Guardians’ José Ramírez Named MLB Network’s Second-Best Third Baseman

Originally posted on Cleveland Guardians on SI
By Logan Potosky | Last updated Feb 1, 2024 2:01 AM ET

For the past eight seasons, Cleveland Guardians third baseman José Ramírez has been one of the premier players in all of baseball.

During this span, he leads all primary third basemen in doubles (301), stolen bases (182, 108 more than next player), and intentional walks (76).

Ramírez also ranks top-five among primary third basemen in: triples (32, second), walks (499, second), hits (1,192, third), RBI (702, third), and home runs (208, fourth). His .882 OPS and .284 batting average also rank second and third, respectively, among primary third basemen (minimum 950 games played).

On Wednesday, MLB Network announced their “Top 10 Players Right Now” for third basemen ahead of the 2024 season, with Ramírez ranking second for the second consecutive year.

Only Atlanta Braves third baseman Austin Riley ranks ahead of him on the list.

In 2023, the 31-year-old Ramírez hit .282 with 172 hits, 36 doubles, five triples, 24 home runs, 80 RBI, 28 stolen bases, and an .831 OPS. He led qualified third basemen in batting average and fewest strikeouts (73), while leading all third basemen in stolen bases and intentional walks (22).

Defensively, according to FanGraphs, Ramírez finished fifth in innings played (1,105.0) and putouts (84), and ranked top-10 in both assists (220) and double plays started (13) among American League third basemen.

For his efforts, he was named both an AL Silver Slugger Award finalist and AL Gold Glove Award finalist, while also garnering a spot on the 2023 All-MLB Second Team.

Ramírez has been named an AL All-Star in each of the last three seasons, and for five of the last six games. He has also won four AL Silver Slugger Awards since 2017.

Based on last year’s performance and his consistency, Ramírez is poised for another stellar campaign with the Guardians in 2024.

This article first appeared on Cleveland Guardians on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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