To say that José Ramirez is good would be an understatement at best.
Earlier last week, in a win against the Miami Marlins, Ramirez went 3-for-4 with a pair of homers. While this plate performance might be normal for his career, it does pit him in a class of his own among other Cleveland legends. That marked his 27th game with multiple home runs, setting a new franchise record. With a laundry list of accomplishments and stats that will no doubt land him in Cooperstown, it’s obvious that Ramirez is a legend. To fully understand his greatness, a simple question needs to be asked. Is José Ramirez the greatest position player in Cleveland history?
Now, before the baseball historians get their feathers all ruffled up, I said “position player.” As amazing as he is, nobody thinks José Ramirez is as good a player as Bob Feller or Cy Young, but he isn’t that far off. Ramirez currently ranks in the top 10 all-time for home runs (2nd), RBI (3rd), runs (3rd), hits (7th), doubles (3rd), stolen bases (3rd), and slugging percentage (10th) in franchise history. At only 32 years of age with no signs of slowing down, it’s possible José ends his career, leading most of those categories in the future.
In my opinion, the only Cleveland position players who have a case for the G.O.A.T title, not named Jose Ramirez, are Tris Speaker and Nap Lajoie. One of the most forgotten legends in all baseball history, Tris Speaker not only played 11 years in Cleveland but also managed the team simultaneously for eight years. Nicknamed “The Grey Eagle,” Speaker hit .354 with over 800 RBI from 1916 to 1926. His most notable feat in Cleveland came during the 1920 World Series against the then-Brooklyn Robins, where he hit .388, leading the franchise to their first World Series championship. He still stands as the all-time MLB leader in doubles with 792.
Nap Lajoie was one of the top-tier players during his time. He hit .339 with over 900 RBI and led the league in batting average three times during his time in Cleveland. The most impressive thing about this is that Lajoie did all this while playing for the Cleveland Naps. That’s right, the moment he signed with Cleveland in 1902, the team changed its name from the Cleveland Blues to the Cleveland Napoleons (Naps for short) in honor of Lajoie. Both of these turn-of-the-century stars absolutely dominated for Cleveland during their time. It’s truly impressive to see José Ramirez in such rare and distinguished company.
Even with as stellar as he’s been, it seems like Ramirez still doesn’t get the respect he deserves. ESPN MLB player rankings have Ramirez ranked as the 46th-best player in baseball. What’s more egregious is that he’s the 4th ranked third baseman behind Manny Machado (19th), Eugenio Suarez (27th), and Junior Caminero (41st). Not to knock any of these players, but any competent MLB manager would take a prime José Ramirez over any one of them. Sure, some of the disrespect comes with playing in a small market as opposed to, say, New York or Los Angeles. He doesn’t have the same level of marketability as an Aaron Judge or the global star power of a Shohei Otani.
José Ramirez, possibly being the best position player in Cleveland history, is a topic certainly up for debate. His career is still ongoing (strong, I might add), and even with everything he’s accomplished, there are plenty of legends who stand between him and that #1 spot. Players as far back as Larry Doby and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson, to as recent as Grady Sizemore and Francisco Lindor, all have strong cases to be considered. There, however, is one undisputable fact in all of this. No Cleveland player since the breaking of the color line has done what José Ramirez has done.
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