GM of the year award, giving the franchise plenty of hardware and headlines in 2024 to hang on the walls at Classic Auto Group Park.