Logan Allen embodies best of Guardians’ homegrown model
CLEVELAND (BVM) — The contemporary narrative of Major League Baseball is directed by two philosophies of organizational management: one of lucrative spending by teams located in larger markets, and the other through an emphasis on farm system development by the ball clubs with less of a propensity and/or leisure to pull out the checkbook.
Familiar to baseball movie-watchers is the opening scene of the Michael Lewis-inspired film “Moneyball.” In dramatic white stadium board font with an imposing black backdrop, the payrolls of the Oakland Athletics and the New York Yankees are juxtaposed to illustrate the dichotomy in spending within the business that is Major League Baseball. For as long as markets dictate the capacity for teams to spend, there will be an ever-present tension between the high rollers and the penny pinchers in organized baseball.
As stark of a division present between the two, teams on the bottom of the payroll barrel have adapted to find conservative organizational models to overcome disparities in budgets with striking consistency from the inside: player development in the minor leagues.
Arguably the most successful of the smaller market ball clubs that are homegrown — specifically regarding accumulative MLB wins — is the Cleveland Guardians. This newly-named, and markedly consistent organization is the prototype for the aforementioned economical model, one with a strong emphasis on its pitching development. Cleveland’s current major-league five-man rotation includes four players it drafted and developed in the minor leagues — a rarity in a game that is now dominated by blockbuster trades and luxurious free-agent contracts.
As has become custom for Cleveland, the Guardians boast a stable chock full of future stars in its minor league system. The most impressive staff in its system, arguably, is the group of flamethrowers who toe the rubber for the team’s Double-A affiliate, the Akron RubberDucks. One of its brightest arms is lefthander Logan Allen.
After three stellar years as a pitcher and position player at Florida International University, Allen was drafted in the second round by the Guardians. Since he has begun his professional career as a minor leaguer in Cleveland’s system, the lefthander has not disappointed, posting a career 2.84 earned run average in 158.2 innings pitched with a mind-boggling 4.95 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Current RubberDucks pitching coach Owen Dew articulated what makes his pitches so effective.
“Logan has some unique release characteristics that allow his fastball to perform well at the top of the zone,” Dew said. “His changeup has very low spin and he’s able to create quite a bit of depth on it. With the addition of his cutter, he’s been able to get more weak contact this year.”
But his physical ability is not the only factor that sets him apart. According to Dew, Allen’s imperturbable makeup has shown to be as much of a hallmark of his identity as a pitcher as his pitch arsenal has.
“Besides the overall quality of his pitches, what separates him from the rest of his peers is his ability to remain calm under any circumstance,” Dew said. “He has the ability to stay in the moment and make sure each pitch is executed regardless of the count, or score of the game.”
When the southpaw toes the rubber, his tranquility, up-tempo cadence, and confidence are evident to all who spectate. Allen’s understanding of the leverage a pitcher has on the game helps contribute to his composure.
“We are always in control as pitchers because the game has to filter through us every single play, and nothing happens until we go,” Allen said. “No matter the situation, I’m in the driver’s seat.”
As the particularly sharp-turning performance-based vicissitudes of baseball make their course, wisdom bestowed upon him from his father at a young age has helped Allen to stay grounded and to have perspective through the failure so naturally embedded in the game of baseball.
“My pops always would say on days where I’d do poorly or we would lose and I would be upset at a younger age, ‘Sun’s still gonna come up tomorrow and I am still gonna have to go work,'” Allen said.
His father’s axiom is certainly true, the rising sun is destined to ascend each day. In parallel, Cleveland’s organization and fanbase alike also cannot help but hopefully gaze upon the luminous horizon of the future of Guardians baseball as Allen continues to make his case to be Cleveland’s next shining star.
Composed, and consistent, with tact and perspective, Allen continues to make significant strides in the direction illuminating Cleveland’s future, poised to join the likes of 2022 rookies (and former RubberDucks) Steven Kwan, Richie Polacios, and Oscar Gonzalez.
