Jose Ramirez Isn’t Just Great – He’s a Franchise Icon Hiding in Plain Sight
Let’s talk about Jose Ramirez – not just as a player, but as a phenomenon that somehow still flies under the radar in the broader conversation about baseball’s elite. At this point, calling him “underrated” doesn’t quite hit the mark.
Everyone in the game knows how good he is. The better word?
*Underappreciated. *
Year after year, Ramirez delivers. He’s the heartbeat of the Cleveland Guardians – a switch-hitting spark plug who combines power, speed, and leadership in a way few others can.
He’s not just a good player on a small-market team. He’s a perennial MVP candidate with a resume that quietly stacks up among the best of his generation.
Insider Ken Rosenthal recently put it best: Ramirez isn’t flying under the radar anymore, but we still might not be giving him the credit he deserves. Consider this – six top-five MVP finishes.
Six. That’s not a fluke, that’s sustained excellence.
And while he’s yet to win the award, his consistent presence in the conversation says everything about his value.
Here’s where it gets historic: No third baseman in MLB history has ever reached both 300 home runs and 300 stolen bases in their career. Ramirez is on pace to do just that.
That’s not just rare company – that’s uncharted territory. And it’s the kind of stat line that puts you on a Hall of Fame trajectory.
But beyond the numbers, what makes Ramirez special is the way he carries this Guardians team. He’s not surrounded by star power.
He doesn’t play in a major media market. But he shows up, every single season, and finds ways to win games.
This past year, at 33 years old, he didn’t just contribute – he led. In a season where the Guardians lacked consistent offensive production, Ramirez was the engine that powered a playoff push and a division-winning comeback that defied expectations.
He didn’t win MVP, but you could argue no player meant more to their team. He was the glue, the firestarter, the guy who showed up in big moments and made everyone around him better.
And yet, outside of Cleveland, his name rarely gets mentioned in the same breath as the game’s flashier stars. Maybe it’s market size.
Maybe it’s his quiet demeanor. But whatever the reason, it’s time we start talking about Jose Ramirez not just as one of the best third basemen in baseball – but as one of the best players of this era.
Period.
There’s a real chance that, when it’s all said and done, Ramirez will go down as the greatest player in Guardians franchise history. He’s already climbing the leaderboard in just about every major statistical category. And with no signs of slowing down, he’s got time to cement that legacy even further.
So here’s the bottom line: Jose Ramirez is still doing Jose Ramirez things – hitting, running, leading, winning. And while he’s not hanging it up anytime soon, fans would be wise to soak it in now.
Because players like this don’t come around often. And when they do, they deserve to be fully appreciated – not just by the city they play for, but by the entire baseball world.
