Guardians star Jose Ramirez is quietly building a Hall of Fame resume

Cleveland Guardians superstar third baseman Jose Ramirez isn't an incredible physical specimen like Yankees outfielder Aaron Judge or Dodgers DH Shohei Ohtani, or a sleek and graceful athlete like Royals shortstop Bobby Witt Jr., Reds shortstop Elly De La Cruz, or Rays outfielder Chandler Simpson. 

Yet Ramirez is one of the most consistently productive players in the major leagues. Starting in 2016, after 180 mediocre games over three seasons, things started to click. Over the past 10 seasons, including this one, his slash line is impressive: .284/.359/.521. While he seldom leads the league in much, he has produced the most runs once, the most doubles twice, and the most intentional walks twice. 

His career counting stats are not overly impressive. He's in his 13th season and has 952 runs and 914 RBI. Although he's shown no signs of slowing, he turns 33 in mid-September. How many more seasons will he produce at this level?

His calling card has been his consistency. Since those first three partial seasons, excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign, he has hit at least 32 doubles every year. He has 273 career home runs and 272 stolen bases. He's on pace for his third 30 HR/30 SB season, and last year, he was one round-tripper away from a 40/40 effort. 

He's close to several key milestones that he should hit within the next year or so. He should be close to 1,000 RBI and runs by the end of the year. Ditto with hitting 300 home runs and stolen bases. He could surpass 400 doubles by year's end. With a couple more good years, he'll close in on 2,000 career hits. 

It all comes back to how consistently good he is. While he doesn't lead the league in batting categories often or win many awards, he is always a force. He has been part of seven All-Star teams, and he's won five Silver Slugger awards. 

More importantly, he's finished second in the MVP voting once, third twice, and fourth, fifth, sixth, and 10th one time each. That's five top-five finishes and seven top-10 finishes. That is the picture of consistency. 

His 2019 "down" year consisted of a slash of .255/.327/.479, with 23 homers, 24 steals, and 33 doubles. Pretty terrible, huh?

He's played in the AL against superstars like Mike Trout and Judge. He's competing with younger stars now, like Witt, Vlad Guerrero Jr., and Cal Raleigh. He isn't flashy enough to catch voters' attention as these players, but he's still good enough to be in the conversation for the MVP nearly every year. 

While his counting stats might hold him back when it comes to garnering Hall of Fame votes, he's been one of the best players in the majors for a decade. His All-Star appearances, Silver Sluggers, and MVP finishes should carry a lot of weight. Will it be enough to carry his lack of typical Hall of Fame counting stats? 

He needs to maintain his excellence over the next two and a half years, and maybe even beyond. If he doesn't experience a quick, dramatic drop-off in production, it will improve his chances. He needs to do a little more, but he's quietly building that Hall of Fame resume and has a shot to get in.