The American League has been dominated by two incredible players this year: New York Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge and Kansas City Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr.
The former is seen as the favorite for the AL MVP award, but the latter has a very strong case, too.
There are other MVP-caliber players in the junior circuit, but according to someone who covers the Cleveland Guardians, third baseman and All-Star Jose Ramirez should be in that top three when everything is said and done.
“@CleGuardians Jose Ramirez: 315 total bases, 53 walks, 40 steals, 109 runs, 112 RBI. If he doesn’t finish Top 3 in AL MVP voting, there’s a serious problem,” Guardians insider and former pitcher Jensen Lewis posted on X.
.@CleGuardians Jose Ramirez:
315 total bases, 53 walks, 40 steals, 109 runs, 112 RBIIf he doesn’t finish Top 3 in AL MVP voting, there’s a serious problem https://t.co/8nRWr8459K
— Jensen Lewis (@JLEWFifty) September 24, 2024
Lewis quoted a post by Codify baseball in which they went through the stats of the three biggest stars of the 2024 campaign: Judge, Witt, and Shohei Ohtani of the National League.
It was his way of saying ‘hey, this guy isn’t far from this tier’.
Even though Ramirez might not be in the same stratosphere than those three names, he is certainly not far behind.
J-Ram is three homers shy of achieving a rare 40-40 season, has surpassed 100 runs and RBI, plays good defense at the hot corner and is the Guardians’ silent leader.
Juan Soto, Gunnar Henderson, Tarik Skubal and his own teammate Emmanuel Clase have all been magnificent, but Ramirez has been the most valuable player in the American League not named Judge or Witt.
The hope is that voters eventually reward his MVP-caliber season with a top-three finish like he deserves.
NEXT: Guardians Star Has A Chance To Achieve The 'Quietest 40-40 Season Ever'
