Jose Ramirez takes on The Mountain in stacked AL MVP race: The week in baseball (2024)

MILWAUKEE -- Stephen Vogt has been asked hundreds of questions about Jose Ramirez since he became the manager of the Guardians.

First comes the smile, then the answer, which usually ends in Vogt saying, “Jose is one of the best players in baseball.”

He is. The numbers prove it.

Friday night’s loss to the Brewers could have easily been a dreary 5-0 affair, but Ramirez’s two-run home in the eighth inning added tension to the game. When David Fry, one batter later, homered against the organization that drafted him, the tension grew.

They still lost, but Ramirez’s homer gave him 100 RBI for the season. Vogt marveled at it being only mid-August, meaning Ramirez still has plenty of time to add to that total.

What we’re seeing from Ramirez is a revival of sorts. He hit .282 (172 for 611) last year with 36 doubles, 24 homers and 80 RBI. He scored 87 runs and stole 28 bases in 34 attempts.

A good year for sure. A great year, no.

He entered Saturday night’s game against the Brewers hitting .281 (132 for 470) with 27 doubles, 32 homers and 100 RBI. He’s scored 92 runs and stole 27 bases in 30 attempts.

Ramirez needs three more steals to become the only player in franchise history to have two 30-30 (30 homers, 30 steals) seasons. Joe Carter and Grady Sizemore have one each.

The switch-hitter is slashing .281/.335/.547 and has a .882 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage). An OPS of over .800 puts a hitter in the upper echelon of his trade.

There are still 40 games left in the season, so the clock is on Ramirez’s side. The fact that he’s doing all this for a team that has been in first place in the AL Central since April 14 shouldn’t be forgotten as well.

So what’s the problem?

Ramirez has never won the AL MVP award. He finished second in 2020, third in 2017 and 2018, fourth in 2022, sixth in 2021 and 10th in 2023.

He mirrors the team he represents. The Guardians/Indians have been to three World Series since 1995. They lost the 1995 series in six games and the 1997 and 2016 series in seven games, both in extra innings.

Could this be the year Ramirez finally breaks through?

There’s always a chance, but even with Shohei Ohtani moving to the National League, the field is stacked against him. Oddsmakers have Ramirez, maybe, finishing fourth.

The favorite is Aaron Judge, the Yankees’ 6-foot-7, 282-pound right fielder. He’s hitting .333 (143 for 430) with 28 doubles, 44 homers and 111 RBI. He’s slashing .333/.466/.709 and has a 1.175 OPS.

Judge has drawn 102 walks, while striking out 132 times. He won the MVP in 2022.

On Wednesday he became the fastest player in history to reach 300 homers when he went deep against the White Sox.

Next comes Bobby Witt Jr., Kansas City’s 24-year-old, do-everything shortstop. He’s leading the AL with a .352 (171 for 486) batting average with 34 doubles, 11 triples, 25 homers and 90 RBI. He’s scored 105 runs and stolen 25 bases in 37 attempts.

Witt, whose Royals started Saturday trailing the Guardians by five games in the AL Central, is slashing .352/.400/.621 and has a 1.021 OPS.

Juan Soto is right there as well.

Judge’s teammate is hitting .305 (134 for 439) with 24 doubles, 34 homers and 87 RBI. He’s scored 103 runs and has drawn an MLB-leading 103 walks compared to 82 strikeouts. The left-handed hitting Soto is slashing .305/.436/.610 for a 1.046 OPS.

Baltimore’s Gunnar Henderson is a serious candidate as well. Cleveland fans who watched him take apart the Guardians’ pitching staff at Camden Yards and Progressive Field know why.

Henderson is hitting .287 (138 for 481) with 23 doubles, six triples, 31 homers and 74 RBI. He scored 96 runs and stolen 14 bases in 16 attempts. He’s slashing .287/.374/.553 for a .927 OPS.

Two of Ramirez’s teammates could get votes from the Baseball Writers Association as well.

Josh Naylor, who made his first All-Star Game this year, is hitting .247 (104 for 421) with 19 doubles, 26 homers and 88 RBI. He’s slashing .247/.326/.477 for a .803 OPS.

Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase could get some votes as well. The MVP award normally goes to a position player, but there have been exceptions when a pitcher, be he starter or reliever, has won it.

Clase has certainly put the work in. He leads the AL with 37 saves in 40 chances. He has a 0.64 ERA, which means he’s allowed four earned runs in 57 games covering 56 1/3 innings. Clase’s career ERA is 1.74, the lowest in MLB history by a pitcher with a minimum of 200 innings.

He’s struck out 49, walked seven and allowed 30 hits. The opposition is hitting .156 against him.

There are other contenders with Boston’s Rafael Devers, Baltimore’s Anthony Santander, Toronto’s Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Houston’s Yordan Alvarez among them.

Ramirez, no doubt, has made his presence felt this season. He is the best position player on a first-place team. His teammates know it and so does the opposition.

Will that be enough to get him the MVP award this year? Perhaps, but there’s a mountain blocking his path right now and its name is Aaron Judge.

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