Guardians’ Will Dion Pitches His Way Into MLB Picture
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The Guardians’ pitching factory never seems to have a bad year.
There always seems to be another prospect in the pipeline waiting for a callup to Cleveland. This season, rookies Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan T. Allen all got the call and combined for nearly 350 innings.
Every season there seems to be another arm, or two, or three, waiting in the wings. A candidate for that role next year could be lefthander Will Dion.
The 23-year-old has quietly pitched his way into the pitching picture, following an impressive 2023 showing at High-A Lake County and Double-A Akron.
In a combined 116.2 innings, Dion recorded a 2.39 ERA with nearly 100 more strikeouts (129) than walks (35). He held opposing hitters to a .216 average.
He did so by commanding a four-pitch mix that includes a still-under-construction 91 mph fastball, augmented by a curveball, slider and changeup.
“He has worked really hard to lock in his delivery, with the hope of continuing to add velocity,” Guardians assistant general manager James Harris said.
“He can throw all of his pitches for strikes in any count and has missed bats at an impressive rate.”
The Guardians drafted Dion in the ninth round in 2021 out of McNeese State. He had little trouble adapting to professional ball. His ability to command and sequence his pitches has helped him log a 2.14 ERA over 257 pro innings.
Dion is one of nine minor league pitchers to throw at least 200 innings since 2021 while striking out at least 30% of batters and walking 10% or fewer.
Dion is not yet a finished product, but he’s getting there.
“He is looking to get stronger in the offseason,” Harris said, “and he continues to work on his delivery, which should benefit his entire arsenal.”
