'He's a fireball': As Jose Ramirez goes, so go the Guardians as they chase AL Central crown
Jose Ramirez won't be winning the 2022 American League Most Valuable Player Award. That distinction will go to either Aaron Judge or Shohei Ohtani.
But with Ramirez headed for his fifth top-six MVP vote finish in the past six seasons, the argument still exists that he is as important to his team as any player in baseball.
As Ramirez goes, so go the Guardians. And the numbers back that up.
Ramirez is hitting .282 with an .887 OPS, 27 home runs, a league-leading 41 doubles and 111 RBIs after the Guardians' 5-3 win over the Los Angeles Angels, their sixth consecutive victory and seventh in their past eight games. The win gave the Guardians a four-game lead in the American League Central Division race.
Using FanGraphs' ZiPS, a projection system that looks at value, Ramirez was deemed the most "irreplaceable player" among American League contending teams, meaning his absence would cause the largest gap. It means that although Judge and Ohtani will finish with more valuable seasons, no player is more valuable specifically to his team considering his own talent and who would replace him.
The Guardians are in first place for many reasons, including the significant contributions from young, blossoming players (Andres Gimenez, Steven Kwan, Oscar Gonzalez) in the lineup, a bullpen that has been baseball's best since the All-Star break, and so on. But Ramirez has remained at the core of it all, a beacon of energy and consistency who is again putting together a potential MVP finalist (top-three) season.
"He's a fireball. He's someone to look up to," said Guardians rookie Tyler Freeman, who had a key RBI-double in Wednesday's win, another case of a rookie stepping up in a big spot. "When he's taking ground balls at third I'm pretty much top step watching him take ground balls and seeing how he goes about his business. Yeah, just a leader."
Ramirez's statistical exploits are nothing new. But this group of youthful players in the clubhouse haven't gone through a playoff chase in the majors like this. So his impact might be at an all-time high, particularly considering this was seen, on the outside at least, as a possible transitional year as the Guardians leaned into a youth movement.
"In reality, we're in a rebuild, but it's a bit different when you have very talented players that know how to play the game and know how to play the game the right way," Ramirez said through a team translator. "It's fun to see them. I know this is what we're doing, but we're going to continue doing it, and as long as we keep playing our way it's going to be fun to watch."
Ramirez was the difference in Wednesday's win.
In the eighth inning, Ryan Tepera threw a slider down and in and Ramirez came around on it, technically swinging, before the ball hit the ground and then his foot. As Ramirez crumbled to the ground, he had swung, and instead of taking his base, it was a strike.
That ended up being fortuitous. A few pitches later, he drilled a no-doubt, two-run home run to right field that put the Guardians ahead 5-3.
Judge vs. Ohtani has been the national debate for MVP. Some in the Guardians clubhouse believe a third name should at least be in the conversation.
"I know there’s been some really special players this year, but he deserves to be in the discussion – at least in the discussion at the end of the year," pitcher Cal Quantrill said.
Ramirez often has as much — if not more – energy in the clubhouse as he does on the base paths. He seems to have an endless supply. It's become part of his identity as a clubhouse leader on baseball's youngest team.
"You guys see me every day. You know that's always me," Ramirez said. "That's the same person, the same energy. I'm really fortunate, really thankful for what I have in life. I have my family, I play the game that I love. So it's going to be the same energy every day because that's who I am."
Guardians set pitching plans though weekend
With starters Aaron Civale (forearm inflammation) and Zach Plesac (fractured hand) on the injured list and Cody Morris still not fully stretched out, the Guardians have had to balance a number of circumstances when setting up their pitching plans.
There's now some clarity, at least through the weekend. Hunter Gaddis will be recalled from Triple-A Columbus to start Thursday in a make-up game against the second-place Chicago White Sox, and Triston McKenzie will follow him on Friday against the Minnesota Twins. Shane Bieber and Konnor Pilkington, in that order, will pitch in Saturday's doubleheader and Morris will pitch Sunday to round out the series.
Civale will pitch for Triple-A Columbus Thursday as a rehab assignment. Plesac threw Wednesday, which went "really well," according to Francona via pitching coach Carl Willis.
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Guardians at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/cleveland-guardians. Follow him on Twitter at @ByRyanLewis.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: 'He's a fireball': Jose Ramirez powers Guardians in playoff chase
