Cleveland Guardians All-Star Jose Ramirez is a dark horse in the American League MVP race, and on Wednesday, he provided another reason why he’s deserving.
Ramirez went deep against the Arizona Diamondbacks, securing a 30-home run, 20-stolen base campaign for the third time in his career. The 31-year-old is now tied with Alex Rodriguez (2007, 2005, 2004) and Howard Johnson (1991, 1989, 1987) for the most such seasons by a third baseman in MLB history, per Stathead.
Only 14 third basemen all-time have accomplished the feat at least once. Ramirez is one of only two active players on the list, including Manny Machado, who finished with 35 home runs and 20 stolen bases for the Baltimore Orioles in 2015.
In the Guardians doubleheader against the Diamondbacks, Ramirez finished 2-for-7 with two RBI. He’s slashing .282./.335/.548 with a .882 OPS and ranks fifth in home runs (30) and second in RBI (96) among MLB hitters.
As is expected from MVP-caliber players, Ramirez has been remarkably consistent for the Guardians. Since May 5, he’s gone hitless in back-to-back games only once, posting 25 home runs, 71 RBI and only 44 strikeouts over that stretch (337 plate appearances).
Still, Ramirez is seemingly a long shot to win the AL MVP award. According to Fanduel Sports Book, he currently has the fifth-best odds (+13000), behind favorite Aaron Judge (-1350), Bobby Witt Jr. (+700), Gunnar Henderson (+1600) and Juan Soto (+3000).
It probably doesn’t help that Ramirez and the Guardians are in the midst of a five-game losing streak, their longest of the 2024 season. But on the bright side, Cleveland (67-47) is still in control of its destiny, owning a 3.5-game lead over the Minnesota Twins (63-50) for the AL Central division lead.