Guardians Analyst Downplays Recent Jose Ramirez Defensive Skid

Cleveland Guardians’ star Jose Ramirez is firing on all cylinders offensively, but his defense has been a problem so far in the first nine games.

Heading into Monday, J-Ram led MLB with four errors: three fielding and one throwing.

He has been uncharacteristically erratic with the glove, which is odd because he was among the Gold Glove Award finalists at the hot corner last year.

Are his days as a top fielder over? Is he now a liability with a glove in his hand?

Let’s stop for a minute, and analyze the entire situation.

Ramirez is still 32; he is producing at the plate as he usually does or even more and remains athletic and speedy.

Yes, he eventually stands to lose some reflexes and quickness, but the chances he is suddenly a disaster on the field are slim to none.

That’s what Guardians analyst Justin Lada believes.

“I think Jose Ramirez’s defense is fine. He had nine errors in all of 2024. He was one of the best defenders in the league and probably should have won a Gold Glove (…) Father Time comes for us all and it will eventually come for Ramirez, (but) I don’t think Father Time has just smacked him in the face defensively where the Monstars came out and gave him a ball and sapped his defensive skills away from him. I don’t think it’s going to continue at this pace. So I don’t think overnight Ramirez’s defense has just evaporated. It’ll be fine,” he said.

With four errors to start the year, should we be concerned about Jose Ramirez's defense? pic.twitter.com/waw239XDyI

— Locked On Guardians (@LockedGuardians) April 7, 2025

Ramirez remains an elite athlete.

You just need to watch him play to know that’s the case.

There is, again, a chance his defense peaked last year.

The odds of him being a true liability out there, however, are long.

Over the long haul, we will likely look back at this rough patch as a mere anecdote.