José Ramírez adds another All-Star nod to Hall of Fame résumé

We might be witnessing José Ramírez in his final form. While the Guardians haven’t been able to get much going on the field this year as of late, that hasn’t stopped Ramírez from authoring another All-Star worthy season. It’ll be another feather in his cap when he enters the Hall of Fame.

José Ramírez adds another All-Star nod to Hall of Fame résumé

Ramírez is slashing .305/.367/.493 this season to go along with 13 home runs, 38 RBI and 21 stolen bases. After coming within an eyelash of having a 40/40 season last year, Ramírez is on pace to post at least a 25/25 season. 

He’s also spent this season knocking down team record after team record. Last week, he moved into fourth place for games played in Cleveland baseball history before ending the game with a walk-off. 

And, with his newest All-Star game nod, he’s now up to seven All-Star selections, which is tied for the second-most in club history with Lou Boudreau, Larry Doby, Ken Keltner and Bob Lemon. He’s one away from tying Bob Feller for the most in franchise history. 

While he wasn’t regarded as much of a home run hitter early in his career, he’s only 69 career homers away from tying Jim Thome for the second-most in Cleveland history. He’s also fifth in team history in runs scored and RBI and is third in stolen bases and doubles. 

But if you listen to Ramírez tell it, there’s still room for him to grow this season. 

“It really hasn’t been the type of year that I’ve wanted to have, that I’ve worked for,” Ramírez said Wednesday afternoon, per The Athletic’s Zack Mesiel. “I feel it’s more a credit to the fans who voted me to be there because I wish I had a different performance, a better performance this year.”

When it comes to individual statistics, the only part Ramírez could be referring to is his home run pace has tapered off a bit this year. Still, it’s worth noting that he finished last year when he tied his career-high with 39 home runs. 

Now it’ll be on his teammates to make sure that strong season doesn’t go to waste. After dropping their game to the Cubs on Wednesday, the Guardians now sit at 40-44 on the season with most projections having them at around a 10% chance of making the postseason. 

Ramírez is one of three Guardians with an OPS+ above 100 along with Kyle Manzardo and Steven Kwan, who could end up joining Ramírez in Atlanta. 

The Guardians have a shot in every game they play this year because of Ramírez’s presence in the middle of the lineup. They just need everyone to step up around him.