The Cleveland Guardians are 4-5 to begin the season, but that’s in no way Jose Ramirez‘s fault.
Ramirez, recently extended on a lucrative, yet still team-friendly seven-year, $141 million deal, has been one of the best players in the majors this season.
Of course, that’s not surprising at all: Ramirez is just very good at baseball.
He has had a very busy week, crowned with a Player of the Week honor in the American League.
“What a week for Hosey. Signed a long-term extension to stay home AND has been named the American League Player of the Week! 🐐 #ForTheLand,” the Guardians’ official Twitter account wrote on Monday afternoon, after his recent award was revealed.
What a week for Hosey.
Signed a long-term extension to stay home AND has been named the American League Player of the Week! 🐐#ForTheLand pic.twitter.com/WlVDP4b19U
— Cleveland Guardians (@CleGuardians) April 18, 2022
The perennial MVP candidate went 11-for-23 last week, with three home runs and an incredible 11 RBI.
He also posted an otherworldly 1.432 OPS last week.
Ramirez Is Already On Fire
In just nine games, Ramirez is up to 15 RBI in what looked like a pedestrian lineup before the season but has turned some heads in the early going.
Steven Kwan, Owen Miller, Myles Straw, Andres Gimenez, and Josh Naylor have been solid in the early going, and Franmil Reyes is yet to catch fire.
For the season, Ramirez is hitting.457/.500/.886 with three home runs, six runs, and the 15 RBI.
He also has a 1.386 OPS and has accumulated one Win Above Replacement, or WAR.
With WAR being a cumulative stat, Ramirez already having 1.0 WAR is nothing short of amazing, as we are still far from the end of the first month of the season.
It’s yet another stellar performance from a truly outstanding baseball player.
It’s nice that he finally got his big payday.
NEXT: Video Shows Jose Ramirez Officially Signing His Guardians Extension