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Jose Ramirez: The best player you’ve never heard of

By Joe Russo

Jun 4, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) runs toward home plate against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. The Indians won 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 4, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Cleveland Indians third baseman Jose Ramirez (11) runs toward home plate against the Kansas City Royals in the fourth inning at Kauffman Stadium. The Indians won 8-0. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports /
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Cleveland Indians’ Jose Ramirez is a superstar, it’s just that most MLB fans have no idea who the third baseman is.

It’s no secret to Cleveland fans that Jose Ramirez has turned himself into one of the better players in the American League. We’ve been able to witness first hand his improvement since he was benched half way through the 2015 season, easily the low point on his career.

Now, he’s a hit machine that just seems to find a way to get it done in ever big moment. Outside of Cleveland, Ramirez might not be the first name that comes to mind when discussing the best third basemen in the game, but that conversation needs to be had.

According to FanGraphs, Ramirez actually is tied for the lead among in third baseman in Wins Above Replacement. That’s better than Nolan Arenado, Kris Bryant, Miguel Sano, and Manny Machado. It’s not just at the bat, but also with the glove. Ramirez is fitth in baseball in their defensive metric as well.

Some of the more traditional stats speak to just how much better Ramirez has been than non-Clevelanders think:

  • Ramirez’s .326 batting average is 27 points higher than the next highest third baseman, Eduardo Nunez of the Giants.
  • Ramirez’s batting average is also by far the highest in the American League and is 48 points higher than Miguel Sano of the Twins.
  • Ramirez’s .567 slugging percentage is also tops in baseball, 12 points higher than Sano. Mind you, Ramirez has only 12 home runs on the season.
  • Ramirez also has the highest OPS in baseball among third baseman, with a .948 mark that is 14 points higher than Sano.
  • Ramirez has been rated to be worth $23.7 million so far this season. No, that number is not a typo. That’s how good he’s been. Not bad for a guy making $600,000 this season and an average of $7.5 million through the next six seasons.

Remember a couple of seasons ago when the Indians were aggressively pursuing Todd Frazier? We’ve written before about how that non-trade turned out to be a great move for the Tribe. It continues to look better and better in 2017. Comparing Ramirez and Frazier, it’s clear to see the biggest winner of the non-deal was the Indians (and Ramirez):

Ramirez: .326 / .381 / .567, .948 OPS, 92 hits, 24 2B, 12 HR, 51 R, 35 RBI

Frazier: .212 / .322 / .429 / .751 OPS,  49 hits, 11 2B, 13 HR, 32 R, 36 RBI

We don’t mean to pick on Frazier again, but there was a lot of disappointment in Cleveland when Frazier landed in Chicago, who gave up a top pitching prospect in their system for guy who hasn’t performed and is a free agent after this season. With the type of long term deal Ramirez has now, promoting from within, even if it took a failed season from Juan Uribe to get there, seems to have been the right decision.

Next: Tribe can't let Santana walk in free agency

It also happens to be one that has vaulted Ramirez into being arguably the best third baseman in the game right now.

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