Last season, Cleveland Guardians star Jose Ramirez came close to joining an exclusive club in MLB history.
He needed just one home run to do something that only Jose Canseco, Barry Bonds, Alfonso Soriano, Alex Rodriguez, Ronald Acuna Jr. and Shohei Ohtani have done: Hit at least 40 home runs and steal at least 40 bases in the same season.
Ramirez finished with 39 home runs and 41 steals, which makes that last canceled game much more painful than it should have been.
Asked about Ramirez’s chances of getting into the club this season, insider Mandy Bell expressed full confidence in his chances.
“Can Jose Ramirez achieve 40/40 in 2025? ‘It’s hard to ever doubt him,’ says Mandy Bell,” Foul Territory wrote on X.
Can José Ramírez achieve 40/40 in 2025?
"It's hard to ever doubt him," says @MandyBell02. pic.twitter.com/NJxAdKsCjv
— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) January 23, 2025
As the analysts point out, lineup protection from Carlos Santana will be an important factor.
In the end, however, Ramirez’s own fight against decline will probably dictate the fate of his pursuit.
Though, at 32 years old, he is coming off one of his finest seasons.
He scored 114 runs with 39 doubles, 118 RBIs and an .872 OPS in 2024, in addition to the homers and stolen bases.
He may be still in his prime but could be nearing a decline relatively soon.
But if he can stay healthy this season, expect Ramirez to at least flirt with the 40/40 mark again.
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