Nobody Means More To Their Team Than The Cleveland Guardians’ Jose Ramirez

It’s been 73 years since the Most Valuable Player in the American League played for Cleveland. The last to do it was Lou Boudreau in 1948. The next to do it could be Jose Ramirez in 2022.

The 29-year-old Cleveland Guardians third baseman who cares more about baseball than money – he settled for at least $100 million less than he could have gotten as a free agent, when he agreed to a seven-year, $141 million contract extension with Cleveland at the start of this season – is almost single-handedly keeping the Guardians relevant in the AL Central.

At the start of play Monday, the second-place Guardians were actually tied with first-place Minnesota in the loss column, but the Twins held a three-game lead over Cleveland because of numerous rainouts. The Guardians had played six fewer games than Minnesota.

Ramirez has played in all 56 of Cleveland’s games, and he’s left the earned run averages of numerous American League pitchers in shambles. He’s almost impossible to strikeout – at one point last week he had more home runs than strikeouts – he’s a speedy and daring base-runner, with impeccable instincts for the game, a switch-hitter, with power from both sides of the plate.

Ramirez has an offensive win percentage of .819. Win percentage is defined as the percentage of games a team with nine of this player batting would win. Through their first 56 games this year the Guardians have a record of 29-27.

However, if computed by Ramirez’s .819 offensive win percentage (nine Ramirezes in the lineup), the team’s record would be 46-10.

He’s always been one of the Guardians’ most popular players among Cleveland fans, but this year he and they have taken it to a new level. The clincher came when Ramirez, halting a parade of stars who left Cleveland through trade or free agency because the Guardians couldn’t afford them, granted Cleveland a whopping hometown discount on his contract extension, based solely on the fact that Ramirez loves playing in Cleveland, where he is comfortable, and has no desire to leave.

Ramirez’s teammates are virtually in awe of him.

“He’s the most important player in baseball,” said Guardians pitcher Cal Quantrill. “There’s a lot of great players, but he makes the biggest difference on any given team in baseball. He helps manufacture, it feels like, 75 percent of our runs. He plays an above average defense. He’s present in every single game in the dugout. I think he helps other hitters. It would be hard to cover everything that he’s doing well this year, quite honestly.”

What makes Ramirez universally admired is his durability, productivity, and the sheer joy with which he plays the game. Not to mention that he’s the biggest bargain in baseball.

“He’s under-paid, he’s under-valued, and he’s probably going to continue to be like that because he doesn’t crave the limelight,” Quantrill said.

On a team that at times can be offensively challenged – the Guardrails have the youngest roster in the major leagues – Ramirez repeatedly rises to the moment when his young teammates need him the most.

The American League Most Valuable Player competition already feels like a two-man race between Ramirez and Yankees slugger Aaron Judge. Judge leads Ramirez in most of the power categories, but in big moments, Ramirez is a pitcher’s nightmare.

With runners in scoring position, Judge has a .286 batting average, .409 on-base percentage, .510 slugging percentage and .919 OPS. Judge usually hits second in New York’s lineup, but he isn’t getting much protection from the Yankees’ No. 3 hitters, who have slashed a combined .211/.297/473, with a .770 OPS.

Ramirez with runners in scoring position has been almost unstoppable, hitting .353, with a .500 on-base percentage, .863 slugging percentage, and 1.363 OPS. Ramirez hits third in Cleveland’s lineup, where his protection has been virtually non-existent. The No. 4 hitters in the Guardians’ lineup have hit a combined .187/.238/.293, with a .531 OPS.

Not surprisingly, Ramirez and Judge are tied for the American League lead with five intentional walks.

There may be other MVP candidates that emerge as the season progresses, but it’s doubtful that Ramirez or Judge, barring injury, will remove themselves from the competition.

However, Ramirez’s importance to Cleveland’s lineup, as pointed out by Quantrill, cannot be overstated. His 59 RBI are 27 more than any other Guardians player. His 61 hits are eight more than any other teammate. His 16 home runs are nine more than any other teammate. His 134 total bases are 53 more than any other Guardians hitter, and Ramirez’s wRC+ is 42 points higher than any other Cleveland player (minimum 20 games played).

Jose Ramirez is not a one-man gang for the Cleveland Guardians.

But on some days, it feels like it.