Guardians lost to Rays in ALCS, but 1 player proved he’s destined to become a star

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Oct 20, 2026 - 13:00

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Guardians lost to Rays in ALCS, but 1 player proved he’s destined to become a star appeared first on ClutchPoints. Add ClutchPoints as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

Cleveland Guardians fans changing the words to John Denver’s Take Me Home Country Roads and singing “Chase DeLauter, hit a homer” at Progressive Field may end up being one of the more nostalgic memories of the 2026 postseason in the future. It seemed like it was going to be the soundtrack that would guide this Guardians team to the World Series. Instead, Cleveland fell short in the American League Championship Series, losing 7-3 in Game 6 to the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. It was a disappointing way to end the series, but Chase DeLauter — who is responsible for the aforementioned walk-up song — proved he’s going to become a star someday this postseason.

The #Guardians were defeated in the ALCS last night. Obviously a lot of frustration for fans of the team. The good news is that Cleveland has a future star in Chase DeLauter.
He quietly had a strong rookie season and continued to swing the bat well in the postseason.
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Just a… pic.twitter.com/H40jawzREU
— Joey Mistretta (@JoeyMistretta_) October 20, 2026

DeLauter quietly had a big rookie season. While the Detroit Tigers’ Kevin McGonigle, the Chicago White Sox’s Munetaka Murakami and DeLauter’s Guardians teammate Parker Messick received most of the headlines for American League rookies, DeLauter performed well despite not receiving as much attention. He hit .287/.363/.457 to go along with 16 home runs, 30 doubles, three triples and an .820 OPS.

DeLauter faced the pressure of hitting third in the batting order as well. He played a crucial role in giving Jose Ramirez protection while batting behind him in the lineup, which is something that became a storyline in the postseason. Both Ramirez and DeLauter had big playoff performances, as they anchored Cleveland’s lineup.

In the MLB playoffs, DeLauter recorded a .310/.396/.452 slash line across 11 games. He added one home run, three doubles and six RBI.

He’s simply a good all-around hitter. DeLauter features legitimate power from the left side of the plate, but he also isn’t a guy who is going to trade batting average for a few more long balls. He can hit the ball all over the field and has been someone who is capable of coming through in the big moments.

The Guardians have a future star in Chase DeLauter. Everyone talks about Cleveland’s pitching, but the lineup has intriguing core pieces. Of course, Ramirez leads the way. If Steven Kwan is not traded then he will play a big role once again next year. DeLauter, Travis Bazzana and Brayan Rocchio are set to make impacts for years to come as well.