Legendary Baseball Hall of Famer just put Jose Ramirez on Cooperstown watchlist

Could Cleveland Guardians third baseman Joes Ramirez be on his way to Cooperstown? One member of the Baseball Hall of Fame certainly believes so.

Atlanta Braves legend and Hall of Famer Chipper Jones posted the following statement on social media regarding Ramirez and his chances of one day making his way to Cooperstown, "May need to start putting Jose Ramirez on HOF watch….dude is a beast!". This came after Ramirez became the second ever switch-hitter to accumulate 250 home runs and 250 stolen bases, joining Carlos Beltran in one of the most exclusive clubs in the history of baseball.

This is a pretty strong endorsement from one switch-hitting third baseman to another, and it is hard to argue with that possibility, considering the trajectory he is on currently and how that should play out as his career progresses. If there is anyone to trust when it comes to future Hall of Fame candidacy, it is someone who has similar traits and has already been enshrined in Cooperstown, like Jones. This gives Ramirez's chances a little more legitmacy over let's say someone else who is not in the hall or anyone else who may be campaigning for his potential induction down the road.

Now in his 13th major league season, Ramirez has accumulated 51.9 WAR, which is on the bottom end of what must agree upon as the minimum threshold of Hall of Fame enshrinement. That's clearly a good start, and still being 32 years old, it will give him plenty of time to add to that, as well as other traditional stats that must look at when considering a player's chances of ending up in Cooperstown.

For Ramirez to end up in Cooperstown, it is not about talent, as he has proven that he is a Hall of Fame talent, it's about his resume. Ramirez's 250 stolen bases and 260 home runs are great starting points, but now is the time to build upon what he has managed to accomplish so far, and put himself in a position where the conversation goes from what about Ramirez to how can we not include Ramirez. That little change in tone would without a doubt make him a lock to end up in the hall one day.

Additional home runs, stolen bases, and top ten, five, and even three finishes in American League Most Valuable Player voting should do the trick. What would really seal the deal is being the recipient of a long overdue AL MVP and maybe even winning a World Series along the way. Those last two are the least likely to occur, but not impossible, as Ramirez has established himself as one the best players in the AL and all of baseball for quite some time now. One or the other, but preferably both, would essentially guarantee Ramirez's eventual Cooperstown enshrinement.