The Cleveland Guardians arguably have the best third baseman in all of baseball. Jose Ramirez has the resume and the numbers to back up that statement.
However, he’s been stuck in a tough spot in terms of AL MVP hierarchy. Always in the race, but never the winner.
Once again, Ramirez finished near the top of the voting, but he again was behind New York Yankees star Aaron Judge. However, the Guardians star was named among the candidates who could dethrone the back-to-back AL MVP.
“One of these years, right? ‘J-Ram’ finished third in MVP voting this year, the eighth time he has finished in the top 10 in MVP voting. The closest he ever came was second place behind Jose Abreu in 2020, a year when, in retrospect, Ramirez probably should have won. At 33, you might think Ramirez is running out of time, but he is still younger than Judge. It might help if the Guardians improved the lineup around him; whether or not you care about RBIs, 85 is a pretty low number for an MVP candidate,” Will Leitch wrote.
Of course, Ramirez doesn’t play in a big market, and he’s never going to get the same media coverage that Judge gets. That’s not going to do him any favors in that regard.
Nevertheless, he’s proven to be one of the most consistent players of his generation, so, despite his age, he’s going to keep putting up these types of numbers for many years to come. That’s not going to be the case with Judge if his power starts to fade as he gets older.
Ramirez is a complete and well-rounded player who can contribute to multiple aspects of the game. He’s always going to be among the league leaders in multiple stats.
So, if Judge gets injured or doesn’t hit as many home runs, there won’t be much of a debate. Hopefully, it won’t be long before Ramirez finally gets the recognition he clearly deserves.
NEXT: Guardians Urged To Trade For Veteran Angels Outfielder
