Two Cleveland Guardians ranked as Top 25 MLB players

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The Cleveland Guardians have defied expectations to start the year, compiling a 52-30 record just past the midway point of the season. No one was quite sure how this season would play out for the Guardians, and there was a sense of doom and gloom following the season-ending injury to Shane Bieber. Luckily, that did not bring Cleveland's season to a screeching halt as the team has managed to rally by pulling their share of the weight and then some, allowing the team to remain in the mix and solidify themselves as genuine contenders.

While the team as a whole has been able to impress from an offensive standpoint, there are two players in particular that caught the attention of Bleacher Report's Zachary D. Rymer to include them in his recently published Ranking MLB's Top 25 Players After 3 Months. Rymer has identified two players on the Guardians who have definitely put themselves into the MVP conversation with their performance this season. These two individuals have been key cogs in the lineup for the Guardians and are responsible for a sizeable amount of Cleveland's success in 2024. This has resulted in Rymer naming them as members of the 25 best players in baseball right now.

25. Steven Kwan

Cleveland Guardians left fielder Steven Kwan has been one of the more underrated players in the sport since making his debut in 2022. Prior to this season, Kwan was primarily known for his contact ability and elite caliber defense, resulting in two Gold Glove Awards. But it appears that his increased line-drive frequency has played a factor into Rymer naming Kwan the 25th best player in the sport at this time.

Kwan is probably not going to hit .368 all year. That's just not a thing hitters do, least of all in a season with a league-wide average of .242. Yet you'll note I put a "probably" in there. Kwan really is that locked in, after all. He's swinging and missing only 2.1 percent of the time, and his 28.6 line-drive percentage is the highest of any hitter in the American League.
Zachary D. Rymer on Steven Kwan

Even if Kwan does not maintain his current high batting average, there is a very good chance he is going to be well over .300 when the season comes to an end. This high average, combined with the added power he has added to his hitting profile, will result in being a more than productive member of the Guardians' lineup and should help propel them to an American League Central division title as well as a deep postseason run.

7. Jose Ramirez

There were some concerns about Cleveland Guardians third baseman Jose Ramirez early on in the season, as he was not necessarily firing on all cylinders right out of the gate. Slashing just .227/.273/.394 and an OPS of .667 with five home runs and five doubles, Ramirez was clearly not quite himself over the first 32 games of the season. The good news for Ramirez and the Guardians is that he has since turned things around at the plate, sporting a .317.374/.672/.1.046 super slash since with 18 home runs and 12 doubles while driving in 51, and as Rhymer notes, is back to hitting like everyone expected him to when the season began.

J-Ram is now on track for a typical J-Ram season. He figures to go at least 25-25, if not 30-30. And with the Guardians leading the way in the AL Central, he's a shoo-in to land in the top 10 of the AL MVP voting for the seventh time in eight seasons.
Zachary D. Rymer on Jose Ramirez

It is no wonder why Ramirez is considered a Top 10 player by Rymer. Very few players are able to produce consistent numbers year-over-year like Ramirez has, and it only shows just how special of a player he is. Do not be surprised if Ramirez continues to put up elite production at the plate and is in the American League MVP conversation once again.

25. Steven Kwan

7. Jose Ramirez

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