The Cleveland Guardians have a superstar in Jose Ramirez.
He might not be as athletic as Fernando Tatis Jr., as powerful as Aaron Judge, or as fast as Ronald Acuna Jr., but he has a little bit (a lot, we could say) of all worlds and the overall result is an all-around star.
Ramirez can hit for average and power, take a walk, field multiple positions effectively, and steal some bases.
In other words, his consistent versatility is what makes him great.
When it comes to power and speed, he is right there with the great players of this generation.
For his career, the perennial MVP candidate in the American League has 213 home runs and 196 stolen bases.
He will turn 31 next month and should soon have a place in MLB history next to one of the best players to ever do it: Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout.
“Jose Ramirez is 4 bags away from 200/200 in his career. Here’s the list of active players who reached 200/200 by age 31: – Mike Trout. That’s it,” his agent Rafa Nieves tweeted.
Jose Ramirez is 4 bags away from 200/200 in his career.
Here’s the list of active players who reached 200/200 by age 31:
– Mike Trout
That’s it.
— Rafa Nieves (@mlb_agent) August 30, 2023
Trout has more power and his speed peak was greater than that of Ramirez, but the latter has been more consistent with his stolen base output.
Trout is not running at this point of his career, while J-Ram has stolen 22 bags this year, with 21 home runs.
Ramirez has also shown to be more durable.
In any case, he needs four thefts to reach 200 in his fruitful MLB tenure, and he has a good chance to get them before the 2023 campaign expires.
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