If you followed the Cleveland Guardians this year, you are probably thinking how in the world third baseman Jose Ramirez was left off the list of AL MVP finalists.
He was one homer shy of a 40-40 season, he scored 114 runs, drove in 118, and was a Gold Glove finalist.
It’s hard to top that, but truth be told, the American League had some impressive performers this year.
Ramirez, at least, got some of the recognition he clearly deserved with his fifth Silver Slugger award.
Ramirez is now tied for third most Silver Sluggers in the history of the game at the hot corner, which is a very impressive feat.
“Most Silver Sluggers at 3B: Wade Boggs: 8, Mike Schmidt: 6, José Ramírez: 5, Nolan Arenado: 5,” MLB stats researcher Sarah Langs posted on X.
most Silver Sluggers at 3B:
Wade Boggs: 8
Mike Schmidt: 6
José Ramírez: 5
Nolan Arenado: 5 https://t.co/70rc9UMcN8— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) November 12, 2024
The best thing of all is that J-Ram has a chance to tie Philadelphia Phillies’ great Mike Schmidt next year, and with three more award, he would tie Boggs for the lead.
At this point, with Ramirez being recognized as the league’s best offensive third baseman in five of the last eight campaigns, we should be talking about him building a serious Hall of Fame case.
There is a lot of work to do to reach that point, but he seems to be on his way.
His .872 OPS indicates that he is still in the middle of his prime, and he hasn’t lost his legs as his 41 stolen bases indicate.
He just posted a career-high in home runs, too.
It didn’t seem like it when he was a minor leaguer and a rookie back in 2013, but Ramirez is now a superstar.
NEXT: Guardians Star Takes Home Fifth Career Silver Slugger Award
