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José Enrique Ramírez (born September 17, 1992) is a Dominican professional
baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball games, bat-and-ball sport played between two team sport, teams of nine players each, taking turns batting (baseball), batting and Fielding (baseball), fielding. The game occurs over the course of several Pitch ...
third baseman A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the Baseball scorekeep ...
for the
Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...
of
Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
(MLB). He signed with the Cleveland Indians as an amateur
free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player or manager who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under a contract at present ...
on November 26, 2009, and made his MLB debut on September 1, 2013. In 2016, Ramírez achieved then-career highs of .312
batting average Batting average is a statistic in cricket, baseball, and softball that measures the performance of batters. The development of the baseball statistic was influenced by the cricket statistic. Cricket In cricket, a player's batting average is ...
, 46 doubles, and 22
stolen base In baseball, a stolen base occurs when a runner advances to a base unaided by other actions and the official scorer rules that the advance should be credited to the action of the runner. The umpires determine whether the runner is safe or out ...
s, while spending time at second base, shortstop, third base, and left field. He helped lead the Indians to their first
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
appearance in 19 years, hitting .310 (9-for-31) in the series, which the Indians ultimately lost in 7 games to the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
. Ramírez is a six-time selectee to the
MLB All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
, a five-time
Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...
award winner, and a three-time selectee to the All-MLB Team. In 2017, he became the 19th player in history to hit at least 56 doubles in one season, while leading the major leagues. In 2018, he hit 39
home run In baseball, a home run (abbreviated HR) is scored when the Baseball (ball), ball is hit in such a way that the batting (baseball), batter is able to circle the bases and reach home plate safe (baseball), safely in one play without any error ( ...
s and stole 34 bases to enter the
30–30 club In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 30–30 club is the group of 47 Batter (baseball), batters who have collected 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season. ''Baseball Digest'' called the 30–30 club "the most celebrated feat that can ...
. In 2025, he became the first Cleveland player to have 250 home runs and 250 stolen bases; the 24th player to achieve the mark in MLB history, he is the first primary third baseman to do so.


Early life

Ramírez grew up in poverty in Baní, Dominican Republic. He is the first-born son of Silveria Mateo and Sito Ramirez. He says that by the age of 13, he was already playing in a league for adults. He looked up to MVP
Miguel Tejada Miguel Odalis Tejada ( Tejeda; born May 25, 1974) is a Dominican former professional baseball shortstop who played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for six teams, most notably the Oakland Athletics and Baltimore Orioles, before ...
, who also grew up in Baní and often returned to do philanthropic work, a legacy Ramírez would grow up to continue. There is now an all-turf field, donated by Ramírez and the Cleveland Guardians, located near Ramírez's childhood home that bears his name. As a teenager, Ramírez played baseball in the Dominican Prospect League. In 2009, at the age of 17, Ramírez and other unsigned prospects traveled to the
Cleveland Indians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...
' Dominican facility in
Boca Chica Boca Chica is a municipality (''municipio'') of the Santo Domingo province in the Dominican Republic. Within the municipality there is one municipal district (''distritos municipal''): La Caleta. As of the 2022 census it had 167,040 inhabitan ...
, where an Indians
scout Scout may refer to: Youth movement *Scout (Scouting), a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement ** Scouts (The Scout Association), section for 10-14 year olds in the United Kingdom ** Scouts BSA, sect ...
noticed the oft-overlooked Ramírez when Ramírez racked up 11 hits in four games across three days. He signed with the Indians, receiving a $50,000
signing bonus A signing bonus or sign-on bonus is a sum of money paid to a new employee (including a professional sports person) by a company as an incentive to join that company. They are often given as a way of making a compensation package more attractive ...
.


Career


Cleveland Indians/Guardians

Ramírez sat out the 2010 season and made his professional debut in 2011 with the Arizona Indians of the
Rookie-level Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National L ...
Arizona League The Arizona Complex League (ACL) is a rookie-level Minor League Baseball league that operates in and around Phoenix, Arizona, since 1988. Prior to 2021, it was known as the Arizona League (AZL). Along with the Florida Complex League (FCL), it fo ...
. He batted .325 in 48
games played Games played (GP) is a statistic used in team sports to indicate the total number of games in which a player has participated (in any capacity); the statistic is generally applied irrespective of whatever portion of the game is contested. Associat ...
. He then played for the Toros del Este of the Dominican Winter League. In 2012, he played for the
Mahoning Valley Scrappers The Mahoning Valley Scrappers are a collegiate summer baseball team of the MLB Draft League. They are located in Niles, Ohio, a city in the valley of the Mahoning River, and play their home games at Eastwood Field. From 1999 to 2020, they were ...
of the Class A-Short Season
New York-Penn League New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...
and Lake County Captains of the Class A
Midwest League The Midwest League is a Minor League Baseball league established in 1947 and based in the Midwestern United States. A Class A league for most of its history, the league was promoted to High-A as part of Major League Baseball's 2021 reorganizat ...
. The next year, he started the season with the Akron Aeros of the
Class AA Double-A (officially Class AA) is the second-highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946, below only Triple-A. There are currently 30 teams classified at the Double-A level, one for each team in Major League B ...
Eastern League.


2013—2015: Early major league career

The Indians promoted Ramírez to the major leagues on September 1,
2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...
, and he made his MLB debut that day. He entered the game as a pinch runner during the ninth inning and scored on a game-winning grand slam hit by
Mike Avilés Michael Anthony Avilés '' h-vee-les'' (born March 13, 1981) is an American former professional baseball utility player. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Kansas City Royals, Boston Red Sox, Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and ...
. Ramírez recorded his first major league hit on September 9 against the
Kansas City Royals The Kansas City Royals are an American professional baseball team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Royals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team ...
, when he lined a single to left field off of Royals starter Ervin Santana during the third inning. Later in that same game, Ramírez also collected his first multiple-hit game in the major leagues, working a single off reliever Wade Davis during the seventh inning. Ramírez began the 2014 season in the minor leagues and had a batting line of .319/.363/.484 in 105 plate appearances. He was promoted to the major leagues on May 1, as Indians second baseman Jason Kipnis went on the
disabled list In Major League Baseball (MLB), the injured list (IL) is a method for teams to remove their injured players from the roster in order to summon healthy players. Before the 2019 Major League Baseball season, 2019 season, it was known as the disabl ...
. Ramírez was sent back to the minors on May 20 after Kipnis was reinstated. However, Ramírez was recalled before July 23. Ramírez began to get regular playing time at shortstop on July 31, 2014, after the Indians traded shortstop
Asdrúbal Cabrera Asdrúbal José Cabrera (; born November 13, 1985) is a Venezuelan-American former professional baseball infielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Cleveland Indians, Washington Nationals, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, Phila ...
. He hit his first home run on August 9, in his first career three-hit game. Ramírez finished the 2014 season by hitting .262 in 237 at-bats. He compiled 62 hits and also had 10 steals, tied for fourth-most on the team. In
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
, Ramírez made his first
Opening Day Opening Day is the day on which professional baseball leagues begin their regular season. For Major League Baseball (MLB) and most of the American minor leagues, this day typically falls during the first week of April, although in recent year ...
roster. He started on Opening Day, batting ninth and playing shortstop. He also started the Indians' home opener on April 10. Ramírez went 1-for-4 in the team's first game at newly renovated
Progressive Field Progressive Field is a baseball stadium in the downtown area of Cleveland, Ohio. It is the ballpark of the Cleveland Guardians of Major League Baseball and, together with Rocket Arena, is part of the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex. ...
. Ramírez and the Indians struggled during the first half of the 2015 season. The team fell to last place in the AL Central during June, and Ramírez would be sent down to the
Columbus Clippers The Columbus Clippers are a Minor League Baseball team of the International League (IL) and the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A affiliate of the Cleveland Guardians. They are located in Columbus, Ohio, and are named for speedy Merchant ship, merch ...
of the
Class AAA Triple-A (officially Class AAA) has been the highest level of play in Minor League Baseball in the United States since 1946. Currently, two leagues operate at the Triple-A level, the International League (IL) and the Pacific Coast League (PCL). ...
International League The International League (IL) is a Minor League Baseball league that operates in the United States. Along with the Pacific Coast League, it is one of two leagues playing at the Triple-A (baseball), Triple-A level, which is one grade below Major ...
during that span. After being called back up for the second time on August 3, Ramírez would play much better, hitting .250 over the second half of the season. He closed out the 2015 season by hitting .280 in September and October with 21 hits. He also had a power surge in September, hitting four home runs while setting his career high for home runs in a single month.


2016: World Series appearance

In
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
, Ramírez hit .312/.363/.462. He became the first player during 2016 to hit in every spot in the lineup when he batted fourth on June 28. Ramírez had also played four positions this year: second base, third base, shortstop, and left field. When asked about Ramírez's play, Indians hitting coach Ty Van Burkleo noted that Ramírez "has done a great job all year." He also concluded that with the Indians missing Michael Brantley, Ramírez has really stepped up in the heart of their batting order and has "been a real shot in the arm" for the organization. As of July 14, Ramírez was third in the American League with a .377 batting average with runners in scoring position. He backed that up on June 19, when he hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning against the Chicago White Sox, which gave the Indians a 3–2 win. That win was the third of 14 straight wins for the Indians, which was then a franchise record. Their 14 straight wins from June 17 to July 1 is not only a franchise record but also the longest win streak in baseball since 2013. During the streak, Ramírez batted .298 while compiling 17 hits and nine RBIs. On September 17, his 24th birthday, he hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 10th inning to give the Indians a 1–0 victory over the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
. He finished the season having established then career-highs of a .312 batting average, 46 doubles, 11 home runs, 76 RBIs, 22 stolen bases, and 4.8 Wins Above Replacement (WAR or bWAR, per Baseball-Reference.com). In the fifth game of the
World Series The World Series is the annual championship series of Major League Baseball (MLB). It has been contested since between the champion teams of the American League (AL) and the National League (NL). The winning team, determined through a best- ...
, Ramírez hit a home run, giving Cleveland a 1–0 lead over the
Chicago Cubs The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
. He hit .310 (9-for-31) in the World Series, with one each of a walk, home run, and double. The Cubs ultimately prevailed, however, with Cleveland falling one run short in Game 7 in a bid for their first championship since
1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The current Constitutions of Constitution of Italy, Italy and of Constitution of New Jersey, New Jersey (both later subject to amendment) ...
. The Cleveland chapter of the
Baseball Writers' Association of America The Baseball Writers' Association of America (BBWAA) is a professional association for journalists writing about Major League Baseball for daily newspapers, magazines, and qualifying websites. The organization was founded in 1908 and is known fo ...
(BBWAA) selected Ramírez as the
Bob Feller Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...
Man of the Year Award winner, the equivalent of the club's Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award. He also received consideration for the
AL MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League (baseball), National League. The award has been present ...
for the first time, placing 17th.


2017: Silver Slugger Award

On March 28,
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
, Ramírez signed a five-year contract extension worth $26 million. In June, he collected nine consecutive multi-hit games, the longest such streak for an Indians player since Roy Hughes in 1936. He was named AL Player of the Week for the first time in his career on June 18, after batting .516 with 16 hits, three home runs, seven RBIs and a stolen base. He raised his average from .265 to .320 over his previous 22 games. When Jason Kipnis sustained a hamstring injury on July 9, the Indians placed him on the 10-day DL, and shifted Ramírez to cover second base to replace him for much of the remainder of the season. Ramírez was selected by fan voting as the starting third baseman for the American League in the 2017 MLB All-Star Game. On September 3 versus the
Detroit Tigers The Detroit Tigers are an American professional baseball team based in Detroit. The Tigers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. One of the AL's eight chart ...
, Ramírez tied a major league record with five
extra-base hit In baseball, an extra-base hit (EB, EBH or XBH), also known as a long hit, is any hit (baseball), base hit on which the batting (baseball), batter is able to advance past first base without the benefit of a fielder either committing an error (base ...
s, which included three doubles and two home runs. Incidentally, both home runs received "help", as both were catchable. For the first home run, Mikie Mahtook pushed the ball over the fence with his bare hand. On the second, the ball bounced off Alex Presley's glove and touched the yellow stripe of the fence for a home run. That game was also the 11th of a 22-game win streak spanning August 24−September 15, which surpassed the 2002 Oakland Athletics' 20 consecutive wins for the American League record, and was the second longest all-time to the
New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. The ...
' 26 consecutive in 1916. In that streak, Ramírez made the strongest offensive contribution, batting .423/.462/.944. He was named AL Player of the Week on September 5. In 152 games played in 2017, Ramirez finished with an MLB-leading 56 doubles, a .318 batting average, .957 OPS, 29 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 107 runs scored. He totaled 91 extra base hits, the second-highest total in one season for a switch hitter in major league history. He became just the 19th player to hit at least 56 doubles in one season. His .957 OPS is the highest ever in one season for a player who made at least 60 appearances at both second base and third base. Of the 74 major league batters to hit at least 25 home runs, Ramírez struck out the fewest times (69). End of season awards for Ramírez included selection as designated hitter on ''Baseball Americas All-MLB Team, and his first career
Silver Slugger Award The Silver Slugger Award has been awarded annually since 1980 to the best Batting (baseball), offensive player at each Baseball positions, position in both the American League (AL) and the National League (baseball), National League (NL), as determ ...
, as the top-hitting AL third baseman. He received a nomination as one of three Rawlings Gold Glove Award finalists at third base. He placed third in the AL Most Valuable Player Award balloting, behind winner Jose Altuve and
Aaron Judge Aaron James Judge (born April 26, 1992) is an American professional baseball right fielder for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). He is a six-time MLB All-Star and two-time American League (AL) Most Valuable Player Award (MVP ...
.


2018: 30–30 club

On May 29,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
, Ramírez hit his 17th home run of the season in a 9–1 victory versus the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
. He joined Albert Belle as the only hitters in Cleveland Indians to have hit at least that many home runs before the end of May, and for the month had batted .336, 11 home runs and 25 RBIs. He had 18 home runs on the year at that point, second to Belle in
1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...
with 21 home runs for most at the end of May in franchise history. Further, Ramírez and Francisco Lindor became the first Cleveland teammates to both hit at least 10 home runs in one month since Jim Thome and Karim García in
2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...
. Slashing .292/.395/.590 with 24 home runs, 59 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases, Ramírez was named the starting third baseman for the AL in the 2018 MLB All-Star Game. On September 9 versus the
Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays are a Canadian professional baseball team based in Toronto. The Blue Jays compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League East, East Division. Since 1989, the team has p ...
, he registered his 30th stolen base, in addition to 37 home runs, to join the
30–30 club In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 30–30 club is the group of 47 Batter (baseball), batters who have collected 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season. ''Baseball Digest'' called the 30–30 club "the most celebrated feat that can ...
– the first in the majors since
Mike Trout Michael Nelson Trout (born August 7, 1991) is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). Trout is an 11-time Major League Baseball All-Star Game, All-Star, three-time American League (A ...
in
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
. Ramírez was the 49th member of this group, and the third Indian to do so, joining Joe Carter (
1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...
) and Grady Sizemore (
2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...
). For the season, Ramírez batted .270/.387/.552 and led the major leagues in walks-per-strikeout at 1.33. He also led the American League in power-speed number (36.3), and had the highest number of pitches per plate appearance in the major leagues (4.30). He became the first Indians player to achieve 30 home runs, 30 stolen bases, 100 runs scored, and 100 RBIs in the same season. However, he batted .302 before the All-Star break and .218 after. Ramírez batted 2-for-20 (.100) in the 2018 ALDS, as Cleveland lost to the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
.


2019

Ramírez began the 2019 season continuing the slump that he endured towards the end of the 2018 season. Throughout 102 games beginning August 18, 2018, he batted .189. He was being pitched with much fewer fastballs that he could drive, resulting in more pop-ups with much weaker overall contact. From Opening Day of 2017 to August 18, 2018, he had pulled 42 fastballs for home runs, leading the major leagues. In the 102-game span, he had hit four. He batted .218 with a .308 OBP and .344 SLG in the first half of the 2019 season. However, Ramírez experienced a resurgence as the season progressed. On August 15, 2019, he hit his first career grand slam in the first inning against the
New York Yankees The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Am ...
. He hit a two-run home run in his next at-bat as the Indians won, 19–5. After the All-Star break, he was second in MLB with 32 extra-base hits and third with 40 RBIs, when he broke the hamate bone in the right wrist on August 24, requiring surgery. He appeared in 129 games during the season, hitting .255 with 23 home runs, 83 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases.


2020: Silver Slugger Award

The 2020 season began slowly for Ramírez as he dealt with a thumb injury. He batted .230 with six doubles, five home runs, and 18 RBIs for the first month. Starting August 25, he batted .358 with 12 home runs and 28 RBIs. Over a seven-game span in September, Ramírez homered six times to help carry the Indians' playoff run following an eight-game losing streak. On September 22, he hit a walk-off home run in the tenth inning to defeat the
Chicago White Sox The Chicago White Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The White Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The club plays its ...
5–3, clinching a playoff berth for Cleveland. Ramírez garnered the AL Player of the Month Award for September, batting .366/.453/.841 with nine doubles, 10 home runs, 24 RBIs, 1.294 OPS, 19 extra-base hits, and 69 total bases. He led MLB for the month in home runs (tied), OBP, SLG, OPS, total bases (tied), and doubles (tied). He was second in batting. Each of his last 11 hits in the regular season went for extra bases. He led the club with 17 home runs during the season. Ramírez concluded the season batting .292, .386 OBP, and career-highs in OPS (.993), slugging percentage (.607), and OPS+ (163). He also tallied 64 hits, 45 runs scored, 16 doubles, 17 home runs, 46 RBIs, 133 total bases, 34 extra-base hits, 31 walks, and ten stolen bases. Per FanGraphs' version of WAR (fWAR), he led the major leagues with 3.4. He also tied for the AL lead in runs scored with Tim Anderson and in extra-base hits with José Abreu, both of the White Sox. Ramírez placed second in OPS and total bases, third in slugging percentage, doubles, home runs, and RBIs, fifth in stolen bases and adjusted OPS+, and tenth in walks. This performance netted Ramírez his third career Silver Slugger Award and a second-place finish to Abreu in the
AL MVP The Major League Baseball Most Valuable Player Award (MVP) is an annual Major League Baseball (MLB) award given to one outstanding player in the American League and one in the National League (baseball), National League. The award has been present ...
voting.


2021: Bob Feller Man of the Year

In
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
, Ramírez was selected to the
MLB All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...
for the third time of his career. At the time of the announcement, he had batted .265 with a .882 OPS, 54 runs scored, 18 doubles, 18 home runs, 50 RBIs, and six stolen bases. His 6.5 fWAR and 138 wRC+ both ranked second among AL third baseman behind Rafael Devers of the
Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ch ...
. Ramírez produced the highest batted ball pull percentage in the major leagues, at 56.8%. He was chosen as the winner of Bob Feller Man of the Year Award, the second of his career. The Indians exercised the club option on Ramírez's contract for the 2022 season on November 5, 2021.


2022: Contract extension

On April 6,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
, Ramírez signed a 5-year, $124 million extension with the Cleveland Guardians. Combined with his contract extension signed in November 2021, Ramírez's new contract guaranteed nearly $150 million through 2028. The largest contract awarded in franchise history, the deal also included a full "no-trade" clause. In Cleveland's home opener, Ramírez doubled in the ninth inning of a 4–1 defeat to the
San Francisco Giants The San Francisco Giants are an American professional baseball team based in San Francisco. The Giants compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
for his 1,000th career hit. He won AL Player of the Month honors for April, having hit .342 (27-for-79) and .722 slugging percentage, 12 runs scored, seven doubles, a triple, seven home runs, 28 RBIs, and nine bases on balls over 21 games. During that month, he also reached the career milestone of 1,000 games played. On May 28 versus
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
, Ramírez homered, tripled and drove in five runs, amounting to an MLB-leading 48 RBIs through the Guardians' first 42 games, tied for third-most in club history. Of all in franchise history, only
Manny Ramirez Manuel Arístides Ramírez Onelcida (born May 30, 1972) is a Dominican Americans (Dominican Republic), Dominican-American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for parts of 19 seasons. He played wit ...
(56 in
1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...
), Al Rosen (49 in
1954 Events January * January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting. * January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
) and Earl Averill (also 48) had equaled or surpassed José Ramírez. He was named AL Player of the Week for the May 24–30, having recorded three home runs, three stolen bases, 11 RBIs, seven total extra base hits, .348/.423/.957, three walks and one strikeout. In 2022, he led the major leagues with 44 doubles and 20 intentional walks, batting .280/.355/.514 with 29 home runs and 126 RBIs across 685 plate appearances.


2023

On June 8, Ramírez notched his first career three-home run game against the
Red Sox The Boston Red Sox are an American professional baseball team based in Boston. The Red Sox compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) East Division. Founded in as one of the American League's eight ch ...
. On August 5, Ramírez and Chicago White Sox shortstop Tim Anderson instigated a
bench-clearing brawl A bench-clearing brawl is a form of fighting that occurs in sports, most notably baseball and ice hockey, where most or all players on both teams leave their Dugout (baseball), dugouts, bullpens, or benches, and charge onto the playing area in or ...
after Anderson applied a tag to Ramírez, where Ramírez would wind up knocking Anderson to the ground with a right hook. After the game, Ramírez said that Anderson had been "disrespecting the game for a while now". Ramírez was ejected from the game and suspended for three games. After an appeal, his suspension was reduced to two games. In 2023, he batted .282/.356/.475, led the AL in intentional walks (22) and was second in the AL behind
Alex Bregman Alexander David Bregman (born March 30, 1994) is an American professional baseball third baseman for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Houston Astros. As a high school sophomore at Albu ...
in walks/strikeout (1.00).


2024

On September 29, when the final game of the regular season against the
Houston Astros The Houston Astros are an American professional baseball team based in Houston. The Astros compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. They are one of two major leag ...
at Progressive Field was canceled due to rain, he finished the 2024 season batting .279/.335/.537 with 39 doubles, 39 home runs, and 41 stolen bases, falling one home run shy of becoming the seventh player to join the 40–40 club and only one double and a home run short from a 40–40–40 season.


2025

On April 4, Ramírez notched his second career three-home run game against the
Angels An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...
. His fifth-inning bomb also swung Ramírez into the history books as it marked his 26th career multihomer game, tying the Cleveland franchise record held by Albert Belle and Jim Thome. On May 1, Ramírez stole his 250th career stolen base against the
Minnesota Twins The Minnesota Twins are an American professional baseball team based in Minneapolis. The Twins compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League Central, Central Division. The team is named afte ...
. With that stolen base, Ramírez became the first player in Guardians franchise history with at least 250 home runs and 250 stolen bases. He’s the 24th player to pull off the feat and the second switch-hitter (along with Carlos Beltrán). He is also the first third baseman to pull off the feat and the seventh player to do the feat with one team in major league history.


Awards and honors

* 3× Bob Feller Man of the Year (
2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...
,
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
) * 6× Major League Baseball (MLB) All-Star (
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
,
2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...
,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
,
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
,
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
) * 5× Silver Slugger at
third base A third baseman, abbreviated 3B, is the player in baseball or softball whose responsibility is to defend the area nearest to third base — the third of four bases a baserunner must touch in succession to score a run. In the scoring system us ...
(2017, 2018, 2020, 2022, 2024) * Youth baseball field on the west side of Cleveland named 'José Ramírez Field'.


Milestones

* 2×
30–30 club In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 30–30 club is the group of 47 Batter (baseball), batters who have collected 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases in a single season. ''Baseball Digest'' called the 30–30 club "the most celebrated feat that can ...
(
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
,
2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...
) * 250-250 club


Statistical league leader

* 2× Doubles (
2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...
,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
) * 2× Extra base hits (2017, 2020) * 2× Intentional bases on balls (2022, 2023) * 3× Power–speed number (2018, 2020, 2024) *
Runs scored In baseball, a run is scored when a player advances around first, second and third base and returns safely to home plate, touching the bases in that order, before three outs are recorded and all obligations to reach base safely on batted bal ...
(2020) *
Runs created Runs created (RC) is a baseball statistics, baseball statistic invented by Bill James to estimate the number of runs a hitter contributes to their team. Purpose James explains in his book, ''The Bill James Historical Baseball Abstract'', why he be ...
(2020) * Sacrifice hits (
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
) * Wins Above ReplacementFanGraphs (2020)


Personal life

Ramírez is married. He and his wife, Rosedith Almonte, have three children: Isabella, Isaell and JJ. Ramírez has a brother, Hanley Báez Ramírez, who also signed with the Cleveland organization in 2018 at the age of 16. Owing to his baseball instincts and dedication, former teammate Francisco Lindor has commented that if he were the owner of a team and given the option to sign any player in the sport, it would be Ramírez.


See also

* Cleveland Guardians award winners and league leaders * List of Major League Baseball annual doubles leaders * List of Major League Baseball annual runs scored leaders * List of Major League Baseball doubles records * List of Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramírez, José 1992 births Living people 21st-century Dominican Republic sportsmen 30–30 club Akron Aeros players American League All-Stars Arizona League Indians players Cleveland Guardians players Cleveland Indians players Columbus Clippers players Lake County Captains players Mahoning Valley Scrappers players Major League Baseball infielders Major League Baseball players from the Dominican Republic Silver Slugger Award winners Baseball players from Baní Toros del Este players