WEST SACRAMENTO -- Guardians president of baseball operations Chris Antonetti vividly remembers José Ramírez’s MLB debut. The then-20-year-old entered as a pinch-runner for Carlos Santana in the ninth inning on Sept. 1, 2013, against the Tigers, and did not seem to lack confidence.
“When he took his first lead, he was, like, 30 feet off the base, or that's what it seemed,” Antonetti recalled recently. “And [former Cleveland manager Terry Francona] joked after the game that Hosey thinks he's invisible out there.
“He might still think he's invisible, but it's obviously served him well.”
Ramírez has put together a Hall of Fame résumé during his 14-year career, one which gained another major bullet point on Saturday. The 33-year-old stole his 300th career base in the Guardians’ 14-6 win over the A’s at Sutter Health Park.
Ramírez knocked a go-ahead two-run double off A’s lefty Jacob Lopez in the fifth inning. Two pitches later, he took off for third base and dove in safely with a headfirst slide.
Ramírez is only the second Cleveland player in franchise history with 300-plus career steals, joining Kenny Lofton (452). He is only the third primary third baseman (minimum 50 percent of games at the position) in the Modern Era (since 1900) with 300 steals, following Chone Figgins (341) and Hans Lobert (316).
Among active players, Ramírez is now one of four with 300-plus steals, following Starling Marte (361, entering Saturday), Jose Altuve (326) and Trea Turner (318). The Guardians’ third baseman now needs just nine home runs to become the ninth player in MLB history with 300 home runs and 300 steals in a career.
The 300-300 club features Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez, Willie Mays, Andre Dawson, Carlos Beltrán, Bobby Bonds, Reggie Sanders and Steve Finley.
“It's the coolest thing,” Guardians catcher David Fry said. “I was saying in the dugout, I feel like I've never seen him get thrown out. He's just so good at it. Obviously, he's fast, but there's an art to it, too.
“I went up to him all fired up. I was like, ‘Hey, 300 steals!’ He's like, ‘It's OK, bro, 100 more. … He's different. He's the best.”
Ramírez is 13-for-13 in stolen-base attempts this season. He led the American League in steals when the Guardians’ win went final on Saturday.
If you’re keeping track at home, one player has hit 400 home runs and stolen 400 bases in a career: Barry Bonds (762 homers and 514 steals). Bonds is also the only player with 350 homers and 350 steals, too. Ramírez is on the fast track to joining him there.
Ramírez has always had above-average speed. In the Statcast Era (since 2015), his sprint speed has hovered between 27-28 feet per second, including 28.4 feet per second in ’25, which ranked in the 78th percentile in the Majors. But his baserunning prowess is as much about his baseball IQ.
“Hosey’s prepared,” manager Stephen Vogt said Friday. “He knows what the pitcher's moves are before he even gets to first base. He studies. Sandy [Alomar Jr.] helps him out a lot with that as well. But Hosey knows when to steal a base. … He's not running just to run. It's calculated.
“Hosey’s baseball IQ is off the charts. That's why he's a great basestealer. He can run a little bit, but he's not super fast. But man, I don't know if anybody runs the bases harder than him. The turns that he uses are flawless. He is just a phenomenal baserunner.”
The Guardians trailed, 3-2, with one out in the fifth on Saturday when Ramírez hit a two-run double off Lopez. With third base open, he saw an opportunity to get closer to scoring.
As Lopez delivered an 0-1 offering to Rhys Hoskins, Ramírez took off for third. Fittingly, he lost his helmet sliding in safely, as we have lovingly grown to see throughout his career.
As Vogt noted, Ramírez’s accomplishment averages out to 10 seasons with 30 steals. That not only requires baserunning acumen, but longevity and durability that have come to define Ramírez’s career.
Saturday marked the latest in a long list of milestone moments for Ramírez to celebrate this season and those coming. He already became Cleveland’s franchise leader in games played on April 6. Soon, he’ll become the second player to hit 300-plus home runs in a Cleveland uniform, joining Jim Thome (337).
Ramírez’s teammates are enjoying the show.
“Every year, he has a new milestone, and it's so cool to watch,” Guardians catcher Austin Hedges said. “It's cool to watch an already-first-ballot Hall of Famer just pad his stats now.”