Cleveland Guardians All-Star Jose Ramirez already has a place among the very best players in franchise history.
The Guardians have had some incredibly talented performers through the years, and J-Ram is comfortably in that group.
Top three? Top five? Top 10? Top 20? We don’t know, and it’s entirely subjective, but he is right up there and has been the best and most consistent performer in recent history of the Cleveland baseball team.
His offensive excellence in 2024 earned him a fifth Silver Slugger award this week.
Only Wade Boggs has more among MLB third basemen in MLB history, and he also broke a team record.
“José Ramírez’s 5 Silver Sluggers break a tie with Albert Belle for most in CLE history,” MLB researcher Sarah Langs wrote on her X account.
José Ramírez’s 5 Silver Sluggers break a tie with Albert Belle for most in CLE history https://t.co/6PSCCJmL5T
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) November 12, 2024
Belle was a big figure in the Guardians’ 1990 decade.
He was one of the most feared power hitters in the game back then.
Belle was with Cleveland from 1989 to 1996, and definitely left his mark with the four Silver Sluggers (he then added another one with the Chicago White Sox) and 242 home runs in eight years.
Ramirez is a different player than Belle was.
He doesn’t the raw or game power Belle possessed, but he is an all-around star with contact, pop, barrel control, speed, and great defense.
J-Ram has won five of the last eight Silver Slugger awards at his position in the American League, and is quietly building his case to be elected to Cooperstown one day.
Despite all these accomplishments, he is still underrated and doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
NEXT: Guardians Coach Has Experienced Meteoric Rise In the Organization Through The Years
