CLEVELAND -- José Ramírez might just be your favorite baseball player. You just don’t know it yet.
Well, OK, Guardians fans know it. And even casual fans know by now that Ramírez is a dynamic player. The "underrated" label has long since stopped applying to this seven-time All-Star.
With Ramírez’s Guardians in an ALCS that continues with Game 3 on Thursday night at Progressive Field, it’s a good time to share some fun and fascinating elements of his story that many fans might not be aware of. Though the prevailing narrative at this moment is his rare defensive miscue that opened the doors to the Rays’ win in Game 2, Ramírez is the primary reason the Guardians are in the ALCS in the first place, and his talent and personality are worth celebrating.
Here are -- appropriately, for the man who wears No. 11 for Cleveland -- 11 things every baseball fan should know about José Ramírez.
1) He hates being called 'J-Ram'
Let’s get this one out of the way right away. “J-Ram” is anathema to Ramírez, who is far too dynamic for such a dull nickname anyway.
If you must use a folksy nickname, “Hosey” works. But in Cleveland, Ramírez doesn’t need a nickname or a last name. He’s simply “José” (and it sounds best when sung to the stadium anthem “Ole! Ole! Ole!”).
2) He’s put the Guardians on his back
It’s funny to think that, a little more than a week ago, people were questioning Ramírez’s October clutchness. He had an injury-riddled regular season and struggled through Game 2 of the ALDS against the White Sox, with the Guardians down 0-2.
Be it the stakes or the crowd riding him, something snapped in Game 3. From that point on, he went 5-for-12 with five runs scored, seven RBIs, two homers, a double and a triple over three games. In the Game 5 clincher at home, he somehow golfed a curveball virtually in the dirt for a career-defining home run, then followed it up with a three-hit night in Cleveland’s Game 1 win in the ALCS.
As teammate Chase DeLauter put it: "He's the G.O.A.T. … When he comes out and has that kind of fire, it lights all of us up.”
3) He’s a likely future Hall of Famer
The postseason was the one element lacking from Ramírez’s resumé prior to this fall, but his Cooperstown case is already shaping up nicely. He sits at 60.3 bWAR, just 8.6 shy of the average of third basemen in the Hall of Fame, with a seven-year peak bWAR (44.7) just below Brooks Robinson’s (45.8).
At age 34, he is just three regular-season home runs shy of joining Alex Rodriguez as the only third basemen, shortstops, or second basemen with at least 300 homers, 400 doubles, 300 steals, and 1,000 RBIs. He’s finished as an AL MVP finalist four times. Last year, Sarah Langs made the definitive case for him as the best player never to win the award.
4) He’s a throwback
The stats are nice, but it’s the way this compact, 5-foot-8 player gets to them that makes him so fun to watch.
It’s pure hustle -- dirty uniforms, flying helmets and natural instincts. His steals stem from situational intelligence rather than elite speed, while his range, fluidity, and elite pitch-reading allow him to play an above-average hot corner and avoid strikeouts despite modest raw bat speed and arm strength.
5) His baseball smarts are off the charts
In the ninth inning of ALCS Game 1, Ramírez broke for third and came around to score when Jo Adell rolled a grounder through the left side of the infield. Cameras caught Ramírez laughing as he crossed home plate.
Why? After the game, his agent relayed that Ramírez had planned the whole play out: He knew that Kevin Kelly was going to throw a changeup. He knew that Adell was going to roll over on it and hit a grounder to the left side. By stealing, he pulled Rays third baseman Junior Caminero to the bag -- and opened a hole exactly where the ball ended up going.
A bad hop on the Trop’s turf the next night was no reflection of this innate intelligence.
Ramírez will venture away from the on-deck circle just to get a better view of a pitcher's release point, playing the game through anticipation rather than mere reaction. One of his greatest joys is putting pressure on opponents by drawing throws, taking secondary leads and creating openings for his teammates.
Surrounded by younger players on a budget-conscious roster, he constantly tries to impart these nuances, noting, "When these guys really focus and pay attention to the game, we score a lot of runs."
6) He has humble roots
Hailing from Baní in the Dominican Republic, Ramírez grew up playing baseball on a rocky dirt square, crossing the Río Baní from a rural home that lacked running water.
Financial limitations meant playing with a glove that was too tight and using water jug caps as baseballs in games of "Vitilla.” A major childhood lifeline came when former AL MVP Miguel Tejada held a local clinic distributing equipment and food. Ramírez rushed to the front of the line.
“I never forgot it,” he said.
7) He was only scouted by accident
Undersized and often the youngest player in his league, a 13-year-old Ramírez played in rough adult leagues watched over by gamblers, with a machete dangling behind home plate as a warning for poor performance.
Scouts weren't watching him; he was usually just an extra man at showcases. But in 2009, Cleveland scouting director John Mirabelli and scout Ramon Peña happened to catch him filling in for another player and ripping hits in bunches. Peña pounded the table for him, and Ramírez was signed for $50,000.
“He’s not the guy that came in with a lot of acclaim,” Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti said. “He wasn’t afforded a ton of extra opportunities because of an investment.”
8) He’s incredibly loyal
That modest $50,000 investment bought an extraordinary level of allegiance.
Ramírez faced a crossroads in 2022, when the Guardians were contemplating a trade before his final two control years. Ramírez wanted no part of leaving. He implored his agent to secure a deal that would keep him in Cleveland, prioritizing happiness and stability over free-agent riches.
“I’m happier with $150 million in Cleveland,” he told his agent, according to an ESPN report, “than $200 million somewhere else.”
Now signed through his age-39 season, he explains it simply: "Cleveland is everything to me. When nobody wanted to give me a chance, they gave me a chance."
9) His community work is not just lip service
Crediting his late grandmother, Santa Ramírez, with teaching him the value of sharing his success, José insisted on partnering with the Guardians on community impact projects. He funded the $2.7 million José Ramírez Field alongside Cleveland Guardians Charities, serving the Lincoln-West High School team and Cleveland's Nike RBI program on a street the city proudly named José Ramírez Way.
He has also helped expand MLB's Fun At-Bat program locally and teamed up to completely refurbish the rough field in Baní where he first learned to play, making it a safe and usable space for the next generation of ballplayers.
“The reality,” he said, “is that those kids in the D.R. have no alternative. That’s why I feel it’s really important to help.”
10) He respects the game
While his famous 2023 altercation with Tim Anderson spawned popular Cleveland T-shirts celebrating the "Down Goes Anderson" moment, Ramírez was actually mortified by it. He never wants to show up an opponent or be viewed as a troublemaker, emphasizing that his goal is always to give 100 percent and set an example.
At its core, Ramírez has said what he loves most about baseball is that it is "a disciplined way of learning how to respect each other."
11) He’s hilarious
Cutthroat on the field, Ramírez loves to keep people loose off it.
He’s worn a chain with a picture of himself. Wearing a chain. He’s worn a belt adorned with his image, too.
He’s joked that he’s “more beautiful” than Shohei Ohtani. He’s yelled to Freddie Freeman, “You’re one of the best hitters … after me.”
He trash talks teammates during games of Mario Kart or playfully smacks them in the back of the head when it’s time to pay attention. Once, when a teammate was smashing an iPad after a bad at-bat, Ramírez calmly told him, “Bro, settle down, that iPad can’t hit.” He’ll field another player’s position during batting practice and josh about how easy it is.
Ultimately, he’s a connector of people, keeping things fresh with deadpan humor that keeps people guessing.
We don’t have to guess what Ramírez is going to say whenever Cleveland’s in-game reporter Andre Knott asks him what pitch he hit for a home run. The answer is the same each time.
Now you know José Ramírez. He might not be your favorite player yet. But hopefully you understand why he’s a favorite to so many.