CLEVELAND — Jose Ramirez still might be the most underrated player in baseball. But October is his best chance to change that narrative.
Ramirez, the Guardians' do-it-all superstar , six-time-All-Star, perennial-MVP-candidate, helmet-losing third baseman who struts around the clubhouse like he couldn't be any less bothered whether he's recognized as one of the best players in the game will lead Cleveland 's lineup in the American League Division Series against the Detroit Tigers . Saturday's Game 1 is set for a first pitch of 1:08 p.m.
It's entirely possible that Ramirez is more valuable to his own lineup than any other position player in baseball . He just put together a 39-homer, 39-double, 41-steal season , the likes of which have only been duplicated one time in baseball history ( Alfonso Soriano in 2006). And had the Guardians' 162nd game not be rained out , it's entirely possible Ramirez could have put together a 40/40 or even a 40/40/40 season.
As far as the Guardians are concerned, though, he got it anyway. Ramirez had three instances of having a home run robbed by opposing outfielders this season.
"Unfortunately, Josey didn't get to have one more shot at it, but to be the second person in the history of baseball to do what he did this year, still a pretty cool feat," said manager Stephen Vogt . "You think about all the close calls that he had and the times he was robbed, and it's still a remarkable season."
Ramirez said this week he's already pretty much forgotten about the 40/40/40 chase, saying his focus was all on the postseason now. He had a similar sentiment when speaking with Vogt.
"[Jose was like], 'Hey, I'll do it next year,'" Vogt said when asked about their conversation. "What a pro he is. … That's who he is. He wants to win."
Ramirez is undoubtedly headed toward yet another top-10 finish in AL MVP voting , which would be his seventh top-10 finish in the last eight years. And if he ends up in the top five, it'd be his fifth top-five finish in that time. Nearly every year since he became a regular in the Guardians lineup, he's been one of the top players in the game, making him not only one of the game's most productive hitters, but arguably its most consistent.
"One of my favorite parts of this job is watching him every single day be the same person, playing the same game the right way, going about his business," Vogt said. "Play the game the right way and your numbers will be there at the end of the year — he's the epitome and example of that, and it's so great that our young players get to watch."
Since the beginning of the 2017 season, Ramirez's 44.7 fWAR is fourth in baseball , behind only Aaron Judge , Mookie Betts and Francisco Lindor . And nobody has more extra-base hits during that time.
The Guardians ran out of different ways to describe what Ramirez means to the team a long time ago.
"Some of the things he does are difficult to fully appreciate because you can look up and look at the stat line and see what he brings, and that in and of itself is extraordinarily impressive," said president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti. "But those of us that are around him, you get a great visibility to see how he approaches the game, the type of effort and energy he has throughout every pitch of the entire season, the conversations he has in the dugout, the way he's helping his teammates get better, the leader he is in the clubhouse.
"Some of these things that are more difficult to observe I think continue to help differentiate Jose and may even understate the impact he has on us as an organization."
And to the Guardians, it isn't just what Ramirez does when he's there — it's that he's always there, ready to go. He almost dares Vogt to take him out of the lineup.
Ramirez has played in at least 95 percent of the Guardians games in every season except for one since 2016. He's played at least 152 games in each of the last four years. He never — ever — sits out of a game without at least a little bit of a fight. It's one of the things the Guardians appreciate the most about him. When the Guardians do want to give him a day of rest, they know they're in for a battle, albeit a respectful one.
"Oh, Jose's extraordinarily tough," Antonetti said. "Do you guys remember [in 2022] when he probably should have had surgery on his hand and doctors were saying most guys would've had surgery? And Jose said, 'No, I'm not only not going to have surgery [until after the season], put me in the lineup tomorrow.' That's just who he is."
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jose Ramirez leads Guardians ALDS lineup in MLB playoffs
