• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Cleveland Daily

Cleveland Sports News, Rumors & Highlights

  • Home
  • Guardians News
  • Cavs News
  • Browns News
  • Newsletter
  • Contact
  • About

Revisiting The Argument Of Jose Ramirez Being Underrated

By Steven Kubitza May 17, 2021 @kubitzawrites

Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) at bat during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Cleveland Indians and Pittsburgh Pirates on August 19, 2020, at PNC Park in Pittsburgh PA.
(Photo by Frank Jansky/Icon Sportswire)

 

The Cleveland Indians have a true MLB star in Jose Ramirez.

He is playing at an elite level in 2021 and has been a premier member of the organization since 2016.

So is it even possible for him to be considered underrated?

A popular MLB-focused Twitter account seemed to bring that up Monday morning.

The Indians even retweeted the statement.

I feel like the @Indians' José Ramírez is somehow still underrated.

His .983 OPS is the 4th highest among all MLB batters over their last 162 games (behind only Trout, Cruz, and Soto) and his 98 extra-base hits are tops among all players.

— High Heat Stats (@HighHeatStats) May 17, 2021

The argument depends on what is being taken into consideration for the evidence.

 

Why the Indians Star is Clearly Not Ignored

Just looking at Ramirez’s history in American League MVP voting proves he is never ignored.

He finished second in the voting last season and was third in both 2017 and 2018.

It is hard to consider a routine MVP finalist “underrated.”

The overall problem may be the fact he plays in a smaller market.

But that did nothing to limit Francisco Lindor‘s star power or earning potential.

True baseball fans know the name of Jose Ramirez to be one of the top players in the game.

However, being underrated could be applied to a different context.

 

Why the Lessened Contract Expectations?

Ramirez has been just as good as, or even better than, Lindor throughout their respective careers.

So why did Lindor get a $341 million deal while Ramirez may struggle to fight for something around $200 million?

That is a fantastic question.

Ramirez’s problem is that the Indians still hold club options on him in 2022 and 2023.

That has him hitting free agency as a 30-year-old.

Lindor is only 27 years old and MLB front offices know about the impending declines with age.

Ramirez also locked himself into an extremely team-friendly deal with the Indians that hurt his future earning potential.

However, he is still getting a nice fortune of money, just not what he could have made.

So in terms of money, Ramirez can be seen as an underrated guy.

He is going to show up atop the WAR leaderboards on an annual basis, only to be way down on the annual salary charts.

 

The Final Verdict

It is hard to call a perennial MVP finalist an underrated player.

Best OPS in MLB over last 116 games played:
1.057 Yordan Alvarez
1.056 Mike Trout
1.049 Juan Soto
.981 Jose Ramirez
.980 Nelson Cruz
.975 Alex Bregman
.954 Freddie Freeman

Those are Yordan Alvarez’s first 116 MLB games…

He is hitting .324/.407/.650 with 34 HR and 103 RBI👀

— Jeremy Frank (@MLBRandomStats) May 10, 2021

Yet Ramirez may miss out on a massive payday.

He will still make a fortune, but someone with his talent is right up there with Lindor.

Ramirez is definitely not underrated in the city of Cleveland.

He is the star of the show and is looked toward as the savior on offense when things are going bad.

Ramirez may only be a surprise to casual fans of the game who aren’t paying close attention.

If any opposing pitchers don’t study up, they too may be in for a shocking sight of Ramirez taking them deep more than once in a game.

Arguments are sometimes created out of thin air on social media.

Accounts can say Ramirez is underrated and there is no easy way to necessarily prove them wrong.

But in this case, we have a true star on our hands.

The only way the pitchforks should come out is if he is ignored as an MVP finalist given he keeps up his current pace.

    Get ALL the latest Cleveland sports news straight to your inbox! Subscribe to the Cleveland daily newsletter here!    

Filed Under: Cleveland Guardians Rumors And News (Updated Daily), Cleveland Indians News And Rumors (Updated Daily) Tagged With: cleveland indians, Jose Ramirez

About Steven Kubitza

Steven has been an Indians fan since the day he was born. Lucky enough to not remember the World Series losses in the 90s, he will never forget the magic and the heartbreak of Game 7 in 2016. He wore the No. 13 playing baseball growing up because of Omar and still rocks a Cody Allen jersey for good luck.

Reader Interactions

Follow Cleveland Daily!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

More Cleveland Indians,Jose Ramirez News

Cleveland Indians first baseman Carlos Santana (41) singles to drive in a run during the first inning of the Major League Baseball interleague game between the Philidelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians on September 21, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Carlos Santana, Kansas City Royals Reach 2-Year Deal

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) on the field during the seventh inning of the Major League Baseball interleague game between the Philidelphia Phillies and Cleveland Indians on September 20, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Report: Indians To 'Aggressively' Listen To Offers For Francisco Lindor

2 years ago

A general view of Progressive Field during the Cleveland Indians Summer Camp in preparation for a shortened MLB season during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on July 19, 2020, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Cleveland Indians Draft Trevor Stephan In Rule 5 Draft

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) celebrates as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the second inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Texas Rangers and Cleveland Indians on August 7, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Shane Bieber, Jose Ramirez, Brad Hand Named To All-MLB team

2 years ago

A general view of the Progressive Field scoreboard during the Cleveland Indians Summer Camp in preparation for a shortened MLB season during the coronavirus

Cleveland Indians Top 3 Prospects Of 2021

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) delivers a pitch to the plate during the ninth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Los Angeles Angels and Cleveland Indians on August 4, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Top 3 Cornerstone Cleveland Indians Players Of The Future

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians pitcher Jefry Rodriguez (68) delivers a pitch to the plate during the fourth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Oakland Athletics and Cleveland Indians on May 22, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Cleveland Indians Parts Ways With Pitcher Jefry Rodriguez

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians center fielder Oscar Mercado (35) motions towards the Indians dugout as he rounds the bases after hitting a home run during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians on September 17, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

2 Indians Players Who Could Have Breakout Seasons In 2021

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) on the field during the ninth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels played on September 9, 2019 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA.

2 Prospects The Indians Must Get From Mets In Lindor Trade

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians left fielder Jordan Luplow (8) is congratulated by Cleveland Indians catcher Roberto Perez (55) after scoring a run during the third inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians on July 16, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

3 Indians Players With Something To Prove In 2021

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians manager Terry Francona (77) looks to the dugout as he makes a pitching change after Cleveland Indians pitcher Hunter Wood (54) hit by a ball off the bat of Boston Red Sox first baseman Mitch Moreland (18) during the sixth inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians on August 12, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Is It Time For The Indians To Begin Rebuilding For The Future?

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians outfielder Oscar Mercado (35) is congratulated in the dugout after scoring a run during the seventh inning of the Major League Baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and Cleveland Indians on September 15, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

3 Bold Predictions For The Cleveland Indians In 2021

2 years ago

indians logo

3 Indians Players To Watch During Spring Training

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians shortstop Francisco Lindor (12) in the dugout after scoring on a Yasiel Puig (66) single in the first inning of a game against the Los Angeles Angels played on September 9, 2019 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim in Anaheim, CA.

Who Will Replace Francisco Lindor At Shortstop For The Indians?

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians owner Paul Dolan addresses the crowd prior to the Opening Day Major League Baseball game between the Chicago White Sox and Cleveland Indians on April 11, 2017, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH. Cleveland defeated Chicago 2-1 in ten innings.

Should Paul Dolan Sell The Cleveland Indians?

2 years ago

progressive field

A Look At The Top 3 Indians Prospects In Their System

2 years ago

indians logo

Cleveland Indians Sign Billy Hamilton And Ben Gamel

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) before an MLB game between the Cleveland Indians and Kansas City Royals on September 1, 2020 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, MO.

3 Trade Possibilities If The Indians Deal Jose Ramirez

2 years ago

Mitch Moreland (18) of the Red Sox waits on deck during the MLB regular season game between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays on April 21, 2019, at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, FL.

Should The Indians Pursue Mitch Moreland In 2021?

2 years ago

Indians flag

3 Potential Free Agent Targets For The Indians

2 years ago

Phillies RP Blake Parker (53) pitches in the fifth inning during the game between the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies on August 30, 2020 at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA.

Reliever Blake Parker Gets Chance With Indians In 2021

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Shane Bieber (57) delivers a pitch to the plate during the first inning of the Major League Baseball game between the New York Yankees and Cleveland Indians on June 9, 2019, at Progressive Field in Cleveland, OH.

Should The Indians Attempt To Extend Shane Bieber?

2 years ago

Cleveland Indians dugout

Cleveland Indians Projected 2021 Lineup (Updated)

2 years ago

Minnesota Twins left fielder Eddie Rosario (20) hits a homerun in the second inning of the MLB baseball game between the Minnesota Twins and the Chicago White Sox on September 16, 2020 at Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago, IL.

Indians Agree To 1-Year Deal With Eddie Rosario

2 years ago

Primary Sidebar

Search Cleveland Daily

Follow Cleveland Daily!

Footer

Privacy Policy

Terms And Conditions

Contact Us

Copyright © 2023 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED - ClevelandDaily.com is not affiliated with the Cleveland Indians or Major League Baseball.