José Ramírez Silver Slugger nomination brings him closer to Hall of Fame history

From 1983 to 1994, Wade Boggs was the gold standard at third base in the American League, as he won an AL-record eight Silver Slugger Awards at third base in that time. 

While José Ramírez hasn’t broken Boggs’ record just yet, he just got a bit closer to doing so. On Thursday, the 2025 American League Silver Slugger finalists were revealed, where Ramírez was nominated at third base. If he wins, it’ll be the sixth time he's done so.

He’ll be going against Boston’s Alex Bregman and Tampa Bay’s Junior Caminero. 

José Ramírez keeps getting closer to making Silver Slugger history 

While Ramírez didn’t post the same kind of power numbers that he posted in 2024, he’s still put together another signature season. In total, Ramírez slashed .283/.360/.503 with 30 home runs, 85 RBI, 34 doubles and 44 steals. That .283 average was Ramírez’s highest in a 162-game season since 2017, and his 44 stolen bases marked a career-high. 

His season was also impressive given how much the rest of the Guardians’ lineup struggled this year. Along with being one of two Guardians with more than 20 home runs (along with Kyle Manzardo), Ramírez was the only Guardian to hit better than .280. 

The Guardians had the second-worst batting average (.226), on-base percentage (.296) and slugging percentage (.373). Imagine how those numbers would have looked if Ramírez wasn’t in the lineup. 

He faces some stiff competition in Bregman and Caminero. Even though Bregman only played in 114 games due to injury, he still hit 18 home runs and 62 RBI with an .861 OPS. In fact, he did so well that he elected to opt out of the three-year, $120 million contract he signed with the Red Sox earlier this year. 

Caminero’s nomination adds an extra layer to Ramírez’s nomination considering the Guardians traded Caminero away for next to nothing. 

After becoming the No. 1 prospect in baseball last year, Caminero officially broke out this season with a 45 homer season, 110 RBI season. The Guardians got a firm reminder of how good Caminero is this August when he mashed two homers against the Guardians at Progressive Field. 

There are still some red flags on Caminero’s résumé, as he hit .264 and grounded into a league-leading 31 double plays. He also only walked 41 times and finished in the 22nd percentile in whiff rate. 

Ramírez has been a great player for the Guardians and is on one of the best contracts in baseball, but the front office’s inability to build a consistent winner around him has become a point of contention among the fanbase. 

But even if that’s led to some unrest among Guardians fans, there’s no denying what Ramírez can do in the batter’s box. His nomination is just another example of that.