José Ramírez adds to Guardians legacy with third place MVP finish

What a year it was for José Ramírez. After helping the Guardians pull off one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history, he netted his sixth career Silver Slugger win earlier this offseason along with being a finalist for the Gold Glove. 

He added another notch in his belt on Thursday when he came in third in the American League MVP voting — a result that was largely expected after Cal Raleigh and Aaron Judge had historic seasons. 

Judge ended up taking home his second straight AL MVP, while Raleigh came in second place. 

Judge totaled 355 points while Raleigh finished with 335 points. Judge received 17 first place votes and 13 second place votes compared to Raleigh's 13 first place votes and 17 second place votes. Ramírez finished with points on the back of 19 third place votes.

Ramírez has now finished in the top-10 in MVP voting eight times, with this year marking the fourth time he’s finished in the top-three. His best finish came in 2020 when he finished as the runner-up behind the White Sox’s José Abreu. 

He’s also tied with Hall of Famers George Brett and Brooks Robinson for the second-most top-three finishes for MVP among first baseman.

José Ramírez continues to show that he’s one of the best players in baseball

Ramírez finished the year with a .283/.360/.503 slashline with 30 home runs and 85 RBI to go along with 34 doubles and a career-high 44 stolen bases. He started the season hot before having a bit of the swoon as we reached the dog days of summer. 

He ended up finishing the season with five home runs, 17 RBI and an .889 OPS in the final month of the season as the Guardians finished their march toward the postseason. 

“Jose Ramirez has the highest baseball IQ that I’ve ever seen. He sees things that none of us see. He’s always thinking ahead,” Guardians manager Stephen Vogt said of Ramírez earlier in the week. “He knows when a pitcher is going to throw a ball in the dirt before he throws it. He knows when to steal third to take away a pitcher’s breaking ball. By far he’s one of the most cerebral players I’ve ever been around.

This year also saw him reach new historical heights, as he became the first primary third baseman in MLB history to hit 275 home runs and steal 275 bases and also became Cleveland’s all-time leader in extra-base hits and multihomer games. 

Ramírez was also named to the 2025 All-MLB First Team, marking his second straight All-MLB First Team and his fourth All-MLB nod.